Fennel, black chocolate, crushed roses, cassis, blackberry, will run and run, and is exceptional value, particularly in the context of the vintage. Tasted ex-retail, not ex-chateau. Harvest September 24 to October 12. 100% new oak for ageing, native yeast fermentation. One corked bottle, second tasted exceptional.

48% cabernet sauvignon 47% merlot 5% cabernet franc. 85 hectares planted on Gunzian gravels over clay sub-soil with an average vine age of 30 years. Perfumed black and blue fruit dominate the nose with secondary bramble notes of spice and mocha. Rich and evolved on the palate blackberry and boysenberry show silky and lush in the modern styled medium-to-full-bodied wine. Fine-grained well-manicured tannins match the ultra ripe fruit. Great value for the appellation. Enjoy over the next 15 years.

(91+ points) A very classic wine for patient connoisseurs, Sociando Mallet makes no compromises and continues to produce one of the finest wines among non-classified estates in Haut-Medoc. Dense purple to the rim, the opaque purple-colored 2010 offers up notes of graphite, blueberry and black raspberry fruit, a hint of cassis, some licorice and wet rocks. Deep, full-bodied and almost excruciatingly tannic, this full-throttle, balls-to-the-wall style of wine needs at least 8-10 years of cellaring and should keep for three decades or more.

Lifted aromas of eucalyptus and menthol, with an initial attack of juicy dark fruit - but this drops on the mid-palate, and the tannins still feel a touch drying. Needs more time. Read more at https://www.decanter.com/wine-reviews/france/bordeaux/chateau-sociando-mallet-haut-medoc-bordeaux-france-2010-25534#LRvpmTqzGKcBFJEf.99

(90+ points) The 2010 Sociando Mallet has a well defined, pure bouquet with blackberry, bilberry and light estuarine scents that gently waft from the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, a fine bead of acidity and good weight. It just needs more complexity and terroir expression on the finish. Give this another two or three years. This is one wine where I have encountered better bottles. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal. -- Neal Martin