Blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc.
Average age of the vines: 40 years. Average Yield : 53 hl/ha.
81 hectares in production. “Terroir” of gravel and clay over a clay-limestone sub-soil.
Manual harvesting in small crates, from September 7th to 27th, with sorting of the grapes before de-stemming.
Classical wine making, with native yeasts, in lined concrete and stainless steel vats, temperature-controlled.
Ageing in 100% new oak barrels during 12 months. Racking every 3 months, No fining of the wine.
"Whether it is due to the vintage or to Gautreau, the ferocity of the tannins in many 2011 Medocs seems relatively tame, but there is no lacking concentration in this wine, which is clearly of classified growth quality. It boasts a dense purple color along with abundant notes of creme de cassis, crushed rocks and spring flowers. Medium-bodied and super-rich, it is a real revelation in a vintage such as 2011. Given its precociousness and silky tannins, it can be drunk in 2-3 years, or cellared for two decades. Since I began covering these wines nearly 35 years ago, Sociando Maillet, with its fabulous terroir north of St.-Estephe, has been one of Bordeaux’s greatest over-achievers. It continues to prove that it should have been included in the 1855 Classification of the Wines of the Medoc. Proprietor Jean Gautreau is an example of a winemaker/vigneron/viticulteur who does everything right regardless of vintage conditions."
Published: Apr 30, 2014. Drink by 2032."
Robert Parker Wine Advocate 91pts