We drank these three with friends at dinner on Saturday.
Sociando Mallet 1996
Blackberries, forest fruits, a touch of eucalyptus and maybe some liquorice on the nose. The attack of plum and blackberry is fresh, not green, but slightly muted, before a searing streak of blackcurrant in the middle section, very profound, and a smooth, velvety finish. Quite straitlaced and well behaved, it never really opened up and the middle section showed that it probably needs a few more years still.
Sociando Mallet 1997
The nose is similar to the 96 but with wild strawberries and some red cherry on top and it’s more open and expressive. In the mouth, it’s bright, elegant and charming, with tongue-tingling dark berry fruit and greater breadth than the 96. There isn’t the powerful middle section of the 96 but the finish is long, fresh and crisp, not unlike a Chinon, but without a hint of green. Needless to say, we opened another bottle.
Not a total shock, since I have enjoyed several bottles of 1997, but I never expected the 97 to be as good at 22, nor to dominate the 96. I suspect that in a few years from now the order of preference will be reversed, but SM is decidedly weird - the 01 is better than the 00 and for now, the 97 is better than the 96.
Clinet 2004
The less said the better. This was fruity, but almost syrupy and the comparison to the two SMs did it no favours at all. Not over the hill, it was still vibrant, but no complexity, no class, it was like drinking a lesser Lalande de Pomerol. The bottle was not finished.
None of the friends present were AFWE wine geeks, just normal French people with average tastes, but I suspect the Clinet would have fared better alone.