Post 2001 Sociando-Mallet Jean Gautreau

I see there is a lot of love for pre 2002 Sociando-Mallet Jean Gautreau but I don’t see anyone talking about vintages like 2015. Why is that?
Did the wine change so much that there isn’t much love for more recent vintages?

Er, most people aren’t drinking 2015+ Bdx

I almost pulled a 1995 this weekend, my last, and pushed it back in the wine fridge. Why? They are not easy to find. I think that explains your question. I’m not aware of any post-2005 in the US marketplace right now. If anyone knows where some can be found, I would love to get a PM. I have a few each of 09, 06, 03, and then one each of 01 and 95. Those last two vintages are excellent. The 09 and 06 still need considerable time. Bear in mind these generally have a higher concentration of Cab than the normal wine, and sees 100% new oak. It shows that oak when young. I think I have posted some notes on some of these more recent vintages, but they are not ready. The 2001 are smokin.

I’d love to buy a shit-ton of 2014, and then some 2010 and 2005.

Robert PM’d you

Thank you, sir!

WTH is this a Albert only PSA?

WTF is Albert!?!

And if you meant me, after I take my royal cut, you can have the offal.

It was a false alarm anyway. I’m not seeing anything current in the market.

You are a true believer in the 2014…I am not disagreeing but just stating the obvious. I am deep as well!

Absolutely correct - I have been lucky enough to find quite a few, but it’s not like I can just pop out to the local store and buy some more, so it’s not the sort of wine I want to open too early just to try out. Basically, anyone finding some should just buy them. The only weird thing about the Cuvée Jean Gautreau is that despite its scarcity, over here it is not really that expensive at auction - the lack of marketing by the property is probably why. I suspect most people haven’t a clue what it is, so sometimes I find it at the same price as the normal cuvée.

So I got these along with 2005, 2001, 1999, 1998 and 1995

Major score!!

What is the price difference supposed to be? I have accidentally bought a couple of bottle before where about half wet the JG and half were the regular cuvée (all at the same price)

I think they were 2006s if that makes a difference

I bought a few 05 and 14s so opened one of each to for a test run, both seemed a little glossy and polished to me but I hope that the sheen will integrate with time.

I wasn’t over-impressed by the JG 03 but the JG 2010 I tried this summer was outstanding - those are the only ones I have opened so far from any year post-01. I think you’ll find that the sheen you found will indeed wear off in a few more years, bearing in mind that these are wines with a very long life.

At retail the Cuvée JG is practically impossible to find over here, hence the fact that until 2019 I had never even heard of it. I got my first bottles from an online sale I had happened to chance upon, then direct from the château after I visited it in the summer of 2019. As to prices, these are from that time, so I’m sure they have risen since:

1995: 81€
1996: N/A
1997: 71
1998: 74
1999: 74
2000: 88
2001: 56
2002: 50
2003: 59
2004: 49
2005: 95
2006: 52
2007: 43
2008: 53
2009: 63
2010: N/A
2011: 42
2012: 41
2013: 38
2014: 41

As I wrote before, at auction here the prices are always cheaper, sometimes a lot less. For example, last year I got some 2000s for 45€ and some 2005s for 49€, which are the same as I would expect to pay for the normal cuvée. I couldn’t believe my luck, but at the normal prices I paid direct, the wines have all provided excellent value for money.

I’m a fan of Sociando-Mallet - but even non-fans have been impressed when I have served them a glass. In order to protect the main brand, it is not sold as a super-cuvée, but for me that’s what it is - and quite logically, since it is a selection of the best barrels from the best plots.

Where did you find the 2014?

With so many library vintages dropped on the market around the same time, which have been dynamite to drink, there simply hasn’t been much incentive to open the newer ones.

A retailer in Singapore had a few vintages of JG cuvee (06, 10 and 14 IIRC) but only the 2014 was a good price so I only got that!

I’m now very confused as to which bottling is which. Are the below JG or the regular bottling?

Regular. See the pic of the JG further up.
Somewhat complicating things is that the 2018 Sociando has a fancy black label.

SommSelect is selling the 1995, 1996 and 2003 today–I picked up a couple based on the reviews of this cuvee on here.

1995: SommSelect - - Daily Offer - Château Sociando-Mallet, “Cuvée Jean Gautreau” Bordeaux, France 1995
1996: SommSelect - - Daily Offer - Château Sociando-Mallet, “Cuvée Jean Gautreau” Bordeaux, France 1996
2003: SommSelect - Wine Shop - Château Sociando-Mallet, “Cuvée Jean Gautreau” Bordeaux, France 2003

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