What is your singular "wheelhouse" wine? [TN: 2001 Sociando Mallet]

WINE TALK
1

I’m sitting here thinking a bit philosophically. Just left a great charitable event, the giving spirit was lit, but the wine sucked. Came home to a chick-filet dinner - wife went out on a limb tonight, yea she was tired from that 3 hours of tennis which clearly outweighed my 12 hour workday - so I needed a “wheelhouse” wine. I needed some home-cooking. Something that reeks of place.

Easy choice.
Chateau Sociando Mallet.

Now mind you, I have more of this stuff than anything else in my home wine fridge, and there is a reason. It always delivery. Always. I’m not sure that I have ever had a dud. And each vintage showcases the vintage.

Tonight I popped a 2001. Wide open from the get-go. A lovely ashy, smoky nose with tangy red fruits. Blind, as always, I might guess Chinon. It always amazes me how little Cab Franc is in a Sociando. It is a Chinon lover’s Bordeaux. The palate is medium-weight, expansive, broad range of tart red fruits like cranberry and pomegranate, to darker but brambly fruits. No ripe fruits in this baby. Think green, think red, think spice. It is herbaceous, savoury, meaty, brothy. Chewy, chalky finish, still quite youthful, still having miles to go. Really enjoyable, however. It hits the spot in every way I want a Bordeaux to hit. (93 pts.)

I find that my scoring of Sociando tends to be in a very tight range, normally from 91-94 depending on the vintage. In the last few weeks I have had a 1989, 2000, 2003 and now this 2001. The consistency from vintage to vintage is stunning, perhaps one of the more consistent Bordeaux that I follow, Leoville Barton being another. And like Barton, it flourishes in so-called off-vintages. I love Barton, and it hits much higher highs, but this Sociando is my comfort food.

So what is your “wheelhouse” wine? Tell me about your comfort wine, not about how Haut Brion is your “wheelhouse,” cause unless you are Francois and a few others on this Board, this ain’t the wine you pop on a whim.

Cheers all!

Robert

2

I’m a fan of sociando and recently drank all my '01’s.
Wheelhouse bdx is probably Leoville Barton. Cheaper/non classified it’s probably phelan-segur (more polished than sociando but similar st Estephe character. More like cos less like calon).
Wheelhouse wine - whatever the next Carlisle I have loaded. Drinking '11 Carlisle zin Carlisle vineyard next to '04 cos tonight.

-josh

3

We talkin’ 01s? I’ll have the Pavie.

4

Beaux Freres from 98 to 02 and 05 - which reminds me, I need to search out some more as only have about 3 to 6 per vintage on hand and a few mags

1 Like
5

Every once in a while, I want an old school Cab. Depending on the fruitiness I want, I go for (in order of lowest fruit to most fruit flavor):

1995 Arrowood Reserve Speciale
2001 Chateau Montelena
2001 Arrowood Reserve Speciale
2002 Lokoya Diamond Mtn

None are ftuit bombs, and the secondary characteristics perfectly compliment the basic fruit character.

If it’s Burgundy, Charlie Fu and Chris Seiber already know the 2 I’m going to say since I constantly squawk about both:

1995 Ponsot Chapelle-Chambertin
1995 Ambroise Corton le Rognet

My wife and I will drink virtually any Huet or Prum from 2002 provided they’re off-dry or sweeter.

6

I went real long on 01 SM upon release and have regretted it ever since. But then, the only place I’m looking for green (bell) pepper is in my étouffée.

7

It’s really more of a roasted poblano.

I’ll take it all of your hands! Reasonable pricing of course, especially since you don’t like it. [wow.gif]

8

I’ll compete with Robert for the rest of the '01 sociando’s. I’ll even trade you the extreme near opposite - '07 CdP with 99-100 Parker points!

9

I’m bout to kick Josh’s arse! I hate 07 CDP and finally got rid of it. I got nada to trade. I like everything I have. He so owns me right now.

10

Foillard’s Cote du Py or Arcadian’s Pisoni Pinot Noir

11

Down to 3/4s bottle. This wine is killer. Might as well finish it, right?

12

I don’t see why not. I’m sampling a bottle of '13 Jouan GC at the moment. These wines never let me down. The bottle won’t make it through the night.

13

Lafarge Côte de Beaune Villages

14

We’re test hopping the 2014 Luli Pinot. I no longer have an individual wheelhouse wine (that’s available) as my tastes have changed as I’ve grown older. While I want to revisit my favorite cabs from the 60’s and early 70’s, there is nothing close any more. I tend to gravitate to bigger Syrahs and Zins for the enjoyment of drinking with the foods we generally eat now. When we get the opportunity to go out to dinner, usually Cole’s Chop House, we usually take the oldest Araujo or Dunn Cab that we have.

15

The consistency and quality of Sociando Mallet is incredible, isn’t it? And they are wines of true place, character, and distinctiveness, not to mention amazing aging ability. Whenever some snobby sommelier dumps on Bordeaux, give them a bottle of SM.

Even though they are very different styles, Pegau in CNDP reminds me of SM, just in that consistency year to year and (relatively) moderate pricing.

16

I can always count a Turley either the Pesenti, Dragon or Rattlesnake. Very likely because my comfort food is burgers, pizza or bbq. So those days i just want to get all comfy, my food drives me and it goes so well with a good zin.

17

Forgot about them. The perfect compliment for Jack Stack BBQ brisket and baked beans. Rats, now I’m hungry and we don’t close for an hour.

18

-Expensive Bordeaux wheelhouse: Pichon Lalande (soft spot for Beychevelle and Magdelaine)
-Moderate Priced Bordeaux: Sociando Mallet or Cantemerle
-Cheap Bordeaux: Lanessan or Tour St Bonnet

19

7/8s

20

I’m lucky. Carrie gets tired early and sips her wine. I 3/4 of every bottle.