Just try for the still uninitiated! You may not need any reason to try this delicious second wine! It is just a great, mammoth, supple testament of wine--in short, a new archetype you must try.
2010 for this second wine is an elegant vintage—alcohol 14.5%, which flows in line with style. The vineyard where the Tempranillo grapes come from to make this red wine, aged for 14 months in new and used French oak barrels, was converted entirely to biodynamic agriculture. This 2010 has a deep ruby colour still with purple reflections and aromas of fresh red fruits(strawberries, raspberries and cherries). Pleasant herbaceous and vegetable notes, forest floor, mineral, smoked tobacco and spice touches surround it. On the palate, it confirms this fruit and mineral aspect, almost sapid; it has an impressive tannic structure, refreshing acidity and persistent finish, all wrapped in an aura of elegance and finesse, in perfect balance with its intensity and depth. Of course, like its first wine, the high altitude, cool nights, wide diurnal variation and soils richly endowed with chalk and limestone contributes to the style. These factors combine to give the wines of Ribera del Duero deep colour, varietal purity and vibrant acidity. Natural fermentation; no headache.
95 Guia Penin, 'Colour: Cherry, garnet rim; Aroma: spicy, creamy oak, toasty, complex, scrubland, fruit expression, red berry notes; Flavour: powerful, flavourful, toasty, powerful tannins, good acidity.' Edited.
94 points Adega, '"Vivid purple. Ripe cherry, cassis, potpourri and cracked pepper on the intensely perfumed nose, with subtle liquorice and woodsmoke qualities adding complexity. Deep, sweet and expansive, offering explosive dark berry compote, floral pastille and anise flavours. A spicy quality gains strength on the finish, which leaves smoke and mineral notes behind. This bottling has been going from strength to strength in recent years and offers superb value relative to its ritzy Pingus sibling. Edited.
NM also gave RP92, which comments,' The 2010 Flor de Pingus is raised in 40% to 50% new French oak (Darnajou and Taransaud). It has a superb bouquet that is taut at first but unfolds beautifully with very pure small dark cherries, cassis, orange blossom and a faint, attractive note of strawberry cheesecake. The palate is medium-bodied with sumptuous, plush tannins counterbalanced by the crisp thread of acidity. It has great clarity and tension with vibrant allspice and white pepper notes towards the finish that closes down a little, suggesting that it will need two or three years in the bottle. Excellent. Drink 2015-2025.' Edited.
Updated: Jul 19, 2023
Sociando Mallet is unique in shaping my tasting career: it helps form my concept of quality in wine. What struck me most about Sociando Mallet is their consistency. . Not only are they excellent in the good years, but they are also very well made in the less-good times. While it's always true that not all tasters like the Socialndo Mallet style, its performance, at least in the eyes of Parker et al., is always far better in structure, harmony, elegance and balance than some of the Crus, regardless of the vintage conditions.
Based in the Haut-Medoc just north of St Estephe, Sociando Mallet did not exist at the time of the 1855 classification and had no chance to opt to enter the Cru Bourgeois system. Neither a classed growth nor a Cru Bourgeois, Sociando-Mallet is structurally placed as an anomaly. To me, Sociando-Mallet is just too good to be classified. And this query, do we need classification systems at all, is always on my mind.
The average age of the vines is 35 years, with 55% being Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc; hence there are always complexities and intensities with the wines. The great vineyard sites, which lie on gravel over a clay-limestone subsoil sloping down to the river, are unusual in that they ripen quicker than their more southerly counterparts and are therefore picked earlier. The Chateau’s wines are always matured in 100% new barrels; hence there is always a spectrum of nose and taste.
This is rare for a non-classed growth, but the fact the wines absorb this amount of new oak so comfortably underlines their structure and quality. With 20 years+ of ageing for these 4 off-vintaged sets, all vintages are woven with silky fruit/wood tannins with unique wine structures. Yet all vintage shows peculiar characters. All vintages tasted are rough 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc. Fruit tones(primary, secondary and tertiary) are overall still balanced.
2002 reflects the fruity character of the vintage. Deep ruby with a medium garnet rim gives a classic Haut Medoc bouquet with a pleasant fruity touch and melted tar and graphite aromas with time. Masculine and earthy, the palate is somewhat grainy, barely drying, and in synthesis with the structure. This 2002 is precisely the kind of good work Sociando Mallet can do in a difficult vintage.
2003 is mega-concentrated. With silky tannins, sappy acidity, and excellent fruit length, the fruit nose is primary mainly, with few signs of evolution. Tannins are sweet. With deep ruby with a medium garnet rim, it noses notes of blackberries, blackcurrants and a pleasant touch of eucalyptus. On the palate, it is fruity, fresh, balanced and persistent finish(tones of cedar, leather, spices).
2007 gives medium ruby red with a tight garnet rim. Roasted notes mark the bouquet with a little fruity expression. Allowed it to breathe, there are notes of ripe, black fruit. On the palate, the wine is slightly creamy and balanced. However, just like the bouquet, it struggles to express itself. It may need more time.
2012 is more opened-up and drinking nicely now; a good light claret. With a deep ruby with purple reflections, it is a refreshing, well-typed bouquet with notes of eucalyptus, mint and a little black tea—fruity and lively mouthfeel. On the palate, the wine has freshness and a floral touch. It lacks flesh, but the structure is there.
2014. Deep, ruby, tight rim. Lots of potential. Intense Blackcurrant tones. Smoky aroma; austere, robust build, dense, of good length, tensioned; the style has remained faithfully Sociando-Mallet, but compared to the primeur pattern, it appears harsher and has lost some of its balance—mineral finish, full-bodied, structured, as intense as the nose. It could taste too low for some. Steadfast.
Deep ruby, tight garnet rim. Rose, a hint of sandalwood from new oak, fruity. A delicate, fresh mix of red/blue/black fruit is on the palate. The aftertaste is exquisite, balanced, structured, with fine tannin tecture and vibrant acidity. It has nice evolution and will continue to age nicely for another ten years, although drinking deliciously now. Now to 2025. This second wine of Château Trotanoy is from the younger vines of the property since 2009. It encapsulates the power and gravitas one associates with Trotanoy with early, effortless accessibility. Usually, a dash of Cabernet Franc adds to the Merlot's majority to form this second wine.
The best score is JS94, lowerest os 90JMQ. Drink time is now until 2035, maybe,
Its first wine, Trotanoy's name, translates to "land too difficult to cultivate," referring to the mixture of clay and gravel that can become as hard as concrete but provides a combination of elegance, depth and intensity to the wines. Château Trotanoy was one of the first recognised Premier Cru sites on the Pomerol plateau, with records dating back to the late 1700s. Since the nineteenth century and even by now, in our view, it has been the best site in Pomerol, second only to Vieux Château Certain. Up until the end of WWII, it was owned by the Giraud family. Jean-Pierre Moueix bought it in 1953, also became the owner of Château La Fleur-Pétrus and would later become the owner of Pétrus.
Consider that you are to take a glimpse of the best second wine from Pomerol to reflect on the best(VCC, La Fleur, Petrus). L'Espérance de Trotanoy is a meaningful second wine to drink. The First
Wine seems to be a favourite of most UK merchants.
