Drinking Bordeaux can be perilous. The really good stuff costs a fortune. Most of the really cheap wines are undrinkable. In the middle there are good bargains and very fine wines but you have to know the producers and the vintages to make a good choice.
Since the well-known producers are out of reach for the ordinary consumer, the trick is to find a sleeper, a relative unknown but quality producer, in a good vintage.
Sociando-Mallet is one of those. This is an unclassed producer but highly regarded among people in the know. (The owner refuses to participate in the classification game) The grapes are grown just north of St. Estephe overlooking the Gironde River on property acquired by the current owner in 1969. They plant 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc; 95% is aged in new oak barrels.
The 2000 vintage is one of the very good recent vintages but the wines are late bloomers taking many years to gain the elegance expected of a quality Bordeaux. The very intense nose on this 2000 is showing nicely now with black current, cigar box, licorice and earth, earth, earth. With more time in the decanter, dried fruit and smoke become prominent. There is great aromatic complexity and depth. The palate too is full of flavor. Medium body with a clean, crisp, clear mid-palette, you have only seconds to enjoy it before the tannins grip and overwhelm as you lunge for the water glass.
This is a promising but unruly teenager 3-4 years away from achieving elegance. But it will get there when the tannins calm down. It is just entering its drinking window and should be fine for another 15 years.
It is still readily available and for Bordeaux relatively affordable.
Alcohol: 12.5%
Score: 92
Price: $80-$90
Exploring the Philosophy of Food and Wine 
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