366. Château Sociando-Mallet, Haut-Médoc, 1995

$29.99; 12.5%

So, austere, uncooperative, takes years to become accessible… and that was just the label… Bordeaux… surely not! Anyway, I saw this in Boston and had to buy it, having previously commited ‘infanticide’ on a bottle in The Square in 2002. I needed to know what it would become. Deep garnet with a narrow garnet / brick rim. Coal-smoke dominated, with cigar and some hidden black fruit beneath. More masculine than Figeac, but less complex. Some vanilla. Well-integrated tannin (at last!) & smooth. Far more concentrated palate, and focused on blackcurrant flavour. Savoury, smoky finish. Quite rich. I’m glad that I’ve finally experienced what The Square’s sommelier screwed up for me!