Jean Gautreau used to say that his ambition for Sociando-Mallet was to reach the level of quality of Giscours, so I thought I would try two good ones together. I chose the JG 01 over the 00 just because I have three 01s and only one 00. the wines were opened on consecutive evenings and then tasted together last night. Both were decanted for five hours.
Château Giscours - Margaux - 2000
The nose was full of very deep, profound sensations: blackberry, more like blackberry liqueur perhaps, black cherry, violet, a little plum and a touch of menthol on the finish. Quite rich at first, very pure fruit, but powerful and muscular, the blackcurrant and blackberry slightly yeasty as a result. The power didn’t taste forced in any way, but it was a bit distracting. It took a couple of hours to simmer down, then the typical Giscours elegance and finesse shone through, with tastes of red fruits coming mid-palate and some freshness on the finish. By the second evening it had improved further and confirmed the impression I had had two years previously - that this is the best Giscours I’ve had.
Sociando-Mallet Cuvée Jean Gautreau 2001
From the first sniff it was clear that this was a great bottle: very refined, fragrant aromas of violet, plum and cassis, with a strong wave of raspberry at the end. The attack was crisp and fresh, with beautiful notes of cassis and plum, quite powerful but effortlessly elegant, moving into a complex middle section where some blackberry emerges, and a very long finish with strong notes of raspberry, rounded off like the attack by a sensation of cool freshness. Like a hypothetical blend of Pauillac, Margaux and Chinon. Sensational.
Tried together, the comparison was fascinating. The Giscours was beautifully balanced but it does need another few years for the power to relax a little. I’ve had a couple of off bottles of the JG, but this one was back to the exceptional level of the first bottle tasted two years ago. Lovely though the Giscours was, the Sociando-Mallet Jean Gautreau was simply at a higher level: more complex, more elegant, more distinguished and fresher. One of the best wines of the year, this is a Bordeaux for those who are sick of Bordeaux. It’s a great tribute to Jean Gautreau’s ambition and determination.