When Jean Gautreau bought Sociando-Mallet in 1969 he must have been affected by the romance of the summer of love and the `evenements` at the time, for the property had little in its favour but potential. Ant that`s potential in an estate agent sense. The area down to vines was a rump of the land and the buildings were virtual wrecks. There has been no hint of any of that for years and years now and Sociando even withdrew from the revised Cru Bourgeois system in 2003, such is the confidence in the stature of the property and its wine. Terroir-wise, the estate lies on the same gravel as Chateau Latour and has close planted vines. But it is the cellar that is staggering for most people. Not only is there an extensive barrel chai that wouldn`t shame Ch Margaux, but the enormous library of wines held in bottle - up to 10,000 in one vintage - is extremely impressive and this archive of living history is a fitting testament to a producer whose wines have an extraordinary ability to age. (CW 02/06/2010)