100 Wine Enthusiast

If sunshine could be bottled it would be this. Aromas of fresh succulent stone fruit, a hint of yeast, citrus blossoms and notes of quince on the nose. The mousse is creamy and light with baked red apples, blood orange zest, white grapefruit, sticky caramel and layered salinity with a mouthwatering finish. It will bring a smile to your lips.

92 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

Olives, currants, graphite and dried herbs on the nose of this savory and mineral red. Lots of pencil-shaving character on the palate, which is medium- to full-bodied, fine-grained and focused. Cabernet sauvignon and merlot. Try in 2027.

97 Tim Atkin, MW

Sourced from the estate’s best parcel, close to a tributary of the Minho River where the vines are grown on clay and river stones, Mendes has produced an extraordinary expression of Vinho Verde. It is fermented in lightly toasted 400-litre French oak barrels and aged for nine months with minimal batonnage, and none after the first three months. Floral and subtly green, with pineapple fruit, stony reduction and a gentle smoky note, it is rich yet impeccably balanced by racy acidity and mineral tension. Pithy, graceful and profoundly expressive, it combines immediate drinkability with impressive ageing potential. Drink from 2026-2032

94 Luis Gutierrez - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2022 Parcela Única is an Alvarinho from a specific plot from the Quinta da Torre Quinta da Torre, 5.5 hectares of their oldest vines planted in a place with more boulders, a mixture of alluvial and fluvial terrace, where they also take the riper bunches, the lower ones on the vines. It fermented and matured in new 400-liter oak barrels with a minimal toast, where the wine matured with the full lees for nine months. It has a more balsamic, complex and evolved nose that is subtle and elegant, denoting more age and also more complexity and depth. The oak is neatly integrated in the wine. It has good ripeness, 12.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.32 and 6.3 grams of acidity, with a bone-dry and serious finish that is granite driven

94 Jeb Dunnuck - jebdunnuck.com

"Every bit as good as the 2019, although in a slightly more concentrated, burly style, the 2020 Château Sociando-Mallet is close to an even split of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, with a splash of Cabernet Franc, all from vines located just north of Saint-Estèphe. It brings lots of ripeness and richness, with darker currants, plums, leafy tobacco, chocolate, and graphite-like aromatics that build nicely with time in the glass. These all carry to a medium to full-bodied Haut-Médoc revealing a deep, layered mid-palate, ripe, sweet tannins, plenty of concentration, and a great finish. Where the 2019 is silky and elegant, this is more in your face and foursquare, and it's mostly potential at this stage, although it clearly offers pleasure even today with its wealth of fruit. It's going to hit maturity around a decade after the vintage and, I suspect, will keep for 2-3 decades."

93 Neal Martin - Vinous Media

The 2020 Sociando Mallet has retained its impressive aromatics from its showing in barrel with beautifully defined blackberry and raspberry fruit, pressed violet and light cedar aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with firm backbone, a little powdery in texture, fine backbone with ample freshness and tension towards its graphite-infused finish. Bravo!

92+ William Kelley - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2020 Sociando-Mallet is very attractive, exhibiting aromas of cassis and plums mingled with notions of pencil shavings, loamy soil, tobacco leaf and licorice. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, with lively acids and powdery tannins, it's a strong effort from a site that always does well in warm vintages. The 2020 is a blend of 53% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Cabernet Franc.