Into neck

93 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

Bright ruby-red. Rich, perfumed aromas of black raspberry, blackberry, minerals and cocoa powder. Big, dense, lush and deep, but with lovely sappy vinosity; this expands impressively to fill the mouth. Finishes very long, with suave, broad tannins and a note of black olive. A gloriously successful vintage for Sociando-Mallet, offering a full range of cabernet aromatics. (5/2003)

92 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

This is a beautiful wine and certainly one of the great sleepers of the vintage. I originally predicted that this wine would be at full maturity between 2007 and 2028, but I would push that back by a good 4-5 years. Still inky/purple, with notes of acacia flowers intermixed with wet rocks, black currants, and blueberries, the wine is full-bodied, displays no real evidence of any oak, and offers up terrific concentration, texture, and length. For those who bought this beauty at $30-35 when it was available, this was a terrific buy, and it should continue to evolve for 20+ years. (RP) (6/2010)