The soil is worked traditionally with earthing up and unearthing the vines. These operations aerate the topsoil. They take place in winter and summer with regular raking between vine rows.

They take place in winter and summer with regular raking between vine rows.

The vines are pruned from December to March. As in most Médoc vineyards, the traditional Double Guyot method is used, leaving only 6-8 buds per vine to limit the yield.

The vines are attached to stakes and the branches are bent and tied around guide wires.

Dead vines are individually uprooted and young vines replanted in their place. Any damaged stakes and wires are also replaced at this time.

When the vines start to grow in early spring, the vine workers remove undesirable or non-fruit-bearing shoots that grow on the trunk and on the branches. This process, called Epamprage in French, is done by hand.

The vines are lifted and guided between the wires to steer growth. The foliage is trimmed on the top and the sides every two weeks.
Spraying of protective treatments against disease or pests is kept to a strict minimum whilst preserving the quality of the crop.

We never do de-leafing at Sociando-Mallet. We feel that the vine needs a large foliar surface to produce enough sugar in the grapes, and also to protect the bunches from the sun's rays.

Green harvesting is not done either, out of respect for Nature's gift and the fruit of the winegrowers' work.Yields are regulated exclusively by winter pruning.

The grape harvest lasts about 3 weeks. The order of picking depends on the grape variety, the age of the vines, and the specific plot.

The entire vineyard is harvested by hand into small crates by a team of 120 pickers. The bunches arrive at the cellar in perfect condition.

Once brought to the cellar, the bunches are sorted by hand on a conveyor belt to eliminate matter other than grapes as well as any imperfect fruit. The grapes are then de-stemmed, gently crushed, and sent into the vats, making sure not to mix grape varieties or grapes from different plots.

This plot-by-plot selection means that each vat can be vinified in optimum conditions with a tailor-made process. Grapes from young vines or grown on a shallow layer of gravel produce La Demoiselle de Sociando-Mallet, the estate's second wine. Grapes from the finest terroirs produce the grand vin, and grapes from some other plots must wait until the first tastings to know which cuvée they will go into.