The winery is located in the commune of Saint-Seurin-de-Cadourne in the Saint-Estèphe area of the Médoc (Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux). Its origins go back to a Basque nobleman named Sociando, who is named as the owner in 1633. After the French Revolution (1789-1799), the estate was confiscated and came into the possession of a Monsieur Lamothe, after whom it was formerly named. The last part of the name was contributed by the next owner, a sea captain named Mallet. The château was not included in the Bordeaux classification of 1855, but this had nothing to do with the high quality of the wines even then. The vineyard was too far north for the samples brought to Bordeaux for tasting. According to experts, today it would deserve second place (Deuxième Grand Cru Classé).
The estate changed hands many times in the 20th century. Finally, in 1969, Jean Gautreau took over the run-down estate with only five hectares of vines. He expanded the vineyard many times over and introduced rigorous quality criteria. From the 1980s onwards, it developed into a true cult winery. In the 2003 classification, which is no longer valid, it was not classified in the highest level of Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel, but only as Cru Bourgeois. As a result, the self-confident Jean Gautreau decided not to participate. The vineyards cover 66 hectares of vines with the varieties Cabernet Sauvignon (55%), Merlot (40%), Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot (5%). The extremely long-lasting red wine is matured in 100% new barriques and bottled without fining or filtration. The second wine is called "La Demoiselle de Sociando-Mallet".
