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Lafon Rochet 2012

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > St Estèphe
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyCabernet Sauvignon/Merlot

View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Château Lafon-Rochet

Label

Tasting Notes

A very soft, consumer-friendly style for a St.-Estèphe, Lafon-Rochet’s 2012 has a dark ruby/purple color, plum, black cherry and cassis fruit, medium body, and a rather superficial and shallow aftertaste. It has its charm and endearing qualities, but is not terribly concentrated or profound. Drink it over the next 7-8 years. Drink 2015-2023

86
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (218), April 2015

The Lafon Rochet 2012 is a blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot that was picked late from 8th October when they felt that the fruit was completely ripe and finished on the 19th October. Basile told me that 10 hectares are now being farmed biodynamically. It is being matured using 40% one-year old barrels rather than 100% and there is only a tiny amount of vin de presse, something that Jean-Claude Berrouet has advised. It has a lifted bouquet nose of dark plum and blackberry fruit with just a touch of iodine. The palate is medium-bodied with a firm, tannic entry. It is a little pinched at first but unwinds with aeration. There is a good backbone here, though it is not a "weighty" Lafon Rochet. It is nicely balanced with an attractive saline touch on the finish. Somewhat conservative in style and showing a touch of attenuation, but overall this is not bad at all. Fine. Tasted April 2013.

89/91
Neal Martin, RobertParker.com, May 2013

Dark garnet. Savoury and confident on the nose. Round and lively. Charming, with good balance and length. Glossy and almost ready. A delightful surprise. Energy. A successor to 2007?
Drink 2016-2025

16.5
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, August 2017
89
Tim Atkin MW, timatkin.com, April 2013
Read more tasting notes...

The opaque purple-hued 2012 Lafon Rochet reveals plenty of incense, blueberry, black raspberry and spring flower notes intermixed with a hint of forest floor. Rich and medium to full-bodied, it is a complete wine from beginning to end. It may tighten up once it's in bottle, but this wine has 15 or more years of cellaring potential.

This superb effort is a major sleeper of the vintage. Made from a final blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, it boasts 13.5% natural alcohol and was made by Basile Tesseron, whose family owns this chateau as well as the well-known Pontet Canet. Like his uncle Alfred, Basile has moved to biodynamic farming.

90/92
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (206), April 2013

Very dark. Warm, cosy nose is very flatteringly ripe. But it lacks real savour and structure. Loose finish.

16
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2013
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.