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Lafon Rochet 2016

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

Recent vintages here at this classed growth St Estephe have been amongst the best ever and now the latest generation of the family - Basile Tesseron - has become involved with the management. The new consultant is the legendary Jean-Claude Berrouet of Pétrus - his first job on the left bank. This striking property with its yellow walls is just along the road from Cos d'Estournel and overlooks the vineyards of Lafite. En primeur prices remain reasonable. The 40 hectare vineyard is planted 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot with a little Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

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

Label

Tasting Notes

Excellent quality, this is one of the high points of the past few decades of Lafon Rochet, demonstrating the huge potential of the site. Fine but firm tannins, plenty of juice and lift, mandarin peel, graphite, cassis, blueberry puree, cassis and loganberry fruits. Bitter dark chocolate also with a tannic frame that hugs without constricting. Harvest September 29 to October 20. 40ha, deep gravels and clay, 30 year old average vine age. Basile Tesseron owner at the time (now sold to Jacky Lorenzetti).

94
Jane Anson, JaneAnson.com, October 2022

Plenty of fruit and concentration to this wine, and it’s buttressed by the tannins. Muscular and intense. Full-bodied yet reserved and tight. Excellent.

93/94
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, March 2017

Deep garnet in color, the 2016 Lafon-Rochet requires a little swirling to bring out notes of Bing cherries, raspberry leaves, and fresh blackcurrants, plus hints of forest floor and sauteed herbs. The medium-bodied palate is filled with herb-laced red and black fruits, framed by chewy tannins and bright acidity, finishing with a lively lift.

90
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent, December 2022

Tasted blind. Firm and minerally with lots of ripe, correct fruit in the middle. Very St-Estèphe. Dry finish but not drying tannins. Whizzy and lively and pure pleasure for fans of this commune.
Drink 2027 – 2044

17.5
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, February 2020

The nose is closed the start of the palate tight with firm structured tannins. Black cherry and cassis the mid palate has a richer feel fair depth at the back but the finish is firm and quite tight. 2025-40

87/90
Derek Smedley MW, DerekSmedleyMW.co.uk, April 2017

Another winery that’s benefited from a shiny new cellar in recent vintages, this is every bit as good as the 2015, which was made in more difficult circumstances. Blueberry and cassis fruit, floral aromas, tangy acidity and a nip of fine-grained tannin. A very stylish St Estèphe. 2024-32

93
Tim Atkin MW, timatkin.com, April 2017

Classic, layered and suave, this is a focussed, intense Lafon-Rochet with serious intent and masses of power beneath
the bonnet. The nose shows the way with succulent fruit and showy oak and then the palate calms down to reveal a
wonderful, balanced finish.

17.5+
Matthew Jukes, Matthew Jukes' Blog, April 2017
Read more tasting notes...

The 2016 Lafon Rochet is a blend of 25% Merlot, 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petit Verdot and 6% Cabernet Franc cropped at 46 hectoliters per hectare and matured in 50% new oak. The harvest was between 1 October and 20 October. The alcohol is 13.6%, which is just a little higher here than say Cos d'Estournel or Montrose. It has a very succinct bouquet with blackberry, bilberry and light oyster shell aromas, classic in style, more reserved than I found the 2015 Lafon Rochet last year. The palate is medium-bodied with powerful tannin on the entry, a keen line of acidity (3.65 pH), fine symmetry with a pleasant rondeur on the finish sprinkled with black pepper and tobacco. This is a very fine Lafon Rochet from Basile Tesseron and his team.

91/93
Neal Martin, Wine Advocate (230), April 2017

All the success of St-Estèphe in 2016 can be seen in Lafon-Rochet this year, where the 30mm of rain on 13th September and 13mm on 8th October, with nothing in between, allowed the clay, limestone and gravel soils to fully ripen the grapes. Owner Basile Tesseron says he had never seen such maturity in his Cabernet Sauvignons, and certainly we have hugely intense aromatics from the first nose. The palate features finessed and fleshed out mouthwatering black fruits making it hard not to love this. Tasted three times in total, and every time it stood out. Blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot aged in 30% new oak. 3.68pH.

Drinking Window 2027 - 2045

95
Jane Anson, Decanter.com, April 2017

Not the deepest crimson. Broad and rich and a bit beefy and yeast-extract-like. A tad scrawny on the end.
Drink 2024-2038

16.5
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2017
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.