| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > St Estèphe |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
Recent vintages here at this classed growth St Estephe have been amongst the best ever with the latest generation of the family - Basile Tesseron - now in charge of the property. The new consultant is the legendary Jean-Claude Berrouet of Chateau Petrus - 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. The 2018 is 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc and weighs in at 14.5 degrees.
View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Château Lafon-Rochet
The 2018 Lafon-Rochet has an intense bouquet of black and red fruit, touches of wild mint and incense. It is still a pretty and engaging nose, just as I found from barrel. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, fine backbone and – what I really appreciate – superb precision and detail toward the saline finish. This is a classy, quite sophisticated Lafon-Rochet that deserves four or five years of cellaring. One of the best in recent years. Drink 2024-2044.
A firm and silky red with blackberries and hints of chocolate and hazelnut character. Medium to full body. Beautiful, fresh finish.
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Lafon-Rochet delivers impactful scents of baked blackberries, warm cassis and black cherry compote, with suggestions of chargrill, tar and tobacco leaf, plus a waft of wild mushrooms. The medium to full-bodied palate is laden with black fruit preserves and earthy accents, supported by firm, chewy tannins and just enough freshness, finishing with great length, if a little chewy. Drink 2024-2041.
I presume Basile Tesseron is feeling pretty relieved that he decided not to continue with organics in February 2018, as the ability to be more flexible with treatments proved pretty important during the rest of the season. The result is very good, full of juice and life, with crunchy blackberry and cassis fruits that are up there in expression with the 2016. It has clear quality, but is also pretty austere, with good slate minerality and touches of hedgerow. It feels like a wine with good life ahead and something to say. 4% Cabernet Franc makes up the blend. Harvested 24 September to 11 October. 3.7pH.
Drinking Window 2026 - 2038
Tasted blind. Interesting zestiness on the nose. Clean as a whistle on entering the palate and rather restrained but with real class. Great balance and intensity. Long. 14.5%
Drink 2027 – 2047
Barrel sample. Deepest crimson core with wide purple rim. Unusual nose: wild black fruits, vibrant fruit. Intense too, a bit like a blackcurrant pastille. Really expressive on the nose. Chocolate flavour and texture on the palate, not as vibrant as I expected from the nose, perhaps just all curled up inside the oak. The freshness on the finish is lovely. And the finish very long. Very good. (JH)
Drink 2028-2038
Deep ruby in colour with an inky, ripe nose of cassis and light toast. The palate is chalky and rich in tannin, with crunchy red and black fruits. This is fine and firm, a classic St Estephe in style. There are licks of spice and savoury cedar on the finish, complementing the pure cherries. Compact and dense, this will need 5-10 years in bottle to integrate and soften.
(64 Cabernet Sauvignon, 26 Merlot, 6 Petit Verdot, 4 Cabernet Franc) | 42% new oak | 14.5% alc This is a super-succulent Lafon-Rochet with fleshy Cabernet fruit which is nicely weighted with just the right amount of oak and spice. The nose is beautiful and there are mulberry notes overlaying the cassis core. A lip-smacking wine, which adds crisp tannins and bright acidity to its ingredients, this is undoubtedly another Saint-Estèphe winner in 2018.
The 2018 Lafon-Rochet was picked from 24 September to 13 October, matured in concrete and stainless steel vats and reaching 14.50% alcohol. It has a complex bouquet, a mélange of red and black fruit mixed with a little aniseed. It is pretty and winsome. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly chalky tannin, a fine bead of acidity and perhaps what distinguishes this vintage for myself is the precision on the silky-smooth finish. Even compared to the previous vintage, this shows a little more tension and pixelation, a fine sapidity that comes through on the aftertaste. Good potential. Drink 2021-2040.
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Lafon-Rochet is scented of cassis, blackberries, herbs and soil with tar and underbrush. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is firm and grainy with herb sparks and an earthy finish.
