Château Lafon-Rochet St. Estèphe 2016

Château Lafon-Rochet is one of the oldest estates in Saint-Estèphe, with origins dating back to the 16th century. Initially known as “Domaine de Rochet”, it was renamed “Château Lafon-Rochet” in 1650 following the marriage of its owner, Antoinette de Guillemotes, to Étienne de Lafon. Château Lafon-Rochet saw two centuries of winegrowing during which the vineyard grew and improved dramatically, culminating in its awarding of the title of Quatrième Grand Cru Classé  (Fourth Growth) at the Official Classification of 1855.

The estate's great wine comes from the oldest vines. The Lafon-Rochet is a wine that is both simple and complex, it expresses aromas of black fruits in the majority of vintages, there is really a fade and a particular expression of Saint Estèphe, a certain warmth, and roundness while finesse from the Merlot grape variety.

“The 2016 Lafon-Rochet has a very engaging bouquet, a mixture of red and black fruit laced with pencil shavings and loamy scents. In fact, the more you nose this wine, the more its complexity becomes apparent. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and a fine line of acidity, ripe and generous yet maintaining outstanding tension and revealing a judicious touch of peppercorns on the finish, which fans out gloriously. This is a fabulous Lafon-Rochet and certainly the best bottle of 2016 that I have encountered. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting.” - 95 Points, Vinous 

“A St-Estèphe fourth growth with a bright future, Château Lafon-Rochet has been going through a quiet renaissance under the Tesseron family and, since 2021, the Lorenzetti family, which also owns Lilian Ladouys (St-Estèphe) and Pédesclaux (Pauillac 5GCC). The vineyard covers 45ha of gravel and clay, planted mainly to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The 2016 is a blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, vinified in both concrete and stainless steel vats, and aged for 12 months in oak barrels, 50% new. Georgie Hindle: Blackcurrant and plum, fleshy and focused. Less demonstrative than some, but has definition and persistence. Juicy strawberries, cranberries and raspberries, tannic but not too dry, with sweetly spiced oak on the finish. Vincenzo Arnese: Fresh and young. A bit shy, but the palate is rich with good intensity. A powerful style, showing good integration of oak and a pleasant finish. Robert Mathias MW: Spice, incense and nutmeg aromas. Dark cherry and cassis fruit is very focused. Gravelly mineral core and bright acidity. Real balance and tension here.” - 95 Points, Decanter

“An explosion of all manner of black berries with discreet, toasty and smoky oak, makes this a joyful St.-Estèphe. Then the great balance of ripeness, lively acidity and velvety tannins come together beautifully at the elegant finish to make this the best wine from this producer in modern times. Needs two or three years to soften. Try in 2022.” - 94 Points, James Suckling

Producer: Château Lafon-Rochet

Country: France

Region: Bordeaux

Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot

Appellation: St. Estèphe

Vintage: 2016

Size: 750ML