2023 CHÂTEAU LAFON-ROCHET 4ème Cru Classé Saint Estèphe, Lea & Sandeman

CHÂTEAU LAFON-ROCHET

2023 4ème Cru Classé Saint Estèphe

Grapes Merlot, Cab Franc, Petit Verdot, Cab Sauv
Colour Red
Origin France, Bordeaux
Sub-district Haut Médoc
Village Saint Estèphe
Classification 4ème Cru Classé
ABV 13%

Confident colour extraction, this is dark ruby but nuanced, with vibrant reflections. After two years with Christophe Congé as director, you are starting to see more precision and focus in the constructino of the wine, with blackberry and bilberry fruits set against slate and smoked earth. Balanced alcohols, firm taninins. All four varieties in the blend. Drinking range: 2027 - 2040 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (May 2024)


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The 2023 Lafon-Rochet is a promising wine. Today, it shows terrific depth, driven by an elevated presence of Cabernet Sauvignon and a healthy dollop of Petit Verdot. Dark blue-toned fruit, lavender, licorice and dried herbs show tons of character. There's plenty of Lafon-Rochet finesse, but with an added kick of textural richness not found in the wines made during the Tesseron era. This comes together beautifully with a bit of time in the glass. Drinking range: 2030 - 2053 Rating: 93-95 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (May 2024)

The grand vin is 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot, the latter components each from one dedicated parcel. This takes 55% of the crop. Much more crimson and more aromatic than the second wine, this presents sweet fruit on the nose, with currant, sweet cranberry, rose and toast cedar. The palate is medium-bodied, with a wholesome texture running through the middle of the wine, with a nice persistence in the midpalate, supported by a firm grip of polished and integrated tannins. The fruit stands up the structure here much more convincingly than in the second wine, and there is fresh acidity too. These tannins, ripe as they are, will demand a long sleep in the cellar though. One to revisit after the élevage. The alcohol is 13.35% here. Rating: 91-93 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2024)

Generous and layered, the 2023 Lafon-Rochet offers up aromas of blackberries, cassis, incense and burning embers, followed by a medium to full-bodied, rich and enveloping palate that's gourmand and charming, concluding with a gently minty finish. Like the 2023, this represents a richer, more demonstrative style for this Saint-Estèphe property, where Christophe Congé and his team are rehabilitating the vineyards. Rating: 91-93 William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (Apr 2024)

Château Lafon-Rochet

Saint Estèphe Quatrième cru 1855 A somewhat complicated history eventually placed the Rochet vineyard - so named due to its rocky soil - into the hands of the Lafon family in the early years of the 17th Century. The family owned the estate until 1895. It passed through several hands until Guy Tesseron, who's family had prospered in the Cognac business, bought the, now run-down, estate in the 1960's. Guy completely renovated Lafon-Rochet, even to the extent of demolishing all of the delapidated buildings and rebuilding a grand 18th Century style chateau, which was painted yellow to match the labels. Thus Lafon-Rochet are almost unique among Haut-Médoc châteaux in being built in the 20th Century. In the 1960's Château Lafon-Rochet's vineyards consisted of just 15ha of Merlot. Today, there are 41ha under vine, and at a more Médoc-like 54% Cabernet Sauvignon. The Grand Vin spends up to 20 months in wood (50% ish new). Sitting inland from Cos d'Estournel, facing across the Jalle de Brieul at Duhart Milon and Lafite, Lafon-Rochet has some very noble neighbours. The Tesseron family also own Château Pontet-Canet.

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