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.
View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Château Lafon-Rochet
Aromas of smoke and tobacco with some currants, too. Medium body. Chewy tannins and an herb and berry aftertaste. Shows attractive fruit drive at the end. Drink in 2021.
Lafon-Rochet 2017 has a medium to deep garnet-purple color. It rocks up with ready-to-go scents of warm black and red cherries, mulberries, and fragrant soil, plus hints of wild sage and pencil lead. Medium-bodied, the palate is soft and juicy, with a lively line and a savory finish.
This is a lovely St-Estèphe this year, firm and bright with bristling fruit right out of the gate - hugely unusual to see that this year. This is one of my favourites, and is totally charming with its cassis and damson fruit, but it's the juice and friendly tension that sets it apart. Silky and enjoyable. Buy.
Drinking Window 2025 - 2040
Tangy, almost salty, nose. Smooth, layered, very fine texture. Not hugely fruity but balanced with a long, elegant aftertaste following a relatively light mid palate. Longer than it is deep but attractive.
Drink 2024-2032
The nose is not showing a lot of fruit the start of the palate tight with fresh fruits and structured tannins. Richer in the middle the mix of black cherry and sloe gives more depth the sweetness slightly overtaken by the tannins at the back. Drink 2025 - 2040.
Very impressive with a rich nose, deep fruit and a full finish, this is a powerful wine but nothing is forced and the oak and alcohol only serve to underpin the dark, inky fruit.
Solid, ultra-clean 2017 with a very pretty core of fruit and chewy tannins. Flavorful and fresh. Extremely long and focused.
Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Lafon-Rochet gives up subtle cassis and black cherry notes with hints of sautéed herbs, damp soil and pencil lead. Medium-bodied and slightly thin in the mouth, it has a well-played chewy texture and nice freshness, finishing with an herbal lift.