2023, Château Lafon-Rochet, SAINT-ESTÈPHE , 4ème Grand Cru Classé

Last Year EP $74.00-

Recent vintages here at this classed growth St Estèphe have been amongst the best ever while under the stewardship of Basile Tesseron. In late 2021, Jacky Lorenzetti bought the property from the Tesseron family to increase his holding. This striking property, with its yellow walls, is just along the road from Cos d'Estournel and overlooks the vineyards of Lafite.

This is very St.-Estephe, with blackcurrant, lead pencil, graphite and crushed stone. Medium-bodied, linear and structured. Excellent finish. 64% cabernet sauvignon, 29% merlot, 4% petit verdot and 3% cabernet franc.
93-94 James Suckling.

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, liquorice 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. 2030-2053.
93-95 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.

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 construction of the wine, with blackberry and bilberry fruits set against slate and smoked earth. Balanced alcohols, firm taninins. All four varieties in the blend.
93 Jane Anson.

The 2023 Lafon-Rochet has quite an intense bouquet with mainly black fruit, hints of graphite and soot, nicely focused though it needs time to absorb the wood. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins that frame the layered blackberry and raspberry fruit laced with white pepper and pencil shavings. This errs slightly toward Pauillac on the finish, which is no surprise given its proximity. Displaying moderate length, this is a fine but grippy, denser Lafon-Rochet that should give 20 years or more of drinking pleasure.
91-93 Neal Martin.