Lafon Rochet 2016

Tasted blind. Firm and minerally with lots of ripe, correct fruit in the middle. Very St-Estèphe. Dry finish but not drying tannins. Whizzy and lively and pure pleasure for fans of this commune.Drink 2027 – 2044

The nose is closed the start of the palate tight with firm structured tannins. Black cherry and cassis the mid palate has a richer feel fair depth at the back but the finish is firm and quite tight. 2025-40

Another winery that’s benefited from a shiny new cellar in recent vintages, this is every bit as good as the 2015, which was made in more difficult circumstances. Blueberry and cassis fruit, floral aromas, tangy acidity and a nip of fine-grained tannin. A very stylish St Estèphe. 2024-32

Classic, layered and suave, this is a focussed, intense Lafon-Rochet with serious intent and masses of power beneaththe bonnet. The nose shows the way with succulent fruit and showy oak and then the palate calms down to reveal awonderful, balanced finish.

The 2016 Lafon-Rochet has quite a floral bouquet, pressed iris infiltrating the black fruit, and touches of tar coming through with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, quite elegant in style, refined and much more approachable that I expected, yet still with satisfying substance and a light pepperiness on the aftertaste. This is a beautiful Lafon-Rochet from Basile Tesseron and his team. Drink 2021-2040.

The 2016 Lafon Rochet is a blend of 25% Merlot, 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petit Verdot and 6% Cabernet Franc cropped at 46 hectoliters per hectare and matured in 50% new oak. The harvest was between 1 October and 20 October. The alcohol is 13.6%, which is just a little higher here than say Cos d'Estournel or Montrose. It has a very succinct bouquet with blackberry, bilberry and light oyster shell aromas, classic in style, more reserved than I found the 2015 Lafon Rochet last year. The palate is medium-bodied with powerful tannin on the entry, a keen line of acidity (3.65 pH), fine symmetry with a pleasant rondeur on the finish sprinkled with black pepper and tobacco. This is a very fine Lafon Rochet from Basile Tesseron and his team.

All the success of St-Estèphe in 2016 can be seen in Lafon-Rochet this year, where the 30mm of rain on 13th September and 13mm on 8th October, with nothing in between, allowed the clay, limestone and gravel soils to fully ripen the grapes. Owner Basile Tesseron says he had never seen such maturity in his Cabernet Sauvignons, and certainly we have hugely intense aromatics from the first nose. The palate features finessed and fleshed out mouthwatering black fruits making it hard not to love this. Tasted three times in total, and every time it stood out. Blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot aged in 30% new oak. 3.68pH.Drinking Window 2027 - 2045

Not the deepest crimson. Broad and rich and a bit beefy and yeast-extract-like. A tad scrawny on the end.Drink 2024-2038