Chateau Lafon-Rochet 2016
Country
France
bottle size
750 ml
Wine Type
Red Wine
Wine Region
Bordeaux, Bordeaux - St. Estephe
Grape Variety
Blended
vintage
2016 [**VINTAGE MAY CHANGE]
Alcohol
13%
characteristics
Body
Full
Full
Full
Acidity
High
High
High
Tannin
High
High
High
2016 [**VINTAGE MAY CHANGE]
Product Description
Dark ruby-red. Deep, pure, perfumed aromas of black fruits, cured tobacco and black tea. Brawny and a bit chunky on the palate with a minty quality to the black fruit and flint flavors. Finishes with big, chewy tannins and a persistent note of cassis. Shows a creamy texture and plenty of palate weight but seems a little unrefined presently.
wine score
94 points Wine Enthusiast
"Now producing impressive wines, this estate has made a firm, rich wine in this vintage. Its tannins are very present, but they have a velvet edge that is immediately attractive. Not that the wine won’t age: its structure and good acidity will see to that. Drink from 2025."
93 points Wine Advocate
"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."
93 points Wine Spectator
"This is vivid, with a mix of steeped red and black currant coulis flavors streaming through, while ample savory, bay leaf, tobacco and warm stone notes course underneath. The elements meld wonderfully on the finish, revealing a tug of savory and earth at the very end. Best from 2023 through 2033."
94 points James Suckling
"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."
Profile
Grape Blended
25% Merlot, 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petit Verdot and 6% Cabernet Franc
Palate
Brawny and a bit chunky on the palate with a minty quality to the black fruit and flint flavors. Finishes with big, chewy tannins and a persistent note of cassis.
Colour
Dark ruby-red
Aroma
Deep, pure, perfumed aromas of black fruits, cured tobacco and black tea.
Palate
Brawny and a bit chunky on the palate with a minty quality to the black fruit and flint flavors. Finishes with big, chewy tannins and a persistent note of cassis.
Wine Pairing
:Beef
:Lamb
:Hard Cheese
Product details
History
One of only a handful of Cru Classé properties within St-Estèphe, the fourth growth Château Lafon-Rochet lies just to the west of Cos d'Estournel, with its vineyards superbly situated next door to Lafite-Rothschild. Since 1959, the estate has belonged to the Tesseron family (also of Pontet-Canet), who began a gradual restoration of the estate. Today, the château and chai are totally renovated and the vineyards replanted. The American wine guru Robert Parker writes in high praise of the estate though he is not won over by the decor, commenting that the "flamboyant orange/yellow facade resembles a Las Vegas cat house"!
Brand
