Lafon Rochet 2017

St Estephe, Fourth Growth

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Tasting Notes

The 2017 Lafon-Rochet has really come together nicely since I tasted it in barrel. Deep, rich and yet also vibrant, the 2017 has so much to offer. In 2017, Lafon-Rochet is a wine of precision and class. What it lacks in overt body, it has in persistence and that most elusive quality in wine - personality. I don't expect the 2017 to be especially long-lived, but it will offer fine drinking over the next decade or so.

Score: 92 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2022-2032 Date: 01 March 2020

The 2017 Lafon-Rochet is wonderfully deep and fleshy, but in the mid-weight style that is typical of the year. Dark red and purplish fruit, lavender, licorice, spice and leather all flesh out in this attractive, if somewhat understated, wine from Lafon-Rochet. Silky tannins accompany the mid-weight finish nicely. The 2017 is a very pretty wine, although it is a touch light in this vintage. Tasted three times.

Score: 89 - 91 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Date: 01 May 2018

The 2017 Lafon-Rochet has matured in 50% new oak and the remainder in one-year old. I have to say, the bouquet is very expressive with plenty of blackberry, wild hedgerow, oyster shell and pressed flower that blossom in the glass. It is very well defined and more sophisticated than I have detected in recent vintages. Perhaps this is the first vintage where the new winery, replete with concrete vats, has really played a serious role in meliorating quality. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, quite saline in the mouth with just a hint of black olive. There is a slightly grainy texture with a sustained peppery finish, completing a crisp and vivacious Lafon-Rochet that should please many wine-lovers. Expect this to land at the top of my banded score.

Score: 91 - 93 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2020-2040 Date: 01 May 2018

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.

Score: 16 - 17 Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2024-2032 Date: 27 April 2018

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.

Score: 85 - 87 Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Date: 27 April 2018

Solid, ultra-clean 2017 with a very pretty core of fruit and chewy tannins. Flavorful and fresh. Extremely long and focused.

Score: 92 - 93 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com Date: 06 April 2018

Prominent savory and tobacco notes lead to the core of crunchy pomegranate and black cherry fruit, with a lightly brisk finish.

Score: 87 - 90 James Molesworth, Wine Spectator Date: 04 April 2018

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.

Score: 93 Jane Anson, Decanter.com Maturity: 2025-2040 Date: 01 April 2018