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Lafon Rochet 2016

St Estephe, Fourth Growth

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Tasting Notes

Excellent quality, this is one of the high points of the past few decades of Lafon Rochet, demonstrating the huge potential of the site. Fine but firm tannins, plenty of juice and lift, mandarin peel, graphite, cassis, blueberry puree, cassis and loganberry fruits. Bitter dark chocolate also with a tannic frame that hugs without constricting. Harvest September 29 to October 20. 40ha, deep gravels and clay, 30 year old average vine age. Basile Tesseron owner at the time (now sold to Jacky Lorenzetti).

Score: 94

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2025-2043 20 October 2022

The 2016 Lafon-Rochet is very intense on the nose. A mixture of red and black fruit, crushed violet, wild mint and crushed stone unfolds with aeration. It's perhaps a little Barolo in style. The palate is beautifully balanced with supple tannins, very velvety smooth with lovely acidity and sensuality on the finish. Gorgeous. A high point for the estate. Tasted at the Lafon-Rochet vertical at the property.

Score: 95

Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2022-2050 01 June 2021

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.

Score: 91 - 93

Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com 28 April 2017

A sleeper in this vintage, the 2016 Lafon-Rochet is positively stellar. Bright, translucent and super-expressive, the 2016 has so much to offer. Lavender, tobacco, cedar, mint and dried herbs give the 2016 striking aromatic top notes to play off the darker fruit flavors. The 2016 is pure class. Don't miss it.

Score: 95

Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2024-2041 01 January 2019

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.

Score: 95

Decanter, - Maturity: 2027-2045 20 April 2017