Château LAFON-ROCHET 2015
In Saint-Estèphe, Château Lafon-Rochet occupies a terroir of gravel mixed with clay that gives the wines a deep structure and a distinctly Médoc identity. A Fourth Growth classified in 1855, the estate was long managed by the Tesseron family, who profoundly modernized the domain while maintaining a style based on density, freshness, and aging potential. Cabernet Sauvignon forms the backbone of the vineyard, while Merlot adds more flesh and suppleness. Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot complete the blend and enhance the aromatic complexity of the whole. Clay soils play an important role in hot years by maintaining a more regular water supply. The 2015 vintage, generous and ripe, benefited from particularly favorable conditions for grape concentration without excessive loss of freshness. The result is a broad, structured, and already harmonious Saint-Estèphe, but still capable of long evolution in the bottle.
Château Lafon-Rochet 2015 blends 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. Cabernet Sauvignon provides a straight, deep, and persistent framework, with notes of blackcurrant, graphite, and cedar. Merlot enriches the mid-palate with a velvety texture and a fleshier fruit expression. Cabernet Franc brings finesse and aromatic freshness, while Petit Verdot discreetly reinforces depth and spices. The different plots are vinified separately to preserve their identity before the final blend. Aging in French oak barrels gradually refines the structure and accompanies the maturity of the vintage without masking the fruit. After more than ten years in bottle, the 2015 begins to reveal a more tertiary complexity while retaining a good reserve for aging.
The color shows a deep garnet with still strong ruby reflections. The nose opens on blackcurrant, blackberry, and black plum, accompanied by cedar, graphite, and licorice. With aeration, blond tobacco, cocoa, sweet spices, and discreet notes of undergrowth gradually appear. The palate is broad and structured, with now more polished tannins giving a velvety texture while maintaining depth. The black fruit remains present and extends on a fresh and slightly smoky framework. The finish is long, precise, and persistent, with a return to blackcurrant, tobacco, spices, and a mineral dimension. Château Lafon-Rochet 2015 will accompany roasted rack of lamb, beef fillet with porcini mushrooms, pigeon, duck breast, or game birds.
Grape varieties: 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot
