Today Master of Wine, David Allen, tastes a half bottle of wine from Chateau Lafon Rochet, a 4th Growth Estate from Saint Estephe in Bordeaux’s Medoc region – The wine, Les Pelerins de Lafon Rochet is the second wine, it is from the 2018 vintage.
Château Lafon-Rochet is located in Saint-Estèphe, the northernmost appellation in the Medoc. Cabernet Sauvignon is planted in the vineyards, along with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
The property dates back to the 17th Century and was given fourth growth status in the 1855 Classification of the Médoc and Graves. By the late 1950s, the estate was in a state of disrepair, the vineyards were sparse, and the winery was unusable.
Guy Tesseron (of the Tesseron family – internationally known as Cognac producers) took over the château in 1960 and set about restoring the estate. The ferment room and wine storehouse were rebuilt and restored. The château building was knocked down and rebuilt. The family decided to paint the manor house yellow and change the labels on both the grand vin and second wine to reflect this. The yellow remains an aspect of the estate’s branding today.
There are approximately 40 individual parcels of grapes in the Lafon-Rochet vineyard, all of which are vinified separately in the winery in a mixture of cement, stainless steel and temperature-controlled vats. Some 60 percent of the total production goes into the grand vin, whereas the remaining 40 percent is kept for the second wine, Les Pèlerins de Lafon-Rochet. Grapes from the older vines, which are more intense and complex in flavor, are set aside for the grand vin, while those off the younger vines go into the blend for the second wine.
Guy Tesseron handed over control of the estate to son Michel. Between 2007 and 2021, the château was headed-up by Michel’s son, Basile, and two new vat rooms were constructed between 2014 and 2016.
In September 2021, it was announced that Franco-Swiss real-estate billionaire Jacky Lorenzetti, owner of châteaux Pédesclaux, Lilian-Ladouys and d’Issan, was in the process of acquiring the château and that 2021 would be the Tesseron’s last vintage at the property.
To learn more about this wine, its price and where to buy it follow this link to the Wine-Searcher website:
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