$150.49
In Stock
Country: France
Region: Bordeaux
Sub-Region: Saint-Estèphe (4ᵉ Grand Cru Classé)
Varietal: 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot.
The 2016 Château Lafon-Rochet is an exceptional wine from the Saint-Estèphe appellation, showcasing the estate’s classic Bordeaux style with a combination of power, structure, and finesse.
The 2016 vintage in Bordeaux is widely regarded as one of the best in recent decades, and Lafon-Rochet benefited greatly from the conditions of that year.
This wine offers a complex profile of dark fruit, earthy notes, and firm tannins, balanced by a refreshing acidity that promises a long life in the cellar.
Here’s a detailed tasting note for the 2016 Château Lafon-Rochet:
The wine has a deep, intense ruby colour, with purple tinges at the rim, suggesting both the wine’s concentration and its youth.
The clarity and depth of color indicate a wine with strong structure and potential for aging.
The 2016 Château Lafon-Rochet opens with a rich and aromatic nose, revealing an enticing blend of dark fruit, spice, and earthy elements.
Initial aromas of ripe blackberries, blackcurrant (cassis), and plums dominate, giving the wine a lush, fruit-forward profile.
As the wine breathes, it reveals more layers: a hint of cedar and tobacco from the oak aging, along with subtle earthy notes of wet stone, graphite, and leather, reflecting the terroir of Saint-Estèphe.
The nose also has floral nuances of violet and a touch of vanilla, adding complexity to the dark fruit and savory components.
Overall, it’s a balanced and expressive nose, with both the freshness of the fruit and the depth from the earthier, mineral qualities.
On the palate, the 2016 Château Lafon-Rochet is medium to full-bodied, with a powerful yet refined structure.
The dark fruit from the nose—blackberry, cassis, and plum—continues to dominate the front palate, delivering a concentrated, juicy fruit profile.
The tannins are firm, structured, and ripe, providing a solid backbone for the wine, but they are also smooth and integrated, lending a velvety texture to the mouthfeel.
The acidity is bright and refreshing, balancing the richness of the fruit and ensuring the wine remains lively and focused.
As the wine develops on the palate, secondary flavours of tobacco, leather, and graphite emerge, adding complexity and depth.
There are also hints of dark chocolate and toasted spice, with the oak influence contributing a warm, subtle touch of vanilla and cedar.
The mid-palate is smooth, with a rich texture that gives way to a long and complex finish.
The finish of the 2016 Château Lafon-Rochet is long and elegant, with the dark fruit flavours lingering alongside earthy and mineral notes.
The tannins are firm but polished, leaving a lingering sensation of structure and balance.
There’s a slight trace of tobacco and spice on the finish, making it both complex and satisfying.
The wine’s freshness and acidity ensure a clean, lifted finish that invites another sip, highlighting its age-worthiness.
The 2016 Château Lafon-Rochet is a beautifully balanced wine that showcases the best characteristics of Saint-Estèphe: power, structure, and complexity, with enough freshness and finesse to make it approachable even in its youth.
The wine’s concentration of fruit, along with its firm tannins and layered complexity, promises great aging potential.
While it is already drinking well now, it will continue to evolve and develop over the next 10-15 years, revealing more complexity and nuances as it matures.
