Ch.Lafon Rochet 2015 750ml

Wine Advocate #224, Apr 28, 2016, by Neal Martin
The 2015 Lafon Rochet is a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, picked between 25 September and 9 October. Matured in 40% to 50% new oak from eight coopers including Stockinger since last year, it has a dense blackberry and boysenberry scented bouquet that is a little more voluptuous than its peers. The palate is again quite dense with "stocky" tannin, obdurate and a little hard at the moment, structured and clearly a Lafon-Rochet that is built for the long-term. It will need several years to just lose its brutishness.

Chateau Lafon Rochet in St. Estephe dates back to the middle of the 17th century. The estate was founded In 1650, when Antoinette de Guillemotte, brought the land of Rochette as her dowry to her husband, Pierre de Lafon. de Lafon with well-known in the region as he was a member of the Bordeaux Parliament. Shortly after they were married, following the custom of the day, the property was renamed, taking the name family name and Chateau Lafon Rochet was born.
While many Bordeaux vineyards were confiscated during the French Revolution, that did not happen to Lafon Rochet. In fact, the Left Bank estate remained the property of the same family for more than two centuries. In 1880, Madame Lafon de Camarsac died. Her death caused Lafon Rochet to drift into all changed in 1959 when the Tesseron family purchased and completely renovated Lafon Rochet from top to bottom. That began the modern era of Lafon Rochet.
Tesseron had his work cut out for him at his Medoc property. The vineyards were in poor shape. Much of the land needed to be replanted. Because the wine making facilities had also become dilapidated, Tesseron was forced to build all new wine making facilites. Even the Chateau had to be replaced!

Vegetables, Mushrooms