Château Lafon Rochet 4ème Grand Cru Classé 2011

Lot presentation

Château Lafon Rochet 4ème Grand Cru Classé 2011

The wine

The domaine is located on a hill buffeted by north-west winds which dry the vines and make this terroir one of the most prestigious in the Saint-Estèphe appellation. The 45 hectares located between Château Lafite Rothschild and Cos d'Estournel make it the furthest cru classé from the Garonne. The domaine produces one of the most sumptuous and balanced Saint-Estèphes. It is dark red in hue with a spicy, dark fruit nose. On the palate, it delivers softness and suppleness, with smooth, fatty, round tannins.

The history of this château can be traced back to 1650 and the marriage of Antoinette de Guillemottes and Etienne Lafon, which produced the name Lafon Rochet. Some 150 years later, the château is still held to be one of the largest producers of Saint-Estèphe. Its subsequent history features such trials as the French Revolution and the phylloxera blight, but the château overcame them all and was ranked Quatrième Grand Cru Classé in 1855. The château changed hands a number of times, being sold at auction until it was bought in 1960 by Guy Tesseron who ran it with his son Michel and sister Princess Caroline Poniatowska. Michel’s grandson, Basile Tesseron, was at the helm of the château between 2004 and 2021, was a passionate winemaker and defined his work as a labour of patience, proclaiming “the vine is king!”. In 2021, Jacky Lorenzetti, who was already at the head of Château Pédesclaux, Château d’Issan and Château Lilian Ladouys, took over the reins of the château. The estate is tended to using some biodynamic principles and has been certified organic since 2024.