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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90.2 pts. and median of 90 pts. in 267 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Dj6544 on 2/5/2024 & rated 94 points: Fully mature, still full of wonderfully aged clarety joy but time to finish up in the next few years. (528 views) | | | Tasted by kusjp092 on 12/26/2023 & rated 92 points: Needed an hour in the glass. Still very tight, with firm tannins. Not much fruit, but excellent with food. (561 views) | | | Tasted by wbohonnon on 11/1/2023 & rated 91 points: This wine is still enjoyable for those who like mature claret. Opened about an hour before we drank it and let it open up in glasses for ~20 minutes. This seemed about right as the wine opened up over the next 30-40 minutes while we drank it. Some fruit still there but fading, lots of cedar, cigar box, and dark fruit. I have 1 more bottle and plan to drink in the next 10-12 months if not sooner. No need to wait (801 views) | | | Tasted by hcampana on 6/9/2023 & rated 92 points: I wasn't expecting this wine to wow me, as I had read that there would be too much austerity and lack of fruit, but I was pleasantly surprised. The nose on this wine was amazing. Intense cedar, graphite shavings and forest floor that were so fulfilling. On the palate it had plenty of fruit and resolved tannins. A beauty that time made so much more interesting. I will happily drink the last 4 or 5 botles I still have of this, hoping they show similarly to this one.
Drank with my wife on a friday night. (1348 views) | | | Tasted by clavy daddy on 6/4/2023 & rated 91 points: silky tannins, well integrate. more red fruited than i would've expected. nice balance. the only partial disappointment is it's lacking some fruit which seems to be a product of the age (maybe just a bit past its prime). (1268 views) | | | Tasted by Thoughtful on 5/2/2023 & rated 88 points: Stored in a cold cellar since release. Fill just under cork. Restrained red fruit bouquet. Medium bodied. Firm. Sufficient length just. One dimensional. Old fashioned Saint-Estephe. No point in keeping. Drink soon. (1214 views) | | | Tasted by MarkEngel on 2/16/2023 & rated 89 points: This was a beautiful wine. Nice purple color with just a hint of orange around the edge. A little red fruit on the nose, with some earth and leather hints as well. Fruits are muted just a bit and tannins are smoothed out, but this wine still shows a lot of balance. Nice, pleasant, juicy finish. Served with Polenta, ribeye and roasted broccolini, it was a perfect compliment. (1527 views) | | | Tasted by mk42 on 1/29/2023 & rated 88 points: Still nice, but definitely past its peak. Boysenberry and blackcurrant fruits come forward in a well structured, mature wine. Earthy minerals coming through to present the terroir. Loves rich food. (1460 views) | | | Tasted by Vinophil2000 on 1/21/2023 & rated 91 points: Chateau Lafon-Rochet, Saint-Estèphe, Bordeaux 1995. Immer sehr gut gelagert. Füllstand: Into neck. Mittellanger Naturkorken, der erst zu knapp 10 % durchtränkt ist. Glas: Riedel: Sommeliers Bordeaux. Am Beginn des Höhepunktes. 13 % Vol.. Flasche auf, Spaß haben! Typischer 1995er und somit ungemein charmant für einen Saint-Estèphe. Dunkle Frucht, sehr schöne Ausgeglichenheit, mittleres Tannin, mittlere Konzentration, eher eindimensional (im positiven Sinne). Kein Wein der Extreme, hier ist alles sehr ausbalanciert. Ein warmer aber kein heißer Sommer. Ein sehr guter Bordeaux. So kann das Wochenende beginnen! Trinken: 2005-2033. 17/20. 90-91+ Punkte. (1165 views) | | | Tasted by ATL on 1/17/2023: More ready than expected and quite nice. No rush - will certainly improve - but still in a very nice place now. (1183 views) | | | Tasted by Dj6544 on 12/9/2022: Fully mature, this is in the final stages of life. Will go in for a few more years but time to finish up the case. (1366 views) | | | Tasted by chatters on 11/21/2022: Coravin fun - Lafon Rochet (My place, Kent Street): From Coravin. Meaty, savoury, a little brambly note, touch of forest floor, mushroom and umami, wet earth and leaves, slight leathery notes. Medium plus intensity acidity, a herbaceous note accompanies the slightly sour brambly fruit with a touch of cream and blackcurrant, tannins are softly engaging, a little leathery in texture, touches of sous bois and mushroom here as well. Nice. (1246 views) | | | Tasted by sjfunkenhauser on 11/6/2022 & rated 91 points: Medium Garnet colour.
High intensity aromas of mushroom, earth, peat moss, tobacco, fresh cigar, forest floor, dried roses, dried cranberry, mint, gravel road, dried red cherry, cassis, leather and wet wood.
Pronounced palate.
Full body, high acidity, medium silky tannin, long finish.
Almost all tertiary with only a hint of fruit. Near or past its drinking window. (215 views) | | | Tasted by Irish_Wine on 11/1/2022 & rated 91 points: Medium garnet.
Pronounced on the nose with blackcurrant, black cherry, red cherry, mint, vanilla, cedar, dried violet, wet leaves, mushroom, truffle, leather, tobacco, dried red cherry, dried black cherry, forest floor, dried blackcurrant and prune. Fully developed.
Pronounced and dry on the palate. High acidity, med + mostly resolved tannins, med alcohol, med + body, long finish.
Drink now. Not suitable for further aging. The nose is incredible but doesn't carry over to palate and fruit is drying out. (251 views) | | | Tasted by gianakou on 10/30/2022 & rated 94 points: Had a chat with a friend recently which prompted an earlier than planned re-taste of this wine just a month or so after my previous bottle. Like my previous bottles, this was purchased as futures and stored pristinely since. Poured into a Zalto Bordeaux glass without decant (this time) and consumed over three hours. Looks like a much more youthful wine. Beautiful dark garnet with just the thinnest line of bricking at the rim. No stewed fruit note whatsoever this time around, but just a full, powerful mature Bordeaux nose - perfume of cedar, forest floor, dried herbs (sage) with red fruit peeking.out between all the savory notes. I have to say that I love that I’ve never had a California wine that smells like this, regardless of age or varietal mix. Tasting: impressive density in the mid palate for a 27 year old wine, fruit is present but fragile and tannins are mostly resolved and beautifully integrated but still make an appearance on the long finish. There's also a glycerine quality that adds richness. This will likely not improve, as the fruit is definitely receding, but whole package is still sufficiently concentrated that there's no rush to drink my two remaining bottles (found one more in my cellar!). Beautiful. (1142 views) | | | Tasted by gianakou on 9/24/2022 & rated 92 points: A very enjoyable and surprisingly youthful Bordeaux that showed a lot of positive development with a two-hour decant. When first opened, the nose displayed quite a bit of that disjointed "stewed tomato plus overripe fruit" quality you sometimes find in Bordeaux of various (mostly younger) ages. After two hours in a magnum decanter (getting a couple swirls every 10 minutes), the stewed aroma is gone, leaving a still-tannic, pretty energetic wine with plenty of fruit meshing nicely with secondary aromas. Not going to make anyone's list of all-time-favorite Bordeaux, but this is a nice example of how a decent but (back then) relatively inexpensive Bordeaux from a very strong vintage stored perfectly can give real pleasure and present youthfully even after 27 years. I have two bottles left of this one and will try the next in 3-4 years. (1308 views) | | | Tasted by tenagliasmiles on 7/10/2022: Earthy, well balanced. Ready to drink. (1912 views) | | | Tasted by aerosol on 7/1/2022 & rated 94 points: Just opened and the nose is oak and expressive . The wine taste fresh on the palate with light fruit , good tannins and enough acid to thoroughly enjoy . On a great place right now and drinking immediately (1824 views) | | | Tasted by SimonG on 3/21/2022 & rated 90 points: 95 Bordeaux @ Hawksmoor (Hawksmoor, Guildhall): This is a lot darker and denser. Some polish on the top. There’s a slightly fresh, savoury edge here that cuts through nicely. Slightly fore square cf the Calon. Consistent with notes from ten to fifteen years back. ***1/2 (2587 views) | | | Tasted by Oliverl1 on 2/17/2022 & rated 93 points: Fabulous stuff! I recently purchased this and it must have been stored extremely well. Excellent fill level and the cork was perfect! Upon opening, I was expecting to see that classic “brick” colour claret given its 27 years of age, but no! This must have been stored at a constant cool temperature. Looked, smelled and tasted like a 15 year old wine.
It was somewhat muted once opened and really opened up after 4 hours in the decanter with hourly swirls. Fabulous nose and a gorgeous finish. Not much of that “old funk” (which I like) but really lovely.
This bottle could have gone on for another 10 years. I suspect most other bottles will not be like this one. It had obviously been kept very well. A very enjoyable experience. (2101 views) | | | Tasted by cugel_saga on 10/29/2021 & rated 92 points: This is very muted after an hour of decanting and it didn’t open up until some 3 hours out of the bottle. At this point it was restrained and what I would call ‘classical’. It was very balanced and delivered acid, tannin and fruit in synchronisation and harmony, making it a pleasure to drink.
On the nose it is reticent and on the palate too, it holds back a little. If you are patient and slowly caress it it gives itself up with plum and charcoal, a hint of menthol and a warm depth.
I honestly don’t know if this bottle was at the end of it’s life or could have sat for another decade but it was a good, honest, enjoyable old Bordeaux. (2153 views) | | | Tasted by jordanj on 10/12/2021: past it’s prime (2034 views) | | | Tasted by BigGDaddy on 8/22/2021 & rated 93 points: Gorgeous wine. Still needed at least a half hour to open up. But when it did, it was singing. Smooth, soft, and still held up to a spicy meal. (2197 views) | | | Tasted by JonnyG on 7/30/2021 & rated 96 points: This pristine bottle from a restaurant's cellar showed far better than the ones I've had at home. Classic, earthy tertiary notes were on display alongside savory dark cherry notes, pencil shavings and muted spice. Very long finish. Just wonderful stuff. (2001 views) | | | Tasted by chatters on 1/18/2021: Coravin fun - Lafon Rochet (My place, Kent Street): From Coravin. Meaty, slightly Bretty, savoury, leather, wet earth, brambles and blackcurrant, a little bonfire smoke, sweet spice, the gamey/funky notes grow with time. Medium plus intensity acidity, flavours are a touch muted here, plenty of woody, talc textured tannins close down the palate, touch of Asian spice especially star anise on the finish. Hmm. (2883 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Château Lafon-Rochet Producer website – Read more about Chateau Lafon RochetRed Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comBordeaux Bordeaux Wine Guide
Vins Bordeaux (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux)
History of Bordeaux
History of 1855 Bordeaux Classification
"2009 is all about ripeness, with wines impressively packed with ripe fruit and high alcohol levels. They are showy, in-your-face, and full of pleasure. The 2010s have the fruit and alcohol levels of the 2009s, but with a compelling freshness on the finish that balances the fruit and provides a perfect sense of structure." - Ben Nelson
"2016 is a landmark vintage in certain spots of Bordeaux and it should be remembered as one of the most inspired campaigns of the last 40-50+ years." -Jon Rimmerman
"The quality of red Bordeaux in 2016 was universally lauded – although the response to the en primeur campaign was muted. Quantity was high too, with the equivalent of 770 million bottles of wine produced. An exceptionally dry summer with cool nights eventually, thanks to mid September rain, resulted in small, thick-skinned, ripe grapes, and the wines are marked by high tannin and acidity, with superb aromatic fragrance." - Jancis Robinson
"2017 was complicated, but there are some excellent wines. Expect plenty of freshness and drinkability from wines that will offer excellent value, and others that will rival 2016 in terms of ripeness and ageability. But they are likely to be the exception not the rule, making careful selection key." - Jane Anson
"In the past, a vintage such as 2022 may have been overripe, raisined and low in acidity but 2022 had a sneaky little reservoir in its back pocket - a near perfect marriage of cool/cold/rain the previous winter and the previous vintage that literally soaked the soils (a key to why 2022 is not 2003...or 1893)." - Jon RimmermanMédoc Vins du Médoc (Conseil des Vins du Médoc) - Read More about the Medoc
VdB
The eight precisely defined appellations of the whole of the Médoc (from Blanquefort Brook to the north of the Bordeaux built-up area, almost to the Pointe de Grave) may claim the Médoc appellation. But there is also a specific territory in the north of the peninsula which produces exclusively wines with this appellation. In the great majority, the Médocs come from the north of the peninsula. The great individuality of this region is that the number of vines has increased more recently here than elsewhere, apart from a few isolated spots where vines have grown for many years. Today, the size of the small estate has brought about the development of a powerful co-operative movement. Four co-operatives out of five belong to the group called Unimédoc which ensures aging, bottling and marketing a large proportion of their wines.St. Estèphe Read more about St. Estephe and its wines Whereas the first activity recorded in Saint-Estèphe goes back as far as the Middle Bronze Age, the first vines date from the Roman Occupation. But it was the Bordeaux merchants who by aging and selling Saint-Estèphe wines themselves were largely responsible for this appellation's fame. And in the nineteenth century, noted for its prosperity, the great estates of today were created. The movement continues today with the merging of small estates.
A land of great wines, Saint-Estèphe is situated almost in the centre of the Médoc, close to the Gironde Estuary. The appellation is equidistant from Bordeaux and the Pointe de Grave.
The beds of soil are characterized by their remarkable diversity, the result of their undulating relief and excellent drainage. Quartz and well-rounded pebbles mingled with light, sandy surface soil are found everywhere, giving the wines a distinctive finesse. And the subsoil is made up of the famous Saint-Estèphe limestone, which outcrops on the west of the commune.
Tasting
Thanks to ideal conditions of climate and geology, Saint-Estèphe wines are characterized by their sturdy qualities and robust constitution. Accordingly, they can be laid down for a very long time while yet preserving their youth and freshness. Distinguished by a subsoil which is more clayey than that in the other communal appellations which lie by the river, the wine here attains a distinctive individuality : a very rich tannic structure, a fine deep red colour and an exceptional backbone with aromas of great finesse.
Production conditions (Decree dated September 11, 1936):
In order to have the right to the Saint-Estèphe appellation of controlled origin, red wines must:
- come from the communes of Saint-Estèphe, "excluding any parcels in that area which are situated on recent alluvium and sand on impermeable subsoils",
- satisfy precise production conditions : grape-varieties (Cabernet-Sauvignon, Cabernet-Franc, Carmenère, Merlot Noir, Petit Verdot, Cot or Malbec), minimum of sugar (178 grammes - 6.27 oz. - per litre of must) degree (an acquired 10°5) base yield (45 hectolitres per hectare). |
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