Coravin fun - Lafon Rochet

I came across the fourth growth Lafon Rochet about 13 years ago for the first time and had a series of positive experiences so I started to pursue them when I saw them on offer or on the secondary market.

Anyhoo, time to taste some with the Coravin.

• 1990 Château Lafon-Rochet

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe

  From Coravin. Red and black fruits are dried out, a little cranberry and fruit tea. Plenty of forest floor, mushroom, a little soy and blood, leather, touches of baking spice with time, biscuit and a slightly off meat note. Juicy, dilute, red hued fruits are fresh despite the slightly dried out quality on the nose, tannins pretty much resolved, a mid palate whisper or texture, drops a little quickly with the palate proving surprisingly simple. Pleasant enough but probably drink up time.

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• 1995 Château Lafon-Rochet

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe

  From Coravin. Medium minus intensity aromas of brambles, slight blackcurrant, plums, sweet spice, touch of pyrazine, leather, earth, meaty underpin, cedar, biscuit, smidge of volatility introduces some red hued fruits. In the mouth the red hued fruit merges into a fruit tea quality, medium plus intensity acidity, tangy, tannins are drying, taut, emery paper textured, persisted and carried by the alcohol, flavours trot along behind this and get more leathery on the finish. Nice

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• 1996 Château Lafon-Rochet

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe

  From Coravin. A slightly lifted note to the nose, almost the beginnings of volatility, behind this black and red currant, red plum, leather, a light cigar box, fruit sweetness with time joined by sous bois and some baked earth. On the palate it's juicy, fleshy, black and red fruits are fully integrated with the tight ripe tannins that glue the tongue to the roof o the mouth and impart a slightly leathery quality. Long and lovely.

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• 2000 Château Lafon-Rochet

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe

  From Coravin. Fresh blackcurrant, bramble, plum, sweet spice, earth, leather, a little forest floor, touch of bay leaf, fruit becomes prettier with time in the glass and the leathery notes grow. More savoury & meaty on the palate, fruit still present but this is sliding in to stew land, silky tannins are fully integrated, a little short. Hmm.

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• 2005 Château Lafon-Rochet

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe

  From Coravin. Initially a quite meaty notes with a little tomato leaf, behind this baked plums, blackcurrant, quite freshly tilled cold earth notes, fruit becomes more sweet and perfumed with time in the glass though the meaty note also grows. Medium plus intensity acidity is juicy, freshening the fruit, the tomato leaf is joined by a little bay leaf here as well, tannins are drying tugging at the mid palate with a leathery quality and flavour, all persists very long, positively yummy

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• 2010 Château Lafon-Rochet

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe

  From Coravin. Touch of clay and black liquorice join non delineated black fruit compote initially on the nose, savoury over sweet spice, cedar, a tiny little leathery note. Juuiccy, quite savoury on the palate, fruit present but, when in combination with the coarse flour textured tannins, there is a touch of astringency & bitterness here as well, those tannins also rather dry out the palate on the finish. Bah

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• 2012 Château Lafon-Rochet

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe

  From Coravin. Red over black fruits, touches of raspberry, red and bblack plum, plenty of sweet baking spice, creamy lactic notes, touch of jubiness with time some more savoury elements showing earth and leather and a touch of mushroom. Though the pretty fruit notes are retained, the palate is more serious and grown up. Tannins are powdery and savoury, there are some spicy notes here as well. medium plus length and finishes with more cheesy lactic notes. Nice, for me.

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• 2014 Château Lafon-Rochet

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe

  From Coravin. Very slight spirituous warmth initially, behind this slightly austere smelling lack and red fruits and a little pyrazine and tomato leaf, cedar, rocky minerality, alcohol prickle and savoury spice. With time the fruit gains a little more sweetness and generosity. In the mouth it's juicy and fleshy, the fruit still austere but showing a touch of that generosity, like the 2012, the tannins are powdery and savoury, all travels long. A very winter wine - it begs something with protein and richness that has been cooked a long time. Yum.

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• 2015 Château Lafon-Rochet

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe

  From Coravin. Like the 2014 initially on the nose the wine is showing quite a lot of austerity to the fruit; a little bramble, blackcurrant, plums, sweet spice, the lactic note form the 2012 but not so prominent, touches of fruit lozenge as well as some black liquorice joins the other flavours on the palate, tannins are tough and woody but well on the way to being integrated, all travels long, again with that lactic note on the finish. Yum

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• 2016 Château Lafon-Rochet

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe

  From Coravin. Medium minus intensity aromas show brambles, plums, slight blackcurrant and a little raspberry all in the compote space backed by a pinch of baking spice from the oak, very slight caramel and a little leafiness; overall impression is positive, very 'Claret' with time despite the initial fruity prettiness though this prettiness does translate to the generous palate; juicy, fleshy, a little leafy underpin lending complexity, tannins are still quite grainy , tight, all travels long, non intrusive alcohol warmth on the finish as well as a tiny touch of that lactic note (though, in all honest, it could just be looking for it). Yum

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Lots for me to enjoy here. I particularly enjoyed the way the Tesseron family arranged for the wines to be made. When the Lorenzetti family took over I felt they lost their way, that is until I saw the 2025 En Primeur offering.