Chateau Lafon Rochet 2015

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "A sinuous line of tannins runs through this structured wine. It lifts the dark plum and berry fruits and give shape to the spicy, firm wine. As the estate builds in strength, the style of this perfumed, stylish wine will be seen as a benchmark. Drink from 2025."

JEB DUNNUCK: "A gem from Saint-Estèphe is the 2015 Château Lafon-Rochet and it’s certainly one of the top wines from this appellation in 2015. Elegant, medium to full-bodied, beautifully pure and refined, it offers impressive notes of sweet dark fruits, crème de cassis, classy oak and a kiss of minerality. It’s the finesse and quality of tannin, as well as its solid mid-palate, that sets this beauty apart. This wine is 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and the rest Petit Verdot, and it’s hidden little gem worth tracking down!"

JAMES SUCKLING: "Very perfumed with blackberries, blueberries and cloves. Dried lavender as well. Full body and linear and refined tannins. Pretty spices come together with the clean fruit at the end. Hard not to drink now but two or three years of bottle age will pull it together. Drink in 2020."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 2015 Lafon-Rochet, which was bottled in May 2017, is a wine that has developed wonderfully in bottle. This was the first year under organic viticulture (although Basile mentioned that they would not necessarily ask for certification). Here, it has a well-defined bouquet, sultry black fruit at first but a few swirls and it becomes more expressive, with scents of damp earth and woodland complementing the aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, a keen bead of acidity, very harmonious and elegant toward the sappy finish, a hint of black olive and seaweed on the aftertaste. This is an understated gem that should not be overlooked."

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, dezente Randaufhellung, zart nussig unterlegtes schwarzes Waldbeerkonfit, ein Hauch von Nougat und Orangenzesten, tabakiger Touch. Mittlerer Körper, rotbeerig, feine Fruchtsüße, gut eingebundene Tannine, rote Kirschen im Abgang, mineralisch und frisch, braucht noch seine Zeit."

WEINWISSER: "Tiefes Purpur, satt in der Mitte, Granatschimmer am Rand. Recht intensives Bouquet, erst florale Züge, rotpflaumige Frucht und dann hellen Tabak im zweiten Ansatz zeigend. Im Gaumen mittelgewichtig, reife Tannine aufweisend, hat recht viel Saft und endet mit kirschigen Tönen. Das wird ein sehr schöner Lafon-Rochet, auf den man nicht ellenlang warten muss."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Medium bodied, soft, earthy and fresh, with a vibrance to the sweet red and black fruits which are followed by herbs, olives and tobacco. Forward in style, a few years will add more softness and nuance to the wine."