2014 Chateau Lafon-Rochet 4eme Cru Classe Saint-Estephe

Vinous Media (VM)

The 2014 Lafon-Rochet comes across as diluted and lacking depth, both on its own and also relative to the wines made in Saint-Estèphe more broadly in 2014. While certainly a solid, well-made wine, the 2014 is far less impressive from bottle than it was from barrel. - Antonio Galloni - 01/02/2017

Wine Advocate (WA)

The Château Lafon-Rochet 2014 is a blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot picked from 1 October until 15 October. Basile Tesseron explained that there was 25 and 35mm rain between 7 and 9 October at which point the Cabernet was not able to ripen further due to the lack of water. This gave the ripeness another spurt and destroyed the pyrazines. Pumping over was about 0.5 to 1.5 the volume per day over a long period to avoid extracting any harsh tannin (especially from the seeds) with a short cold maceration. It has a complex bouquet: brambly black fruit, touches of dark plum mixed with black olive and incense. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, crisp acidity, a little chalky in texture with a precise, quite pointed finish. This 2014 continues a run of fine form for the estate. - Neal Martin - 04/01/2015