critic reviews
The 2025 Lafon-Rochet was picked from September 9 to 23 and matured in less new oak than usual, around 15%, with more foudres, 40%, including around one-third new from Stockinger and Taransaud. I think the influence of the new foudres is tangible on the nose and at the moment just masks a little of the fruit profile. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, classic and a little austere in style, very Saint-Estèphe with an off-dry finish. I would have liked just a little more sustain and complexity, but it delivers an attractive salinity on the aftertaste.
Great quality, slate and cassis notes, iris flowers, crayon, fine tannins, muscular and sculpted, if slim through the finish. Vincent Bache-Gabrielsen director of Lafon Rochet and Lilian Ladouys.
The 2025 Lafon-Rochet reveals a fresh, gourmand bouquet of dark wild berries and blackberry, becoming more floral with aeration. Medium- to full-bodied, dense and structured, it shows a firm profile that is less immediately charming on the palate than the nose suggests. It's built around a fleshy core of fruit that is framed by youthful, finely grained tannins and concludes with a delicate, perfumed finish. It should offer both early approachability and solid aging potential. It's a blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, matured in a mix of 15% new oak, 40% foudres and 10% concrete.