CHÂTEAU LAFON-ROCHET
2022 4ème Cru Classé Saint Estèphe
The 2022 Lafon-Rochet is fabulous. Once again, Lafon-Rochet is the most elegant wine in Saint-Estèphe. There's a bit more richness and mid-palate intensity than in the past, likely a combination of the year and the approach of the new team headed by Technical Director Christophe Congé, who was formerly at Lafite-Rothschild. The 2022 signals a new era for the château that is likely to see a greater focus on selection and a slightly richer style. Even so, the signatures of Lafon-Rochet are evident. It's an exciting time. Drinking range: 2030 - 2052 Rating: 95-97 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2023)
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
Baked plum, damson, black pepper, edges of cut herbs and dried rose petals, campfire smoke and soot. This is intense but has an aromatic quality that hugs through the palate, and the tannins are plentiful but well controlled. 50% new oak plus some large oak casks, and 400l barrels; almost 60% 1st wine, down from 70% last year (in a better vintage this year, really an indication of the focus on quality under the new team). Harvest September 12 to 27. Eric Boissenot consultant together wtih director Christophe Congé, ex Lafite, in his first full vintage. As of 2024 this will be the first Cru Classé in St Estèphe to be certified organic. Drinking range: 2030 - 2046 Rating: 94 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (Apr 2023)
The 2022 Lafon-Rochet was picked from 12 September and over 10 consecutive days at a fairly leisurely pace since the conditions were so clement. After just one day, the juice was already dark red, so the team were prudent with extraction. Quite classic in style, this offers blackberry, light wild strawberry and iris flower scents. Backward at first, it then opens gradually with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannins. I admire the balance and precision of this Lafon-Rochet, real finesse here and quite a "cool" and refined finish that fans out with a sense of confidence and composure. Bon vin. Drinking range: 2027 - 2050 Rating: 92-94 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jun 2023)
This is the first vintage to be entirely made by the Lorenzetti family since they acquired the estate. The wine is precise in its definition, plush in its substance and well balanced. A very classical Saint Estephe that will cellar well. Rating: 94-95 La Revue du Vin de France (May 2023)
This is the first true vintage from Christophe Congé who took over here after the Lorenzetti purchase. The blend is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc, Christophe feeling that the Cabernet Franc worked well on the terroir, and was better for the blend than the Petit Verdot. A dark, focused and sweet sense of concentration on the nose, with layers of sweet dark chocolate, currants, mint and rose petals, the latter elements coming to the fore as part of an attractive, floral bouquet. The palate is immediately glossy and broad, with a rich and polished upper surface, riven with firm, tight-knit and integrated tannins, and a fresh twist of perfumed berry fruits, along with complex layers of dark chocolate, coffee bean, black pepper and black bean. The structure is firm and grippy, appropriate for the vintage, with a long shimmer of ripe, cohesive and tight tannins in the finish. And it is long too. A very good Lafon-Rochet this year, although it does not seem to have moved on from what Basile Tesseron once gave us. Perhaps the new team here need more time to get in the groove. The alcohol is 14.5%. Tasted twice. Rating: 91-93 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (May 2023)
65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc. First vintage for technical director Christophe Congé (ex Lafite). Cask sample. Dense and concentrated with dark-fruit and floral notes. Smooth attack then plenty of punch and drive, the tannins fine but present. Tighter tannic frame than in the past. More gravitas. (JL) 14.5% Drinking range: 2030 - 2042 Rating: 16.5+ James Lawther MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (May 2023)
This shows a terrific tannin backbone with blackcurrants and berries. Medium body. Solid fruit. Vivid. 65% cabernet sauvignon, 31% merlot and 4% cabernet franc. Rating: 94-95 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2023)
The inaugural vintage for winemaker Christophe Congé, the 2022 Lafon-Rochet is an ambitiously styled blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc. Offering up aromas of crème de cassis, burning embers and loamy soil, it's medium to full-bodied, broad and velvety, with supple, generously extracted tannins and a rather lavish, demonstrative profile. It's a wine crafted to grab one's attention, but if élevage is kind to it, it may make my score seem conservative. Rating: 90-92 William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (Apr 2023)
Château Lafon-Rochet
Saint Estèphe Quatrième cru 1855 A somewhat complicated history eventually placed the Rochet vineyard - so named due to its rocky soil - into the hands of the Lafon family in the early years of the 17th Century. The family owned the estate until 1895. It passed through several hands until Guy Tesseron, who's family had prospered in the Cognac business, bought the, now run-down, estate in the 1960's. Guy completely renovated Lafon-Rochet, even to the extent of demolishing all of the delapidated buildings and rebuilding a grand 18th Century style chateau, which was painted yellow to match the labels. Thus Lafon-Rochet are almost unique among Haut-Médoc châteaux in being built in the 20th Century. In the 1960's Château Lafon-Rochet's vineyards consisted of just 15ha of Merlot. Today, there are 41ha under vine, and at a more Médoc-like 54% Cabernet Sauvignon. The Grand Vin spends up to 20 months in wood (50% ish new). Sitting inland from Cos d'Estournel, facing across the Jalle de Brieul at Duhart Milon and Lafite, Lafon-Rochet has some very noble neighbours. The Tesseron family also own Château Pontet-Canet.
Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those on the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do contact our private client team via email or on 020 7018 0187.
Ordering
Prices are all in bond by the case size stated.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment to buy wines on release, as long as the release price is within the upper and lower price bands set by you on the pre-order form. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability but providing this firm commitment to buy effectively gives you priority and is a good idea for the most desirable wines.
Wines listed on the website can be ordered in the usual way via the website wishlist order form. You can also send orders directly to our private client team via email. Please note that, for the most sought-after wines, priority will be given to those who ordered the same wines last year and to those that have pre-ordered.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of email confirmation. Pre-orders are not binding if the release price is above your upper price band.
Invoices are all raised at the in bond price (excluding any duty and VAT) which will become payable at the prevailing rates when the wines arrive in the UK, should you wish to take duty paid delivery.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We regret we cannot accept credit cards for en primeur orders. We reserve the right to apply a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (at LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
- Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
- Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £500. Orders below this total will be charged an administration and handling fee of £16.50+ VAT when invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery of 2024 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2026. Delivery dates may vary as wines are shipped from Bordeaux at different times.
Practical notes - how it works
We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes). Immediate payment of invoices is then required by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option but please note that confirmed orders are still binding even if the final invoice has not yet been issued.
Please specify on your wishlist order form where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. If this is to a third-party bonded warehouse, please specify the relevant account details. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue a second invoice for duty and VAT at the prevailing rate when the wines are available for delivery.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the format you want. While most of our listings are for 75cl bottles, we can source wines in any format that is offered by the Château. Please note that format requests cannot be changed once wines have been invoiced. Additional charges for special formats do apply and are as follows:-
- +£18.00 per case of 12 half-bottles
- +£30.00 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£7.50 per case of 3 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£11.00 per case of 6 Magnums
- +£45.00 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£60.00 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.
Storage Options:
Wines bought en primeur won't arrive in the UK until 2026. If you do not wish to take home delivery at that point, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through a dedicated storage company called Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our private client team for more information.