Château Lafon-Rochet 2022 Saint-Estèphe 4e Grand Cru Classé

Antonio Galloni (Vinous)
(95-97)/100 punten
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

Decanter
95/100 punten
An exceptional wine in 2022. Fresh and fragrant lovely strawberry and red cherry notes on the nose. Smooth and round, generous and deep, a lovely immediate intensity of flavour while keeping a sleek and tense expression. Gorgeous weight in the mouth, supple, and nicely fruited but with density and roundness. Feels really well worked, so defined and detailed, a lovely precision. Nothing feels out of place and it has a very drinkable and approachable quality, still with a dark liquorice and dark chocolate edge and some graphite touches. Extremely complete and well made with control and finesse.

Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider)
(94-96)/100 punten
Rich in color, the wine is floral, with pepper, spice, tobacco leaf, currants, and blackberries. Medium-bodied, fresh, soft, ripe, round, and polished, with blackberries, black cherries, chocolate, spice, and cedar nuances. The fruits are fresh, bright, and creamy. Give this just a few years in the bottle and it promise to be even better! The wine was made from blending 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, and 4% Cabernet Franc. 14.5% ABV, 3.77 pH. This is the first vintage with the new owner, Jackie Lorenzetti, and the team of Emmanuel Cruse, fully in charge. 

James Suckling
(94-95)/100 punten
This shows a terrific tannin backbone with blackcurrants and berries. Medium body. Solid fruit. Vivid. 65% cabernet sauvignon, 31% merlot and 4% cabernet franc. 

Jeb Dunnuck
(93-95+)/100 punten
One of the bigger, more structured wines in Saint-Estèphe, the 2022 Château Lafon-Rochet checks in as 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc. Ripe blackcurrants, smoky blue fruits, scorched earth, and chocolate all define the aromatics, and this concentrated, medium to full-bodied, powerful wine has ample mid-palate depth, ripe yet significant tannins, and a great finish. It's not for the instant gratification crowd and is going to need 7-8 years, if not a decade, of cellaring. It's a beautiful wine though, worthy of purchasing and cellaring. 

Neal Martin (Vinous)
(92-94)/100 punten
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.

Falstaff
94/100 punten
Deep dark ruby in colour with an opaque core, purple reflections, and subtle brightening on the rim. On the nose, aromas of fine herbal spices, black cherry, and blackberry confit. The palate is powerful and taut with good freshness, dark nougat and an accentuated minerality on the finish, with ripe plum and cherry notes on the aftertaste. A textured food wine with the potential for further development.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
(90-92)/100 punten
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. 

The Wine Independent (Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW)
(93-95)/100 punten
A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, and 4% Cabernet Franc, the 2022 Lafon-Rochet has a pH of 3.77 and a TPI of 83. It has a deep garnet-purple color and after a bit of shaking it erupts with intense scents of fresh blackcurrants, black raspberries, and kirsch, followed by hints of underbrush, camphor and iron ore. The full-bodied palate is concentrated and yet possesses lovely freshness, featuring ripe, grainy tannins and loads of mineral sparks which lift the ripe black fruit to a long finish. Impressive effort for the first full vintage under the new management!

Jane Anson (Inside Bordeaux)
94/100 punten
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 with 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.