Chateau Lafon-Rochet

From Domaine de Rochet to a yellow château

Origins here go back to the 16th century, when the property was known as Domaine de Rochet. It picked up the name it still carries now in 1650, after the owner, Antoinette de Guillemotes, married Étienne de Lafon. Two centuries of steady vineyard work followed, and in the 1855 classification the estate was ranked Quatrième Grand Cru Classé.

Then came 1960, the year that reshaped the place. Guy Tesseron bought Lafon-Rochet, restructured the vineyard from the ground up and built a new château, the original having burned down.

His son Michel took over in 1999 and turned to the buildings and the winemaking facilities. In 2000 the château was repainted in the golden yellow that has since become the estate's calling card.

Basile Tesseron, the third generation, took charge in 2007 and added two new cellars. At the end of 2021 the family sold to Jacky Lorenzetti, the French-Swiss real-estate investor behind Foncia and Ovalto and owner of the Paris rugby club Racing 92. Lafon-Rochet became his fourth classified growth in the Médoc, alongside Pédesclaux in Pauillac and Lilian Ladouys in Saint-Estèphe, with Emmanuel Cruse taking over management. Basile Tesseron and his team saw the 2021 harvest through before handing over.

The vineyards, almost one piece

The vineyard covers approximately 45 hectares, most of which surrounds the château and forms a single contiguous block. This is important from a practical standpoint because a single block makes it easier to understand the vineyard's characteristics, facilitates management by plot, and allows for consistent maintenance of the wine's identity year after year.

Geographically, Lilian Ladouys is immediately adjacent, while Cos d'Estournel and Cos Labory are also nearby; across the stream that forms the commune boundary lie Pauillac and Lafite-Rothschild. Lilian Ladouys is immediately adjacent, while Cos d'Estournel and Cos Labory are also nearby; across the stream that forms the commune boundary lie Pauillac and Lafite-Rothschild.

The average age of the vines is approximately 38 years. Some plots were planted more than 80 years ago and are still in production; by Médoc standards, these are considered quite old, which is one of the reasons the winery emphasizes the importance of understanding the soil characteristics of each individual plot rather than treating the vineyard as a single entity.

Gravel on top, blue clay below

At Lafon-Rochet, two types of soil, gravel and blue clay deposits, each play their respective roles. The gravel ensures proper drainage, allowing the roots to grow downward and preventing the vines from becoming waterlogged. Blue clay, on the other hand, serves the exact opposite purpose by retaining moisture and keeping the soil cool even during hot summers.

This combination explains the vineyard's varietal composition. Merlot thrives in clay, while Cabernet Sauvignon prefers gravel; since both are present in sufficient quantities here, neither dominates the vineyard.

This winery openly discloses the basis for all its activities. Since excellent terroir is a prerequisite for excellent wine, preserving the existing natural environment is their top priority. Efforts to conserve biodiversity around the vines stem from this philosophy, not from a marketing perspective.

The grapes: an almost 50-50 vineyard

Most classified Médoc estates rely heavily on Cabernet Sauvignon. Château Lafon-Rochet does not, however, due to the presence of blue clay.

• Cabernet Sauvignon, 48%
• Merlot, 45%
• Petit Verdot, 3.5%
• Cabernet Franc, 3.5%

Although Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc each account for only a small portion of the vineyard, they are not merely decorative. Both varieties are used to enhance the wine's complexity, with Petit Verdot contributing color and flavor, and Cabernet Franc adding aroma. Please note that these percentages represent the composition of the vineyard and do not indicate the blend ratio in the bottle. The blend ratio varies by vintage, and the proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon may be significantly higher.

The winemaking

The main structural changes under Basile Tesseron took place in the cellar. Two new fermentation facilities were installed, one made of stainless steel and the other of concrete.

Stainless steel allows for precise temperature control. Concrete maintains a more consistent temperature and is generally used when a softer flavor profile is desired. By having both options available, Château Lafon-Rochet's winemaking team can tailor their approach to each vineyard plot rather than processing all grapes uniformly through a single system.

Ageing takes place in French oak barriques, although large wooden barrels also play a significant role. During the cellar’s refurbishment in 2015, the estate supplemented its traditional barrel ageing with Stockinger amphorae and 15-hectolitre foudres. By 2023, 13-hectolitre foudres and 400-litre barrels had been added to the range, and by 2025, foudres accounted for 40 per cent of the volume, with concrete vats making up a further 10 per cent.

The proportion of new oak is reduced. The 2013 vintage was aged 50 per cent in new barrels. In the 2021 vintage, the proportion of new barrels was 40 per cent; in 2023, it was also 40 per cent; and in 2025, just 15 per cent.

The ageing period has also been reduced: from the 18 months planned for the 2013 vintage to approximately 12–14 months in recent vintages.

The wines

Château Lafon-Rochet, a Grand Vin, is this winery's flagship wine and is classified as a Fourth Growth. This Saint-Estèphe red wine is primarily made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes grown around the château, with two other varieties blended in small quantities.

Pèlerins de Lafon-Rochet is the second wine aged in a much smaller proportion of new oak barrels (around 15 per cent). It was previously known as Numéro 2 de Lafon-Rochet.

Winery visits are by appointment only.