2018 Château Lafon-Rochet

The 2018 Lafon-Rochet has an intense bouquet of black and red fruit, touches of wild mint and incense. It is still a pretty and engaging nose, just as I found from barrel. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, fine backbone and – what I really appreciate – superb precision and detail toward the saline finish. This is a classy, quite sophisticated Lafon-Rochet that deserves four or five years of cellaring. One of the best in recent years.

The upper Médoc did brilliantly in 2018, and that's certainly apparent when tasting the 2018 Château Lafon-Rochet. Sporting a deep purple hue as well as a gorgeous bouquet of ripe black and blue fruits, lead pencil, forest floor, chocolate, and leafy herbs, this beauty hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a round, mouth-filling texture, ripe, velvety tannins, and a great finish. It doesn't quite have the precision of the top wines in the appellation, but it's loaded with charm and character, and I'd certainly be thrilled to drink a bottle. This rich, textured, flavorful Saint-Estèphe will benefit from 4-6 years in the cellar and keep for two decades.

The 2018 Lafon-Rochet is such a classy wine. Power and finesse meld together in this Saint-Estèphe that is gorgeous, right from the very first taste. Black cherry, herbs, leather, licorice and dried flowers all build in the glass. In 2018, Lafon-Rochet is richer and bolder than it usually is, and yet all the elements are so nicely balanced. I would give it a few years in the cellar to allow some of the baby fat to melt away.