When Guy Tesseron became the owner of Château Lafon-Rochet, 4th Grand Cru en 1855 in Saint-Estèphe, in 1959, it needed a serious restoration and Guy Tesseron did restore it to its former glory. He first put the vineyards back in order. He then built a new chai and a new château, in the style of the 18th century. The new château was painted only many years later. It was Guy Tesseron’s son, Michel Tesseron, who oversaw the painting of the château yellow/orange in 2000. This coincided with a repackaging of the bottles, using matching yellow/orange labels and capsules.
I recently met Basil Tesseron, who is in charge of Château Lafon-Rochet, in Washington DC, USA at the French Embassy and his father, Michel Tesseron, at Château Lafon-Rochet in Saint-Estèphe.
For more, see:
Bordeaux Trip September 2012, France
An Afternoon with Owner Michel Tesseron at Château Lafon-Rochet, 4ème Cru Classé en 1855, in Saint-Estèphe, Bordeaux
Tasting the Wines of Chateau Lafon-Rochet, Saint-Estèphe, 4ème Cru Classé en 1855, with Owner Basil Tesseron at the French Embassy in Washington DC, USA/Franc
Vendredi du Vin #53 : Orange mécanique
This posting is being published as part of the Vendredis du Vin, a monthly blog event in France. Participating wine bloggers - mainly in France - are all releasing postings today under the same heading. This month's Vendredi du Vin is orchestrated by Sandrine Goevaert, who runs the blog La Pinardothèque.
Sandrine Goevaert: “Parlez-moi de vins oranges. Qu’ils soient oranges par leur couleur, par leur appellation, leurs arômes, leur type de vinification (les sacrés pinards de macération, d’amphores, etc), leur étiquette… Le champ des possibles est vaste, ça vous permet d’aller à peu près partout. Tant qu’on y trouve de l’orange.”Château Lafon-Rochet
Château Lafon-Rochet is a 4th Grand Cru en 1855 in the Saint-Estèphe appellation of the Medoc. It is one of the 5 classified properties in the appellation of Saint Estèphe. Its grounds are separated from those of Château Lafite to the north by the width of the road and from Cos d'Estournel by a dirt path.
History
The history of Chateau Lafon-Rochet starts in the 16th century, when a portion known as Rochet (because of its rocky terrain) eventually passed by marriage to Etienne de Lafon, who established Lafon-Rochet. The estate then passed down through the Lafon generations for almost 300 years.
When Guy Tesseron became the owner of Château Lafon-Rochetin 1959, it needed a serious restoration and Guy Tesseron did restore it to its former glory.
In 1975, Guy Tesseron also acquired 5th growth Chateau Pontet-Canet from the Cruse family. Both châteaux subsequently passed to the next generation with Lafon-Rochet coming to Michel Tesseron. Currently the property is in the good hands of Michel’s son, Basil Tesseron.
It was Michel Tesseron, Guy’s son, who oversaw the painting of the château yellow/orange and the redesignation of the bottles in 2000.
Basile Tesseron took over from his father with the 2007 vintage and he now has full control.
Vineyards and Wine Making
Lafon-Rochet's vineyards covers 45 hectares and are planted with Cabernet Sauvignon 54%, Merlot 40%, Cabernet Franc 4%, Petit Verdot 2%.
To match the 40 different vineyard parcels, the estate has 40 stainless steel, temperature controlled vats. The wine is kept in new oak barrels for 9 months before it is moved to one year old barrels, where it remains for an additional 9 months. The final blending takes place 3 months before bottling.
Today, Basil Tesseron is steering Lafon-Rochet towards biodynamic viticulture, following the example of his uncle at Pontet-Canet. But Lafon-Rochet has not yet been certified.
The Grand Vin is Château Lafon-Rochet (11000 cases per annum), the second wine is Pélerins de Lafon-Rochet (also 11000 cases per annum and once known as Numéro 2 de Lafon-Rochet).
Wine Searcher Average Prices
2005 Chateau Lafon Rochet: US$ 63
2009 Chateau Lafon Rochet: US$ 57
2010 Chateau Lafon Rochet: US$ 55
2011 Chateau Lafon Rochet: US$ 37
2007 Pélerins de Lafon-Rochet: US$ 17
schiller-wine: Related Postings
Bordeaux Trip September 2012, France
Bordeaux Wines and their Classifications: The Basics
An Afternoon with Owner Michel Tesseron at Château Lafon-Rochet, 4ème Cru Classé en 1855, in Saint-Estèphe, Bordeaux
The Wine Empire of the von Neipperg Family in France, Bulgaria and Germany
Château Léoville-Poyferré, Chateau Le Crock, Didier Cuvelier in Bordeaux and the Cuvelier Los Andes Wines in Argentina
Château Pape Clément in Pessac-Léognan and the World Wide Wine Empire of Bernard Magrez, France
Tasting with Alfred Tesseron the last 10 Vintages of Château Pontet-Canet in Washington DC, USA/France
Tasting the Wines of Chateau Lafon-Rochet, Saint-Estèphe, 4ème Cru Classé en 1855, with Owner Basil Tesseron at the French Embassy in Washington DC, USA/France
Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGCB) on North America Tour in Washington DC - Schiller’s Favorites
Owner Jean-Bernard Grenié and Wine Journalist Panos Kakaviatos Presented the Wines of Chateau Angélus and Chateau Daugay at Black Salt Restaurant in Washington DC, USA