Château Lafon-Rochet

The origins of the estate, one of the oldest in Saint-Estèphe, date back to 1557. Initially known as Domaine de Rochet, it was renamed Château Lafon-Rochet following the marriage of its owner, Antoinette de Guillemotes, to Étienne de Lafon, a member of the Bordeaux parliament. In the 1855 Classification it was ranked Quatrième Grand Cru Classé, one of the 61 Médoc châteaux selected for the Universal Exhibition in Paris. The Audon family, then owners of Château Lilian Ladouys, later joined the two properties into a 75-hectare ensemble, and the chapel was built in that era in place of the original fountain and washhouse. The union ended in 1924, followed by a succession of owners until 1960, when Guy Tesseron, a former Cognac merchant, bought the estate. He restructured the vineyard, replanting more Cabernet Sauvignon and enlarging the planted area, and rebuilt the château, which was then in ruins. The estate's own history calls Lafon-Rochet 'le seul château à avoir été bâti à la fin du XXe siècle' (the only château to have been built at the end of the 20th century). His son Michel took over in 1999, reworked the winemaking facilities and in 2000 repainted the château in the golden yellow that later became the colour of its labels. Basile Tesseron, the third generation, took over in 2007, and two new cellars, one stainless steel and one concrete, were built between 2014 and 2016. The Tesseron family sold Lafon-Rochet to the French-Swiss real-estate investor Jacky Lorenzetti in 2021.

• Origins dating back to 1557, first known as Domaine de Rochet
• Ranked Quatrième Grand Cru Classé in 1855
• Joined with Château Lilian Ladouys under the Audon family until 1924
• Guy Tesseron owner from 1960; Michel Tesseron from 1999; Basile Tesseron from 2007
• Château repainted golden yellow in 2000
• Acquired by the Lorenzetti family in 2021

The acquisition of Lafon-Rochet marked the birth of Vignobles Cruse-Lorenzetti, a union between the Lorenzetti family and Emmanuel Cruse. The group also includes Château Lilian Ladouys in Saint-Estèphe (acquired in 2008), Château Pédesclaux, a Pauillac Fifth Growth acquired in 2009, and Château d'Issan, a Margaux Third Growth held in association with the Cruse family since 2013. A century after the Audon era, the purchase brought Lafon-Rochet and its northern neighbour Lilian Ladouys back under one owner, and the two estates now share their teams.

• Château Lilian Ladouys, Saint-Estèphe (2008)
• Château Pédesclaux, Fifth Growth, Pauillac (2009)
• Château d'Issan, Third Growth, Margaux (with the Cruse family since 2013)

Basile Tesseron completed the 2021 vinification, his final vintage at Lafon-Rochet. Christophe Congé was appointed Managing Director from 1 March 2022; he had studied oenology in Bordeaux, began his career at Château Doisy Daëne in Barsac and spent more than 22 years with Domaines Barons de Rothschild as oenologist and wine operations manager across Château Lafite Rothschild and Château Duhart Milon. The estate's team page lists Félix Pariente-Lorenzetti as Président of Château Lafon-Rochet, Château Lilian Ladouys and Château Pédesclaux, and Vincent Bache-Gabrielsen as Directeur général of Lafon-Rochet and Lilian Ladouys; he has worked with the Lorenzetti family since its first acquisition, Lilian Ladouys, in 2008. Frédéric Godart is cellar master and Benjamin Faure is vineyard manager.

• Félix Pariente-Lorenzetti, Président
• Vincent Bache-Gabrielsen, Directeur général
• Frédéric Godart, cellar master; Benjamin Faure, vineyard manager
• Christophe Congé, Managing Director from 1 March 2022
• Basile Tesseron's final vintage was 2021

The vineyard covers about 50 hectares across two rises in Saint-Estèphe, with nearly 40 hectares in a single block around the château. On one side, gravel gives excellent natural drainage for Cabernet Sauvignon; on the other, clay regulates water reserves. The soils also hold deposits of blue clay. The estate identifies three main terroirs, deep gravel, clayey gravel and clay-limestone, and 13 soil variations. Parcels lie between 5 and 25 metres above sea level, facing south, southwest and west. The vineyard borders Château Lilian Ladouys to the north and lies close to Château Cos d'Estournel and Château Cos Labory, with Château Lafite Rothschild over the border in Pauillac. As of October 2026, the estate lists its plantings as 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, with an average vine age of 38 years and some plots planted more than 80 years ago. To respond to climate warming, the estate is shifting its plantings toward more Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, which progressively replace Merlot.

• About 50 hectares, nearly 40 in one block around the château
• Deep gravel, clayey gravel and clay-limestone, with blue clay deposits
• Parcels between 5 and 25 metres, facing south, southwest and west
• 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot
• Average vine age 38 years; some plots more than 80 years old

The estate launched an agroecology programme in 2019, after the 2018 harvest, to reduce its environmental impact and build biodiversity in and around the vineyard. It sows cover crops of cereals, legumes and crucifers on almost all of its parcels. A first phase of about 2 kilometres of hedges was planted in winter 2020 and a second in winter 2021, bringing the total to more than 4 kilometres, with more than 50 species of trees and shrubs, among them field maple, blackthorn and hawthorn. Biodiversity corridors link the heart of the property to its Natura 2000 reserve of more than 3 hectares. Lafon-Rochet entered organic conversion in 2020 and was certified organic in 2024.

• Agroecology programme started in 2019
• More than 4 kilometres of hedges planted in winters 2020 and 2021
• More than 50 tree and shrub species in the biodiversity corridors
• Natura 2000 reserve of more than 3 hectares
• Organic conversion from 2020; certified in 2024

Harvest is entirely by hand; for 30 years a team of around forty pickers has come from a village in northern Portugal to bring in the grapes. The two cellars hold 21 concrete vats and 19 stainless steel vats. Vinification favours gentle extractions lasting about three weeks, and some of the wines go through malolactic fermentation in barrel. Both wines are aged for 12 to 14 months in a range of vessels: 225-litre Bordeaux barrels and, since December 2025, foudres of 1,200 and 2,000 litres, which now hold the majority of the wine and reduce the imprint of new oak. About 10% of the ageing takes place in concrete vats. Over roughly a decade, Cabernet Sauvignon has taken a growing share of the grand vin blend, reaching 70% today.

• Hand harvest by a team of around forty pickers from northern Portugal
• 21 concrete and 19 stainless steel vats
• Gentle extractions of about three weeks
• 12 to 14 months of ageing in barrels, foudres and some concrete
• Foudres of 1,200 and 2,000 litres since December 2025

Château Lafon-Rochet, the grand vin, comes from the highest parcels, split equally between clayey gravel and deep gravel, and from the oldest vines. The 2022 is the first vintage made entirely by the Lorenzetti family; it is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc. The 2023 blends 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc. Les Pèlerins de Lafon-Rochet, the second wine, comes from younger vines and from plots of mainly clay and gravel soils. Its name pays tribute to the pilgrims from Northern Europe who landed in the Médoc on their way to Santiago de Compostela. The 2023 Pèlerins blends 56% Merlot and 44% Cabernet Sauvignon. In 2023, bud break started on 11 April, and the vineyard was in its final year of organic conversion; Merlot was picked from 13 to 22 September and Cabernet Sauvignon from 22 September to 5 October.

• Château Lafon-Rochet: grand vin from the highest parcels and oldest vines
• Les Pèlerins de Lafon-Rochet: second wine from younger vines
• 2022: first vintage made entirely by the Lorenzetti family
• 2023 harvest: Merlot 13 to 22 September; Cabernet Sauvignon 22 September to 5 October

In the estate's words, 'Château Lafon-Rochet is both bright and complex', with aromas of black fruits in the majority of vintages, and it 'illustrates elegant aromatic power accompanied by balance and exceptional freshness.' The estate presents the grand vin as one with a silky tannic structure, marked in youth by intensity and richness and growing more harmonious with time. It calls Les Pèlerins de Lafon-Rochet 'a wine that remains true to its terroir and is accessible in its youth.'

Château Lafon-Rochet and its cellars can be visited by appointment throughout the year. From April to the end of October the château is open Monday to Saturday, and from November to the end of March Monday to Friday, from 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM. Tastings and tours range from a 30-minute tasting of three wines from Lafon-Rochet and Lilian Ladouys to longer visits with barrel tastings, a vertical tasting of five Lafon-Rochet vintages, and meals pairing wines from Lafon-Rochet, Pédesclaux and Lilian Ladouys.

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://www.lafon-rochet.com/en/the-estate/, https://www.lafon-rochet.com/en/expertise/, https://www.lafon-rochet.com/en/nature/, https://www.lafon-rochet.com/en/the-wines-2/, https://www.lafon-rochet.com/en/visiting-the-estate/, https://www.lafon-rochet.com/en/wines/chateau-lafon-rochet/, https://www.lafon-rochet.com/en/wines/chateau-lafon-rochet/vintage-2022/, https://www.lafon-rochet.com/en/wines/les-pelerins-de-lafon-rochet/, https://www.lafon-rochet.com/en/a-new-era/, https://www.lafon-rochet.com/en/chateau-lafon-rochet-2023/, https://www.lafon-rochet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LR_CV_2023_EN.pdf, https://www.lafon-rochet.com/le-domaine/, https://www.lafon-rochet.com/la-nature/, https://www.lafon-rochet.com/les-gestes/, https://www.lafon-rochet.com/les-vins/. Secondary sources: Decanter (14 September 2021; 2 March 2022; travel listing last updated 28 May 2015) and Wine Spectator (10 September 2021). Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs. Last verified 2026-10-20