Château

Château Lafon-Rochet

shah-TOH lah-FOHN roh-SHEH
How to read this

Capitals mark the stressed syllable. “ohn” is a nasal vowel: say it through the nose, with no n. The French r comes from the back of the throat. The recording is the reference.

The yellow château of Saint-Estèphe, a Tesseron house for more than 60 years until Jacky Lorenzetti bought it in September 2021, and certified organic with the 2024 vintage.

Appellation
Saint-Estèphe
On Instagram
@chateaulafonrochet

The château

Lafon-Rochet dates from 1650, and its name joins 2 families, Lafon and Rochet. The house is younger than the rank: Guy Tesseron, whose family held the estate from 1959, pulled down what stood there and built the present château from 1960, and in 2000 his son Michel had it painted the mustard yellow that the labels and the capsules now match. The Tesserons kept Château Pontet-Canet when they sold. Jacky Lorenzetti bought Lafon-Rochet in September 2021 and in 2022 placed it in Vignobles Cruse-Lorenzetti, formed with Emmanuel Cruse, which also holds Lilian Ladouys, Pédesclaux and d’Issan. Since early 2024 Lafon-Rochet and Lilian Ladouys have run as a single company.

The direction has changed 2 times since the sale. Christophe Congé came in March 2022 after 22 years at Lafite and Duhart-Milon and went on to Pédesclaux; Vincent Bache-Gabrielsen came the other way and has been general manager since the 2024 vintage, running Lafon-Rochet and Lilian Ladouys together. Félix Pariente-Lorenzetti has been president since 2025. The vineyard is 45 hectares, planted 48% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Merlot with the rest in Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, with vines about 38 years old on average and some plots past 80. The Tesserons had announced an organic commitment and dropped it in 2018, before any certification; the conversion that led to the label began under the new ownership in 2020. Two cellars were built between 2014 and 2016, one in stainless steel and one in concrete, and more than 4 kilometers of hedgerow have been planted. Les Pèlerins de Lafon-Rochet is the second wine.

At a glance

Appellation
Saint-Estèphe Terroir of Saint-Estèphe →
Commune
Saint-Estèphe
Classification
Quatrième Cru Classé 1855
Owner
Jacky Lorenzetti, through Vignobles Cruse-Lorenzetti, since September 2021; the Tesseron family from 1959
Direction
Vincent Bache-Gabrielsen, general manager since the 2024 vintage; Félix Pariente-Lorenzetti, president, since 2025
Vineyard
45 hectares; vines about 38 years old on average, some plots past 80
Grapes
Cabernet Sauvignon 48%, Merlot 45%, the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc
Farming
Organic; conversion from 2020, certified with the 2024 vintage; more than 4 kilometers of hedgerow
Cellar
2 cellars built between 2014 and 2016, 1 in stainless steel and 1 in concrete
Wines
Château Lafon-Rochet; Les Pèlerins de Lafon-Rochet
The house
Built by Guy Tesseron from 1960; painted yellow in 2000

Sources

Institutions
Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux, Château Lafon-Rochet
Its own publications
Château Lafon-Rochet, the estate

Revised October 13, 2026. How I choose sources

The record

Château Lafon-Rochet is a Quatrième Cru Classé of the 1855 Classification, in the Saint-Estèphe appellation.

The 1855 Classification was published on April 18, 1855, drawn up by the brokers of the Bordeaux exchange for the Exposition Universelle in Paris.

Source: Conseil des Grands Crus Classés en 1855

Private

By invitation only.

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