Château Lafon-Rochet

The estate

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. 2 cellars were built between 2014 and 2016, 1 in stainless steel and 1 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

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: Château Lafon-Rochet, the estate · Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux, Château Lafon-Rochet · The Drinks Business, Vignobles Cruse-Lorenzetti shuffles roles across its 4 Bordeaux châteaux · Rue89 Bordeaux, Château Lafon-Rochet and the organic label