Lafon-Rochet, Pichon Lalande
Lafon-Rochet has long been one of our favourite wines of the northern Medoc and undoubtedly one of its best values. Owned by the Tesseron family since 1959, the charming Basile Tesseron has been in charge since 2007. 2015 saw the completion of a fantastic new winery designed by the same team as Cheval Blanc's. The Cabernet is now vinified in beautiful concrete vats and the last two vintages have really seen a big step up in quality. Since 2012, Jean-Claude Berrouet has been the consultant, best known for his work at Petrus. Although not certified, farming is a mix of organic and biodynamic. We were delighted to join Basile and his wife for a kitchen lunch and bottles of his 2005 and 1985 on our recent visit - or we were until a customer of ours joined him and was served the 1955 from magnum. This is a wine that drinks well young but ages beautifully. Don't miss it.
Today's also seen the release of one of the undisputed greats of the left bank. Pichon Comtesse never puts a foot wrong under the guidance of Nicolas Glumineau. After a decade of seemingly unremitting renovation since the Rouzaud family took over in 2007, building work is just about finished and the facilities are all functioning. For Nicolas, the Cabernet provides the soul of Pichon and, in the 2017, he finds them "powdered, elongated, soft and powerful, polished." His goal is to find the root of Pauillac, he says - grace and elegance blended seamlessly with power. He's done that again with a stunning 2017. It's a wine with lightness yet intensity, a velvety texture which belies the underlying structure, and a great deal of complexity. It is one of the wines of the vintage.
Last week saw two releases from Leoville-Poyferre's Cuvelier family - the excellent value St-Estephe, Le Crock, and the St-Julien, Moulin Riche. Yesterday came Gruaud Larose and this afternoon d'Issan. /AR
Offered subject to remaining unsold; available 2020
