2019 | Château Lafon-Rochet | Saint-Estèphe | France

Fourth-Growth St-Estèphe between Cos and Lafite — classic, muscular Bordeaux in a great vintage, half-bottle format.

Château Lafon-Rochet is a Fourth Growth (1855) sitting on choice St-Estèphe gravel between Cos d'Estournel and Lafite-Rothschild, long owned by the Tesseron family of Cognac and Pontet-Canet fame. The 2019 is classic Lafon-Rochet — monolithic, muscular, Cabernet-driven — from one of the decade's benchmark Left-Bank vintages, in a convenient 375ml half.

Classed-growth St-Estèphe from a top vintage, in a half-bottle, is a rare and useful thing. A CellarTracker consensus around 92, full of black plum and boysenberry → its neighbors Cos and Lafite cost many multiples → at $37.99 the half you get classed-growth pedigree, perfectly portioned.

• Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant St-Estèphe blend
• Fourth Growth (1855) — 375ml half-bottle
• Gravel terroir between Cos d'Estournel and Lafite-Rothschild
• Tesseron family; the great 2019 vintage

"Classic in its monolithic, muscular impact, full of black plum, boysenberry, and fig, hugely expansive with a naturally sweet character." Translation: dark, structured St-Estèphe Cabernet with graphite and cassis — built to age, generous with a decant.

Fourth-Growth Bordeaux from a landmark year, in a half-bottle for two. Exactly the pour for a steak dinner that doesn't need a whole bottle.