Good deep red-ruby. Extravagantly ripe, exotic aromas of roasted dark fruits and roasted meat. Large-scaled, fat and full, with atypical sweetness nicely leavened by harmonious acidity. Creamy, dense and full for Lafon-Rochet. Finishes with smooth tannins and excellent palate-saturating length. A great vintage for this chateau.

A sleeper of the vintage, the dense blue/purple-colored 2003 Lafon-Rochet exhibits plenty of blackberry, cassis and graphite along with a touch of toasty new oak. The wine is more backward than expected, but it possesses full-bodied, concentrated flavors as well as good elegance, purity, and overall equilibrium. This is a long-distance runner. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2025.

Fully mature, round, soft and reasonably complex, the 2003 Lafon Rochet exhibits notes of cedarwood, licorice, Christmas fruitcake, red and black fruits. The tannins are resolved in this medium-bodied, low acid St.-Estephe, so enjoy it over the next 4-5 years.