We arrived a little early. Our friendly guide Mathilde Bocquillon asked us for a few minutes of patience. It seems to me that the French don't mind if you arrive a bit late - 15 minutes is the standard, apparently. They're more surprised if you show up early.
First, a brief history: the Antoinette de Guillemotes, who was the owner of Domaine Rochet, marries Etienne de Lafon, and so Chateau Lafon-Rochet is born. This took place in the 17th century. In 1960, Chateau Lafon-Rochet is bought by Guy Tesseron, who passes it on to his children in 1999.
Mathilde considers one fact important, namely the painting of the Chateau building yellow (Mathilde is pictured with Lafon-Rochet before the "repainting"). Michel Tesseron was responsible for this soon after he took over. The shade of yellow was said to have been a long time in the making. They took a while to get used to the new look, but then agreed that they were happy with the result. Well, why is that so important? Because yellow has become the "corporate colour" and has made its way onto the labels of both their wines.
Sometime around 2015, there will be a major technology refresh. But that's already in the hands of Basile Tesseron, the next in line of descendants.
After the tour, we sat down for a tasting. First Les Pèlerins de Lafon-Rochet 2018 (56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot) and then Chateau Lafon-Rochet 2014 (66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot). Both were worth it. We also bought some for the evening. :-)
By the way, do you know what they named their second wine after? It's after the capes the pilgrims wore. This chateau was once a humble retreat for those travelling to Santiago de Compostela.