2016 Domaine Lafond Chateauneuf-du-Pape Roc-Epine 750 ml

Domaine Lafond Roc Epine Châteauneuf-du-Pape has broken into the big time in the magical 2016 vintage, with a glowing 95 point score from the Wine Advocate and a 94 from Jeb Dunnuck. With that performance, the estate’s under-$50 Châteauneuf has rocketed into the rarefied zone normally reserved for Châteauneuf-du-Pape’s high-priced royalty. 

When we stood in Jean-Pierre Lafond’s cool cellar and he poured the deep, dark 2016 Lafond Roc Epine into our glasses, we closed our eyes and took in the wine’s massive aroma. We could have been at Beaucastel. Tons of kirsch and dark cherry, robust wild game and herb notes—all hallmarks of top-flight Châteauneuf, all of which usually foretell a hefty price tag—jumped out of the glass. It wasn’t until we opened our eyes again to see Jean-Pierre standing there that we remembered we were at a relative Châteauneuf upstart—albeit one that won’t cede un centimetre to the blue-chip Châteauneuf estates. 

The 95-point 2016 Domaine Lafond Roc Epine Châteauneuf-du-Pape is your invitation to an estate’s coming out gala. Bursting with robust dark fruit, garrigue, and spice, and showing a structure that will enable it to age for a decade or more, this wine belongs right alongside the showpiece Châteauneufs in your cellar—and toe to toe with them at the table. It’s a breakout hit from Jeb Dunnuck’s “buy with abandon” 2016 vintage that renders the classic drink-now-or-cellar conundrum completely moot.

Jean-Pierre Lafond has both experience and the boldness of youth on his side: His family has been in the Rhône region of Tavel for 200-plus years, but as the newly-minted sole proprietor of Domaine Lafond Roc Epine (he took over from his father in 2016), he works with the vigor of a young man with a lot to prove. The jolt of energy that Jean-Pierre brings—plus a little help from an incredibly auspicious 98-point vintage—is what finally put Lafond Roc Epine over the top. 

Lafond’s organically farmed, hand-harvested grapes come from vines that average 40 years of age, planted across three Châteauneuf lieux-dits. Jean-Pierre made the choice to completely destem the grapes, and age the wine in 20% new oak—two texture-softening touches that will surely appeal to those who would drink this 95-point Châteauneuf in its youth. 

But that is by no means the only way to go, and as long as you stock up on this wine, whatever you do with it—drink it straight out of the shipper or lay it down for the long haul—you have made the right choice. You will be thrilled that you were there to lay claim to a case of Domaine Lafond Roc Epine the year they hit the big time.