For anyone raised in South Australia, Rockford is a Barossa Valley winery that has almost icon status. Basket Press Shiraz and the non-vintage sparkling Black Shiraz are feted to the extent that they are offered to a select group of mail order customers on allocation, no more than 6 bottles of each per customer.
On evidence of a tasting of current releases, as well as a couple of gems from the museum collection, the reds continue to be the stars at Rockford. That said, the 2007 Local Growers Semillon is one to look out for. At under $20, it represents excellent value and should develop well in bottle for up to 5 years.
Of the big name reds, the 2009 Basket Press Shiraz is in fine form. Such is the tannin management that the wine slides easily down the gullet now. Rest assured, there’s no lack of structure here, and there’s oodles of high quality old vine fruit to see this wine well into its second decade.
Also impressive is the 2009 Rifle Range Cabernet Sauvignon. It displays true varietal character, something not always associated with Barossa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, and should keep well for at least a decade.
The latest N.V. Black Shiraz, disgorged just a couple of months back, was frankly rather tight and taut, not revealing much of its potential. Judgement should really be reserved for a couple of months. Past experience suggests that bottle age will see the wine settle down and develop spicy complexity.
Good as many of the other Rockford wines undoubtedly are, star of the current line-up is the 2003 Shiraz V.P., a single vineyard Shiraz fortified with locally distilled 12-year old spirit. It’s rich, sweet up-front, savoury on the finish, with complex layers of prune and black cherry fruit entwined with exotic spices. Although delivering plenty of pleasure now, it should age well in bottle for many years to come.
2009 EDEN VALLEY RIESLING
Producer: Rockford
Variety: Riesling
Vintage: 2009
Region: Eden Valley, South Australia
ABV: %
Closure: Cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $20.00
Date tasted: 20 October 2011
Tasting Note:
Quite delicate and elegant. Pithy grapefruit and stony minerality. A rather gentle and polite Riesling. Perhaps could do with a bit more fruit intensity. Decent enough value, but there are better examples of Eden Valley Riesling out there.
Score: 15/20
2004 EDEN VALLEY RIESLING
Producer: Rockford
Variety: Riesling
Vintage: 2004
Region: Eden Valley, South Australia
ABV: 11.5%
Closure: Cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $24.00
Date tasted: 20 October 2011
Tasting Note:
Touch of kerosene on the nose. Slightly honeyed and oily in texture. Rounded, but rather simple.
Score: 14.5/20
2007 LOCAL GROWER’S SEMILLON
Producer: Rockford
Variety: Semillon
Vintage: 2007
Region: Barossa Valley & Eden Valley, South Australia
ABV: 12.2%
Closure: Cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $18.50
Date tasted: 20 October 2011
Tasting Note:
Made using fruit sourced from the Barossa Valley floor and Eden Valley. A small percentage of the wine sees wild barrel fermentation. Quite textured; creamy, but not too weighty on the palate. Melon and peach, touch of honey, vanilla and subtle oak spice. All in all, a very good wine, and excellent value. Better than either of the two Rieslings. Should develop well in bottle over the medium term.
Score: 16.5/20
2007 MOPPA SPRINGS
Producer: Rockford
Variety: Grenache et al
Vintage: 2007
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
ABV: 14.5%
Closure: Cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $24.00
Date tasted: 20 October 2011
Tasting Note:
Blend of Grenache (55%), Mourvèdre (30%) and Shiraz (15%). Elegant, savoury, meaty and spicy. Not a heavyweight at all, indeed, rather fine and elegant. Although showing just moderate complexity at present, a recent bottle of the 1998 Moppa Springs demonstrates that this wine can age well in bottle, developing layers of spicy complexity.
Score: 15+/20
2003 MOPPA SPRINGS
Producer: Rockford
Variety: Grenache et al
Vintage: 2003
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
ABV: 14.5%
Closure: Cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $28.00
Date tasted: 20 October 2011
Tasting Note:
Sweet raspberry coulis on the nose. Full and fleshy with suggestions of tar, star anise, clove and cinnamon. Drinking well now, but shows only modest complexity.
Score: 15/20
2008 ROD & SPUR
Producer: Rockford
Variety: Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon blend
Vintage: 2008
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
ABV: 14.5%
Closure: Cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $30.00
Date tasted: 20 October 2011
Tasting Note:
Blend of Shiraz (53%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (47%). Subtle spicy oak intermingled with red fruits. Dry, medium bodied; like the Moppa Springs, this is not an overoaked warm climate monster. In fact, it is rather elegant. Quite classy. Both elements are well balanced and the oak is well integrated. Tight at the moment, but should open out over the medium term.
Score: 16/20
2009 RIFLE RANGE CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Producer: Rockford
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon et al
Vintage: 2009
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
ABV: 14.5%
Closure: Cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $37.00
Date tasted: 20 October 2011
Tasting Note: Surprising varietal for a Barossa Valley Cabernet! Blackcurrant pastilles and underbrush. Ripe black fruit framed by very fine powdery tannins. Well balanced acidity and alcohol. Finishes long.
Score: 16.5/20
2009 BASKET PRESS SHIRAZ
Producer: Rockford
Variety: Syrah/Shiraz
Vintage: 2009
Region: Barossa Valley & Eden Valley, South Australia
ABV: 14.5%
Closure: Cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $54.00
Date tasted: 20 October 2011
Tasting Note:
Matured in a combination of new and used American and French oak barrels. Full bodied, rich and fleshy. Excellent fruit intensity; blackberry, plum and cherry. Oak is subtle and well integrated, allowing the fruit to speak for itself. Finishes long with very fine, slightly puckering tannins. Should have a long life ahead of it. An excellent Rockford Basket Press!
Score: 17+/20
2003 SVS HOFFMAN SHIRAZ
Producer: Rockford
Variety: Syrah/Shiraz
Vintage: 2003
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
ABV: 15.0%
Closure: Cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $85.00
Date tasted: 20 October 2011
Tasting Note:
Single vineyard wine, made solely from pressings wine and matured in 100% new American oak. Very deep in colour for a wine approaching 10 years of age. Intense on the nose, with very forward charry American oak. Very intense on the palate, liquorice, charry oak, roasted spices and coconut. Taut and tannic. Hint of alcohol warmth on the finish. A bit of a monster, in contrast to the other Rockford wines, which display considerable elegance and judicious use of oak. Needs plenty of time. A ‘statement’ wine.
Score: 16+/20
N.V. BLACK SHIRAZ
Producer: Rockford
Variety: Champagne/Sparkling Wine
Vintage: Non-vintage (Disgorged 2011)
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $57.00
Date tasted: 20 October 2011
Tasting Note:
Disgorged just a couple of months ago, and a bit unyielding. Sweet cherry and plum confit, rather tight. Not strutting its stuff at this stage, but time in bottle will undoubtedly be rewarded. A subsequent tasting of Black Shiraz from magnum (triaged in 1994 and disgorged in the past 12 months) showed how well it can age, developing an almost ethereal floral bouquet.
Score: 16.5+/20
2003 SHIRAZ V.P.
Producer: Rockford
Variety: Fortified wine – Port
Vintage: 2003
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
ABV: 18.1%
Closure: Cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $63.00
Date tasted: 20 October 2011
Tasting Note:
A Vintage Port style wine, made from old vine single vineyard Shiraz, fortified with locally distilled 12 year old Brandy spirit. Flamboyant nose of prune, liqueured plums and morello cherries. Rich, full bodied and sweet on the palate, fig, prune and dark spices. Like all good Ports, the finish is slightly dry, and the spirit is extremely well balanced (though at just over 18%, the alcohol is relatively low for a Vintage Port). Already showing a good amount of complexity. Really rather good, an Australian Graham’s perhaps?!
Score: 18/20
On evidence of a tasting of current releases, as well as a couple of gems from the museum collection, the reds continue to be the stars at Rockford. That said, the 2007 Local Growers Semillon is one to look out for. At under $20, it represents excellent value and should develop well in bottle for up to 5 years.
Of the big name reds, the 2009 Basket Press Shiraz is in fine form. Such is the tannin management that the wine slides easily down the gullet now. Rest assured, there’s no lack of structure here, and there’s oodles of high quality old vine fruit to see this wine well into its second decade.
Also impressive is the 2009 Rifle Range Cabernet Sauvignon. It displays true varietal character, something not always associated with Barossa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, and should keep well for at least a decade.
The latest N.V. Black Shiraz, disgorged just a couple of months back, was frankly rather tight and taut, not revealing much of its potential. Judgement should really be reserved for a couple of months. Past experience suggests that bottle age will see the wine settle down and develop spicy complexity.
Good as many of the other Rockford wines undoubtedly are, star of the current line-up is the 2003 Shiraz V.P., a single vineyard Shiraz fortified with locally distilled 12-year old spirit. It’s rich, sweet up-front, savoury on the finish, with complex layers of prune and black cherry fruit entwined with exotic spices. Although delivering plenty of pleasure now, it should age well in bottle for many years to come.
2009 EDEN VALLEY RIESLING
Producer: Rockford
Variety: Riesling
Vintage: 2009
Region: Eden Valley, South Australia
ABV: %
Closure: Cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $20.00
Date tasted: 20 October 2011
Tasting Note:
Quite delicate and elegant. Pithy grapefruit and stony minerality. A rather gentle and polite Riesling. Perhaps could do with a bit more fruit intensity. Decent enough value, but there are better examples of Eden Valley Riesling out there.
Score: 15/20
2004 EDEN VALLEY RIESLING
Producer: Rockford
Variety: Riesling
Vintage: 2004
Region: Eden Valley, South Australia
ABV: 11.5%
Closure: Cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $24.00
Date tasted: 20 October 2011
Tasting Note:
Touch of kerosene on the nose. Slightly honeyed and oily in texture. Rounded, but rather simple.
Score: 14.5/20
2007 LOCAL GROWER’S SEMILLON
Producer: Rockford
Variety: Semillon
Vintage: 2007
Region: Barossa Valley & Eden Valley, South Australia
ABV: 12.2%
Closure: Cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $18.50
Date tasted: 20 October 2011
Tasting Note:
Made using fruit sourced from the Barossa Valley floor and Eden Valley. A small percentage of the wine sees wild barrel fermentation. Quite textured; creamy, but not too weighty on the palate. Melon and peach, touch of honey, vanilla and subtle oak spice. All in all, a very good wine, and excellent value. Better than either of the two Rieslings. Should develop well in bottle over the medium term.
Score: 16.5/20
2007 MOPPA SPRINGS
Producer: Rockford
Variety: Grenache et al
Vintage: 2007
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
ABV: 14.5%
Closure: Cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $24.00
Date tasted: 20 October 2011
Tasting Note:
Blend of Grenache (55%), Mourvèdre (30%) and Shiraz (15%). Elegant, savoury, meaty and spicy. Not a heavyweight at all, indeed, rather fine and elegant. Although showing just moderate complexity at present, a recent bottle of the 1998 Moppa Springs demonstrates that this wine can age well in bottle, developing layers of spicy complexity.
Score: 15+/20
2003 MOPPA SPRINGS
Producer: Rockford
Variety: Grenache et al
Vintage: 2003
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
ABV: 14.5%
Closure: Cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $28.00
Date tasted: 20 October 2011
Tasting Note:
Sweet raspberry coulis on the nose. Full and fleshy with suggestions of tar, star anise, clove and cinnamon. Drinking well now, but shows only modest complexity.
Score: 15/20
2008 ROD & SPUR
Producer: Rockford
Variety: Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon blend
Vintage: 2008
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
ABV: 14.5%
Closure: Cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $30.00
Date tasted: 20 October 2011
Tasting Note:
Blend of Shiraz (53%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (47%). Subtle spicy oak intermingled with red fruits. Dry, medium bodied; like the Moppa Springs, this is not an overoaked warm climate monster. In fact, it is rather elegant. Quite classy. Both elements are well balanced and the oak is well integrated. Tight at the moment, but should open out over the medium term.
Score: 16/20
2009 RIFLE RANGE CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Producer: Rockford
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon et al
Vintage: 2009
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
ABV: 14.5%
Closure: Cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $37.00
Date tasted: 20 October 2011
Tasting Note: Surprising varietal for a Barossa Valley Cabernet! Blackcurrant pastilles and underbrush. Ripe black fruit framed by very fine powdery tannins. Well balanced acidity and alcohol. Finishes long.
Score: 16.5/20
2009 BASKET PRESS SHIRAZ
Producer: Rockford
Variety: Syrah/Shiraz
Vintage: 2009
Region: Barossa Valley & Eden Valley, South Australia
ABV: 14.5%
Closure: Cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $54.00
Date tasted: 20 October 2011
Tasting Note:
Matured in a combination of new and used American and French oak barrels. Full bodied, rich and fleshy. Excellent fruit intensity; blackberry, plum and cherry. Oak is subtle and well integrated, allowing the fruit to speak for itself. Finishes long with very fine, slightly puckering tannins. Should have a long life ahead of it. An excellent Rockford Basket Press!
Score: 17+/20
2003 SVS HOFFMAN SHIRAZ
Producer: Rockford
Variety: Syrah/Shiraz
Vintage: 2003
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
ABV: 15.0%
Closure: Cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $85.00
Date tasted: 20 October 2011
Tasting Note:
Single vineyard wine, made solely from pressings wine and matured in 100% new American oak. Very deep in colour for a wine approaching 10 years of age. Intense on the nose, with very forward charry American oak. Very intense on the palate, liquorice, charry oak, roasted spices and coconut. Taut and tannic. Hint of alcohol warmth on the finish. A bit of a monster, in contrast to the other Rockford wines, which display considerable elegance and judicious use of oak. Needs plenty of time. A ‘statement’ wine.
Score: 16+/20
N.V. BLACK SHIRAZ
Producer: Rockford
Variety: Champagne/Sparkling Wine
Vintage: Non-vintage (Disgorged 2011)
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $57.00
Date tasted: 20 October 2011
Tasting Note:
Disgorged just a couple of months ago, and a bit unyielding. Sweet cherry and plum confit, rather tight. Not strutting its stuff at this stage, but time in bottle will undoubtedly be rewarded. A subsequent tasting of Black Shiraz from magnum (triaged in 1994 and disgorged in the past 12 months) showed how well it can age, developing an almost ethereal floral bouquet.
Score: 16.5+/20
2003 SHIRAZ V.P.
Producer: Rockford
Variety: Fortified wine – Port
Vintage: 2003
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
ABV: 18.1%
Closure: Cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: $63.00
Date tasted: 20 October 2011
Tasting Note:
A Vintage Port style wine, made from old vine single vineyard Shiraz, fortified with locally distilled 12 year old Brandy spirit. Flamboyant nose of prune, liqueured plums and morello cherries. Rich, full bodied and sweet on the palate, fig, prune and dark spices. Like all good Ports, the finish is slightly dry, and the spirit is extremely well balanced (though at just over 18%, the alcohol is relatively low for a Vintage Port). Already showing a good amount of complexity. Really rather good, an Australian Graham’s perhaps?!
Score: 18/20
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