Rockford Basket Press Shiraz 1999

Rockford Wines is a renowned wine producer situated in the beautiful Barossa Valley of Australia. Founded in the early 1980s by Robert O'Callaghan, the winery has become well-known for producing exceptional Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon wines. O'Callaghan's journey in winemaking began in 1965 when he started as a trainee winemaker at Seppelt in Rutherglen, Victoria. In 1971, he moved to Barossa and purchased two hectares of land under the Barossa ranges, where he planted vines and built a winery that resembled a 1850s stone cottage. Rockford's first vintage was in 1984, and since then, the winery has been working in partnership with several independent wine growers around Barossa, with vineyards in Kalimna, Ebenezer, Moppa Springs, the Eden Valley and central Barossa. This partnership has allowed Rockford to have access to a wide variety of soil types, mesoclimates and altitudes for its grapes. Many of the vines are planted on their own rootstocks and some are up to 130 years old, which gives the grapes an intense and concentrated flavour. The winemaking process at Rockford is traditional, using basket presses, open-topped slate fermenters, and a 1880s petrol-driven Bagshaw destemmer/crusher. Rockford's flagship wine is its Basket Press Shiraz, which is aged for two years in French and American oak hogshead barrels before release. The wine has become one of Australia's most sought-after wines and has consistently received high scores from critics. Apart from the Basket Press Shiraz, Rockford has several other top wines in its portfolio, including the Rifle Range Cabernet Sauvignon, the Sparkling Black Shiraz and the Rod and Spur Cabernet-Shiraz blend. With its dedication to traditional winemaking techniques and partnerships with independent wine growers, Rockford Wines has established itself as one of Australia's most respected wineries.

The Barossa Valley in Australia is home to the oldest Syrah vines on the planet, with some dating back 140 to 175 years. The region has never been threatened by phylloxera, and the amount of land dedicated to Shiraz in Australia is almost equivalent to that in France. Australian Shiraz has intense flavours and aromas of blackberry, fruitcake, menthol, tobacco leaf and umami. The valley comprises two sub-regions, Eden Valley and the warmer Barossa Valley floor and has a warm Mediterranean climate. The area is home to Australia's largest concentration of old-vine Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvedre and the very best Australian Shiraz from the Barossa Valley will be dense, gloriously complex and capable of long aging.

Rockford Basket Press Shiraz is a wine that pays tribute to the rich heritage of the Barossa Valley. The wine is the brainchild of Robert O'Callaghan, who sources grapes from 60 to 140-year-old dry-grown vineyards across a range of Barossa soils, altitudes and micro-climates. The wine represents a rare and important post-colonial Australian aesthetic, with a soft and medium-bodied style that echoes the landscape of the Barossa and references the great mid 20th-century wines of legendary winemaker Colin Preece. The winemaking process for Rockford Basket Press Shiraz is labour-intensive and involves classic Barossa techniques. The fruit is handpicked and then vinified using a wooden Bagshaw crusher from the 19th century, open fermentation and basket pressing. The wine is matured primarily in seasoned 300-litre French and American oak hogsheads and 2500-litre vats for two years. The resulting wine is neatly juxtaposed between powerful and elegant, with exquisite dark berry fruits, inky complexity, underlying roasted chestnut notes and long, muscular but precise tannins. The wine is beautifully tensioned, making it one of Australia's greatest and most-loved wines. Rockford Basket Press Shiraz is a true representation of the Barossa Valley's rich heritage and culture of craftsmanship. The meticulous attention to detail and labour-intensive winemaking practices have resulted in a wine that is both powerful and elegant, making it a must-try for any wine enthusiast.

Rockford Basket Press Shiraz 1999 is a wonderful red wine that embodies the unique Australian traditional style, featuring full black fruit flavours, silky tannins and an integrated vanilla oak bouquet that complements the wine's overall complexity. The wine has a medium crimson colour and intense aromas of Turkish delight, musky plum and chocolate. It is beautifully concentrated, with blackberry, Turkish delight and plummy fruit flavours intertwined with fine, soft tannins that finish long and sweet. This wine is a fine ripe and luscious red, steeped in heady aromas of briary small red and blackberry fruit and enhanced by a measured maturation in smoky chocolate/vanilla oak. The palate is velvet-smooth and creamy, presenting layer upon layer of ripe cassis, plum and red berry fruit, punctuated by the musky white pepper and liquorice flavours of old Barossa vines. The wine is beautifully balanced, making it a must-try for anyone looking for a traditional Australian red that is anything but ordinary. Overall, Rockford Basket Press Shiraz 1999 is sure to impress any wine enthusiast with its unique character, full ripe black fruit flavours and beautifully balanced tannins.

This still young, full-bodied, pure, incredibly rich 1999 exhibits a kinky nose of Asian spices, ground pepper, flowers, and autumnal forest floor notes. It possesses an inky/blue/purple color, full body, fabulous fruit, good acidity, sweet tannin, and a long finish. As it sat in the glass, a licorice component took over from the forest floor character. This is an impressive, still youthful Shiraz from one of the legendary wine producers of the Barossa. Give it another 3-4 years of bottle age, and drink it over the following two decades. P.S. This was a half bottle! - 93+ points Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

The Finer Details
Style - Red Wine
Varietal - Shiraz
Country - Australia
Region - Barossa Valley, South Australia
Vintage - 1999
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 13.5%