TVs: Brief impressions on Rockford StonewallerÂ’s CD wines

[Baby Chickpea]

<b>NV Rockford RD Pinot Chardonnay (Sparkling White)</b>
Pretty simple bouquet and largely innocuous on the palate with barely a hint of fruit. Very soft and easy to swill but lacks character, nuance and individuality. CanÂ’t complain too much given the price. A$16
<b>Good 16.5 / 20</b>

<b>2001 Rockford Eden Valley Riesling</b>
Not bad. Involving mix of fresh lime and minerals. Nice acid backbone. Still rather tight but drinks well. I expected less but it delivered more than my expectations. A$17.50
<b>Very Good 17.0 / 20</b>

<b>2001 Rockford Local Growers Semillon</b>
Very old style and really not to my tastes. Seems more advanced than its years. Not a fan. A$17
<b>Good 16.0 / 20</b>

<b>2004 Rockford White Frontignac </b>
Very pleasant nose with myriad sweet fruits. Nice palate augmented with medium length finish. Refreshing wine and not at all bad for the style. A$13
<b>Very Good 17.0 / 20</b>

<b>2004 Rockford Alicante Bouchet</b>
Fresh and intoxicating bouquet. No hint of oak or tannin. Quite delicious. I have long been a fan of this wine for some years – especially nice slightly chilled. Good stuff! A$16
<b>Good 17.5 / 20</b>

<b>1999 Rockford Moppa Springs Grenache/Shiraz/Mataro</b>
Nice nose and palate, filled with berries, some spice and pepper. Good follow through with nice finish. Very good wine for the price. Only criticism – bit simple. A$21.50
<b>Very Good 17.0 / 20</b>

<b>2001 Rockford Rod & Spur Cabernet/Shiraz</b>
Ahh, now this is better! Much more weight, better structure and more singularly focussed black berry fruit with dry tannin finish. A$28
<b>Very Good 17.5 / 20</b>

<b>1998 Rockford Cabernet Sauvignon</b>
Originally an export order that didnÂ’t make it! Riper lush cabernet fruit with tannins still kicking in. Needs another 2-3 years IMO to be at its peak but drinking very well. Still quite primary and hasnÂ’t shutdown. A$45
<b>Very Good 17.7 / 20</b>

<b>1998 Rockford SVS Shiraz Pressings</b>
2nd Pressings released after the 1984. This is a powerhouse wine but not over the top. Some semblance of balance and potential complexity down the line but well contained in its seamless structure. Massive dark fruits and a chunk of tannin with some hint of the American oak. In short, long and powerful. Keep for 10 years. A$70
<b>Excellent 18.0 / 20</b>

<b>1998 Rockford SVS Flaxman Valley Shiraz</b>
Half of this comes from Chris Ringland’s low yielding and dry grown old vines. More restrained than the Pressings but too me not enough stuffing to make it memorable. I don’t mean it should’ve been bigger, but needed a finer delineation of the Shiraz fruit than it provided. It was – believe it or not –almost one-dimensional and boring! A good wine to be sure, but for $70 I expect a lot more and blind would have guessed it to be a $30 wine at most. It did have a silkiness to it but lacks excitement. From the outset I should’ve stated that I am not a huge fan of the several Rockford SVS Shiraz’s I’ve had (much preferring the blended Basket Press). A$70
<b>Very Good 17.5 / 20</b>

[JamieBahrain]

Danny

Do you think the 98 Flaxman's Gulley will build with time?

I have found some Eden Valley shiraz, whilst lean and somewhat austere on release, compared to the Valley Floor below, can build great weight and complexity in time.

In saying that, the 98 certainly did not have the restrained opulence of the 96 Flaxmann's.

[Guest]

no review of the basket press?

[BA]

Guest,

I was there three weeks ago and no BP on tasting

I agree with BC on the Frontignac (a pleasant surprise - take to an asian restaurant) and alicante bouchet. Both nice.

Rod & Spur will hopefully be a beautiful & rustic old wine. Wonderful.

I ranked the SVS the other way around, but that's just a personal thing.

Jamie,

I will be keeping my Flaxman's for a long time. Like your post suggests, I think this will slowly develop into something special. Not too much showing at the moment, but seems more Eden Valley, when the Pressings seems more Barossa Valley, if that makes any sense to you. A fan of Eden Valley reds will see something in this.


thanks BC for the top writeup.

BA

[Baby Chickpea]

Jamie/Guest and BA - BP was sold out. Hard to say about the Flaxman - perhaps u fair in comparison next to the Pressings but time will tell. I think it will get better (it is a long haul wine) but how much better is a moot point! Put it this way, I don't think it will improve as much as the Pressings.