The Auswine Forum

Rockford make great wine but...........

I think Rockford make brilliant wine but despite this I have a bone to pick with them. Over 4 years ago I joined the list of people wanting to become Stonewallers and since then have bought a couple of thousand dollars worth of product and got mates to do the same.
Originally I was told it would take at least 2 years and up to 4 to become a Stonewaller. Today I called and asked about buying more wine and was told my status could remain for 5 or 6 years before becoming a Stonewaller.

There's a good chance I won't be reviewing any more Rockford wines........
I doubt that I'll live long enough !

This is a very distressing thread... I literally just got the letter confirming I have finally become a Stonewaller. Four years to the month after I joined the mailing list and I was super, super excited!

I am happy with the price, quality, history/nostalgia trade-off for Rockies. I have tried most of the recent BP's on release at the cellar door but haven't opened any I have bought (now have 2006-2012) except for one bottle of the 2011 in May which was a very nice wine from a tough year...

For the cellar I buy a mix of BP, Rifle Range and Rod & Spur as well as the sparkling red. The Rieslings can also be very good. The Semillon and Alicante are both good within the context of their style. The GSM is a bargain but I find the style more hit and miss, though good for early drinking.

Agree by previous comments that difference of 80/90's vs 00/10's to be influenced by Chris vs Ben.
Another thought are the suppliers behind these eras. I think there are about 20ish different sites that end up into BP, there has been the loss of Liebig (i think correct spelling) was lost to residential development...this was a great vineyard that was bottled into SVS series as well, i think 1998 being the last. If other greats have dropped off - may explains the change as well. Thoughts?

YAY!!!

Stonewaller badge arrived at last - feel my life is complete (almost) - will have a Black Sparkling to celebrate

Tried a 2010 BP last night and much of my faith has been restored. Rich and velvety, beautiful dark fruit/plum and a long finish.Only small complaint is a lack of acid structure.

Three (all) of my 2010s are off to auction. I'm not a fan of the hot alcohol flaw in them.

Luke W wrote:YAY!!!

Stonewaller badge arrived at last - feel my life is complete (almost) - will have a Black Sparkling to celebrate

One happy camper I reckon. Congrats mate. Big stash of Black Shiraz and Basket Press heading north I reckon!!

Cheers
Ian

rossmckay wrote:Three (all) of my 2010s are off to auction. I'm not a fan of the hot alcohol flaw in them.

did you buy them without trying them first?

rossmckay wrote:Three (all) of my 2010s are off to auction. I'm not a fan of the hot alcohol flaw in them.

Not sure where you are getting that from, I've had 2 x 2010 in the last few months and both were fantastic.

sch5252 wrote:

rossmckay wrote:Three (all) of my 2010s are off to auction. I'm not a fan of the hot alcohol flaw in them.

did you buy them without trying them first?

Yep

dave vino wrote:Not sure where you are getting that from, I've had 2 x 2010 in the last few months and both were fantastic.

I'm not a fan of high alcohol wines and these are definitely in that category. I thought they would hide it better.

Never mind, 8 dozen SA reds off to auction over the past few months, these and a couple of old Wendourees are the last.

rossmckay wrote:

sch5252 wrote:

rossmckay wrote:Three (all) of my 2010s are off to auction. I'm not a fan of the hot alcohol flaw in them.

did you buy them without trying them first?

Yep

dave vino wrote:Not sure where you are getting that from, I've had 2 x 2010 in the last few months and both were fantastic.

I'm not a fan of high alcohol wines and these are definitely in that category. I thought they would hide it better.

Glad you clarified, you said flaw before, but just a personal preference thing then.

I suspect Rockfords are not managing the faster and more condensed vintages very well, low through put would be an issue for them.
Having said that, I don't see it in the 2010 as you do.

ticklenow1 wrote:

Luke W wrote:YAY!!!

Stonewaller badge arrived at last - feel my life is complete (almost) - will have a Black Sparkling to celebrate

One happy camper I reckon. Congrats mate. Big stash of Black Shiraz and Basket Press heading north I reckon!!

Cheers
Ian

You're not wrong !! Had a 2012 Disgorged Black Shiraz last night to celebrate - what a wine......

sch5252 wrote:

rossmckay wrote:

sch5252 wrote:
did you buy them without trying them first?

Yep

dave vino wrote:Not sure where you are getting that from, I've had 2 x 2010 in the last few months and both were fantastic.

I'm not a fan of high alcohol wines and these are definitely in that category. I thought they would hide it better.

Glad you clarified, you said flaw before, but just a personal preference thing then.

I suspect Rockfords are not managing the faster and more condensed vintages very well, low through put would be an issue for them.
Having said that, I don't see it in the 2010 as you do.

Just to clarify what I meant when I said flaw. A flaw is an attribute or character of wine that can be picked up by sensory perception and depart from the norm. The criteria for wine quality under systematic analysis are basically BLIC - balance, length, intensity and concentration. All four, Outstanding, three Very Good, two Good, one Acceptable, none Poor. I don't have my notes here but the wine was way out of balance, it had medium length (perhaps medium +), definitely intensity of depth and some complexity but certainly not a lot and the oak was too prominent (first thing I smelled and the last thing I tasted).

Therefore, I would be wrong if I noted hot alcohol and said Outstanding. The other notes could be written in such a way, depending on your perspective to have the wine classed as Very Good or Good. From my perspective I would say the latter as it would concur with the notes about the oak. If you were writing the note and you were tolerant of the oak and thought it would integrate then you would probably say it was Very Good and wouldn't lose points in your conclusion.

I would very clearly say that I thought the wine I was drinking was flawed. It seems apparent that there's either bottle variation or differences in sensory perception that explain the differences in people's assessment.

Sam, this thread is not distressing at all
Some of the best wines in the country are made on Krondorf road.

Perhaps there are just fussy palates or people don't like the wine anymore...anyway after a few trips to the CD this year, I will be back again for next months new releases.

Cheers
Craig.

Rockfords still make a solid drop for mine. particularly current BP and RR.
Every year come March I put an arvo aside and go up and have a taste.
Yet to come back with an empty boot.
This year I balked on the black shiraz whereas previously I've picked some up.
I thought the 12 BP was worth the coin as was the RR.
Whether Rockfords has waned or not is debatable I s'pose but at the end of the day
it's a little traditon I've adpoted to pay an annual visit.

Until their wines change course dramatically
I'll continue making my little pilgrimage.

phillisc wrote:Sam, this thread is not distressing at all
Some of the best wines in the country are made on Krondorf road.

Don't worry Craig, I have no intention of changing my purchasing on the basis of this thread!

Agreed Sam...perhaps in line with Jamie's Wendouree Festival...we could have a Rockford day. I'm good for '86 onwards, but never had the privilege of the 84/5 BPs.

Cheers
Craig

phillisc wrote:Agreed Sam...perhaps in line with Jamie's Wendouree Festival...we could have a Rockford day. I'm good for '86 onwards, but never had the privilege of the 84/5 BPs.

Cheers
Craig

Hi Craig, recent bottles of the 88 and 89 were looking tired, so you may want to drink up.

Mike

Mike Hawkins wrote:

rooman wrote:

Mike Hawkins wrote:I'm convinced BP is a wine that excels with serious age..... 20+ in good years. And for that reason most people dont get to experience them at their absolute best. of course personal tastes differ and many like their wines on the younger side. But having shared a few bottles in the past year with mates who normally drink Barossa shiraz at 5-10 years of age, they were blown away with the 90 and 91, and we agreed the 96 seemed young and almost one dimensional.

So Mike you reckon open the 2004 around 2024? Sadly that's only 6 years away so I can wait that long.

Depressing isn't it. A quick calculation of my own age then means I need a drink

Mike will you have moved back to Aus by 2024? I have you pegged as an Aussie in NY but not long term.

When's the mailer due I'm in ADL and wouldn't mind a drive

Noooooo...... I thought you were seriously thinking of giving up on Stonewallers?

What happened? It was looking so good at the start of this thread with Rockford BP being the wine equivalent of a Donald Trump Ricardo fan. A naked (do undies count?) emperor (wants to be) reliant on marketing over substance with magic (if any) lost decades ago. Fits perfectly! Just as an FYI, that took me ages to come up with so I hope you appreciate it...

To be serious for a moment, my summary from the comments:
- 80's and 90's - had the magic generally
- 00's mixed bag but may have lost its way on many of the vintages (change in winemaking style?)
- 10's (ignoring 11) look like stronger wines (although views still divided) at this young age but may still be a different style (less balance) compared to 80's / 90's

I find that useful if it is a fair summary as I may get opportunities to buy back vintage BP and will keep it in mind. Not sure that we got many answers to the original question of which of the 00's "are the 'balanced' years, and the years to avoid" but I can't add anything further than my original response - I am still interested if anyone does have any further opinions on the original question.

Final points,
If anyone is ever in Perth drinking 80's / 90's BP please invite me to join you and I will bring the best wine from my collection (you can choose from my CT listing and I do have some very good wines) to share with you in return.
AND
Everyone, immediately contact Rockford to demand to be removed from the Stonewallers list! (sorry couldn't resist!)

Can't believe I missed it in my post: Ricciardo (right spelling this time) fans in jail but probably shouldn't be vs Donald Trump not in jail but probably should be! Ha ha

For those that haven't seen it: http://www.smh.com.au/world/nine-austra ... rtziu.html

rooman wrote:

Mike Hawkins wrote:

rooman wrote:
So Mike you reckon open the 2004 around 2024? Sadly that's only 6 years away so I can wait that long.

Depressing isn't it. A quick calculation of my own age then means I need a drink

Mike will you have moved back to Aus by 2024? I have you pegged as an Aussie in NY but not long term.

I move around a lot, but Sydney will alway be home ... plus, not even sure I'l make it to 204 !

Latest pricings up?

Ouch

Case of Rockford Basket Press or a Grange.

At least you'll get your money back on BP if needed.

Not Basket Press related...

I was at the Rockford cellar door last week and found the pride with which the cellar door people were talking about the newfangled screw caps for some of the whites... well, it was amusing. Quaint, even. Welcome to 2002!

Part of my purchases were a few bottles of their tawny, one of which I opened tonight and it is corky as. Undrinkable. Newfangled screw caps, hey? Just do it - life's too short to pour wine down the sink just because the people who make it are fixated upon ancient and flawed method of keeping it in the bottle. I'm not saying that screw caps are the only answer, but anything that doesn't impart TCA is the answer.

They have a couple under screw now but I can't see them changing their best anytime soon. While it's their call and I get why, I don't entirely agree. Fortunately I've only had one bung bottle form them to date (2011 Semillon) but I've probably only consumed 50 - 60 various bottles over the last few years.

But that's an amusing observation