2001 Rockford “Rifle Range†Cabernet Sauvignon: 14%: 375mL bottle
Colour: Bright crimson on the edges going deeper in the middle. Not purple or black.
Nose: Toasty and sweet vanilla oak, nothing charry, dill or shaving cream, on top of ripe dark cherry, blackberry and mild sweet spices. Nothing jammy but there is fruitcake. If you know the Barossa, you would find varietal character. There is a feeling of structure and (something maybe best conveyed as) varietal focus/sharpness like a ripe greenness, even on the nose. There is also a sense of a slight chalkiness.
Palate: Medium bodied. This is perfectly ripened fruit in terms of ripeness of flavour and ripeness of tannins and acid. There is nothing jammy; everything is balanced, despite the ripeness of the fruit. The palate is powerfully focussed and defined. It is definitely not a big wine in terms of glycerine and intensity, although not lacking in intensity. The alcohol is reasonably noticeable in the first 5 minutes after opening. The palate is smooth and ripe, and structured, and long. Ripe, smooth tannins with a touch of chalkiness. The flavours are those expected from the nose, including that Barossa Cabernet focus. The aftertaste is awesome. Oh the aftertaste! The combination of ripe tannins, ripe fruit and superb oak handling is amazingly similar to the 2001 Howard Park Cabernet. Even after multiple swallows, a combination of blackberry, blueberry, vanilla and caramel remain. Gorgeous wine that is so easy to drink. Rated as Excellent/Outstanding. Like the 2001 Howard Park Cabernet, I find it hard to provide a recommended drinking window. It is awesome now with 10 minutes breathing time.
Is this wine better than the 2001 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz???
Kind regards,
Adair
TN: 2001 Rockford “Rifle Range†Cabernet Sauvignon
TN: 2001 Rockford “Rifle Range†Cabernet Sauvignon
Last edited by Adair on Tue Feb 03, 2004 7:27 am, edited 1 time in total.
Adair,
Have had three bottles of this one in the last few months - with one more waiting to be drunk very soon. Not telling how many I have in the cellar
. It is a very very nice wine, an absolute pleasure to drink, and is the real dark horse in the Rockford range. I doubt there is a better C/S available for the $'s in the Barossa. The best part is 02 and 03 will probably be better 
.
John
Have had three bottles of this one in the last few months - with one more waiting to be drunk very soon. Not telling how many I have in the cellar
. It is a very very nice wine, an absolute pleasure to drink, and is the real dark horse in the Rockford range. I doubt there is a better C/S available for the $'s in the Barossa. The best part is 02 and 03 will probably be better .
John
Barossa Shiraz