Rockford 2014 Basket Press Shiraz 750ml

Quintessential Basket Press, bowing to no passing fad or fancy, the high-shouldered, brown glass bottle with Rockford Wines embossed on its base and the distinctive label that will never change because it's so perfect. It's a manifestation of the wine it contains, always very good, this vintage outstanding. I taste well over 5000 wines per year for the Wine Companion, and am never tempted to swallow during a day-long tasting session - well, this wine was the exception to prove the rule. Its balance, mouthfeel and silky purple and black fruits are perfect.

Score: 99 points -- James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion, 2018

Rockford is a small boutique wine producer based in South Australia's Barossa Valley. Founder and winemaker, Robert O'Callaghan belongs to a genre of visionary winemakers that include Max Schubert, Peter Lehmann, Jeffrey Grosset, Brian Croser and David Hohnen. His protégés include Chris Ringland and Dave Powell. Rockford wines have had a profound influence on winemaking philosophy and wine style in the Barossa. Providing the inspiration for a whole generation of winemakers 'the Rockford school' embraces the inherent qualities of old vine Shiraz: the physicality of winemaking where muscle and personal touch transform process into an art-form; the traditional tools of trade (basket press, open fermenter) and the complementary nuances of American and French oak maturation. Best known for their Basket Press Shiraz, Rockford also produces a handful of top-quality wines from old vine fruit sourced from selected growers across the Barossa Valley.