ROCKFORD

(3 customer reviews)

The winemaker

O'Callaghan started out as a trainee winemaker in 1965 at Seppelts in Rutherglen, Victoria. In 1971, he headed west to Barossa and bought 2 hectares (5 acres) of Barossa land. He planted vines and built a winery in the style of an 1850s stone cottage on the land. Rockford's inaugural vintage dates from 1984. In addition to the small in-house vineyard, Rockford works in partnership with several independent winemakers around Barossa, with vineyards in Kalimna, Ebenezer, Moppa Springs, the Eden Valley and central Barossa. This gives Rockford a wide variety of soil types, mesoclimates and altitudes for its grapes, allowing a greater degree of control in the winery. Many of the vines are planted on their own rootstock and are between 60 and 100 years old, resulting in intense, concentrated grapes that translate into the wines. Winemaking is largely traditional, using basket presses, open-top concrete fermenters and an 1880s Bagshaw crusher that was found on site when O'Callaghan bought the property in the 1970s. Rockford's flagship wine is its Basket Press Shiraz, which is aged in French and American oak barrels for two years before release. It is one of Australia's most sought-after wines and has consistently scored highly with critics. There are several other great wines in the portfolio, including the Rifle Range Cabernet Sauvignon, Sparkling Black Shiraz and Rod and Spur Cabernet - Shiraz blend.