TN: Rockford tasting and lunch - 31 May 2026

[Waiters Friend]

G’day

Two very generous friends invited us to lunch at our favourite BYO – Lulu’s Little Bistro - to showcase a selection of Rockford wines from their cellar. Mark at Lulu’s created a bespoke menu for the occasion, and we had the restaurant to ourselves (Mark opened just for us).

This was a variation on a similar lunch two years ago- https://forum.auswine.club/viewtopic.php?p=1 ... ch#p171740. That occasion focussed on Rockford’s Basket Press, while this one showed off a wider range of the portfolio.

We started with a rare wine indeed- a magnum of the Rockford Black Shiraz. This was tiraged in 2001 and disgorged in 2023. The nose was quite lively, with Christmas cake, plummy fruit, some leather / Chesterfield and red berries. There’s more plums (both red and black) on the palate, which is quite mouth-filling and reasonably balanced. Medium length.

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We then followed with three Rieslings, all with some age:

Rockford Vine Vale Riesling 2019: Medium yellow colour. Soft lemon and lime on the nose, with early signs of development (toast, honey and lanolin). There’s also some citrus blossom and talc. Unlike many other Australian Rieslings, the acid is relatively gentle, and the wine has medium length.

Rockford Vine Vale Riesling 2016: A touch of kero on the nose, with soft lemon and lime. The palate is more cordial-like, with soft acid and good length. Developing well.

Rockford Hand Picked Riesling 2012: Eden Valley fruit. The nose is developed, with honey and toast, and the fruit aromas are in the background. No kero. The palate shows some lime cordial, honey and toast, and the fruit is fading. Soft acid and medium length. Some tasters likened this to an old semillon.

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Three vintages of Rockford’s ‘Rod and Spur’ Shiraz Cabernet were then poured.

Rockford ‘Rod and Spur’ Shiraz Cabernet’ 2021: 59%Shiraz. Crimson / purple in colour. Red fruits dominate the nose, with plums and cherries and some blackberry, chocolate and vanilla. The palate has mildly grippy tannins, fresh acid, and a rich texture. Medium to long finish.

Rockford ‘Rod and Spur’ Shiraz Cabernet’ 2017: 67% Shiraz. Menthol, vanilla, red plums, blackberry and cedar on the nose. There’s lots of red and dark plums on the palate, with an almost syrupy texture, and integrating fine tannins. Reasonably long finish.

Rockford ‘Rod and Spur’ Shiraz Cabernet’ 2012: 65% Shiraz. A dusty and leathery nose, with red and dark plums, blackberry, mocha and a touch of menthol. The palate seems more concentrated than the younger vintages. Tannins are fully integrated and good supporting acid. Well balanced and a long finish.

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A bracket of three cabernets followed. All of these shoed darker colours than the Rod &Spurs. When talking about Barossa Cabernet, one taster noted that they could be marketed as “Barossa first, Cabernet second”.

Rockford ‘Rifle Range’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2018: Deep purple colour. Plenty of blackcurrant fruit on the nose, with dark chocolate, eucalypt and some cedary oak. The palate is substantial and juicy, with eucalypt, black and blue berries. Mildly grippy tannins and a long finish.

Rockford ‘Rifle Range’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2015: Crimson colour. Slight oak taint marred this wine, which otherwise would have shown very well. Eucalypt and leafy notes, with (slightly diminished) black fruits and a touch of VA. The palate is briary, with dark fruits, grippy tannins and a medium to long (but slightly bitter) finish.

Rockford ‘Rifle Range’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2013: A lighter crimson colour. A savoury nose, with a touch of VA, dark fruits and pencil shavings. The palate is juicy shows more red fruits than dark. Tannins are a little chewy and integrating well, and acid is keeping the wine fresh and almost youthful Long finish.

Three vintages of Rockford ‘Basket Press’ Shiraz followed. Again, there was a noticeable deepening of colour.

Rockford ‘Basket Press’ Shiraz 2021: Purple / black. Black plum sand blackberries, liquorice and cedary oak on the nose. A juicy palate, with lots of primary dark fruits. Balancing acid, fine grippy tannins and a full-bodied wine. Youthful (not surprisingly) and will be excellent as it grows up.

Rockford ‘Basket Press’ Shiraz 2013: Deep purple colour. Blackberry, black plums, mulberry and cedary oak on the nose. A soft and juicy palate, with integrated tannins and soft acid. Full bodied and a reasonably long finish.

Rockford ‘Basket Press’ Shiraz 2012: Purple colour. Leather, eucalypt, red and black berries, liquorice and cedary oak on the nose. The palate is full-flavoured and shows developed fruit flavours, with more liquorice and polished oak. Soft acid and grippy fine tannins flowed through to along and full finish. My favourite of the BPs.

A mystery wine was then poured. A savoury nose, with dark fruits, tobacco and graphite. The palate is earthy with red and dark fruits. Tannins are integrating well, and acid is soft and supporting. Long finish. The wine was revealed to be the Rockford ‘Rifle Range’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2012.

The next wine wasn’t a Rockford. A half-bottle of De Bortoli Noble One 2022 was passed around. Apricot, vanilla and glace` pineapple on the nose. The palate is luscious and reasonably intense, with moderate acid.

We finished with Rockford Tawny Port. It’s a pale tawny colour-wise, and the nose is dominated slightly by brandy spirit, with coffee, toffee and raisin. The palate (not surprisingly) reflects the nose, and shows moderate alcohol heat.


A great way to spend a (very gusty and stormy) Sunday afternoon in Perth. My thanks to Mark and the crew at Lulu’s, and profound gratitude to our hosts for their generosity.

Cheers
Allan

[Waiters Friend]

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[phillisc]

Fabulous notes as always Allan.
Fortunate to have a good number of those in the cellar.
I actually purchased 3 bottles of PS Marion... certainly cold enough in Adelaide this week to have a tipple.
Cheers Craig

[VinoEd]

Great notes, thanks for sharing.

Was at the storage last night and couldn’t readily put my hands on a 2009 R&S so opted for something else.

And yes, the Tawny a staple. Great over wintry months. And Christmas. Any any other time!

Cheers, Ed