96-98pts | Australia’s Most Iconic Barossa Shiraz

The 2019 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz is one of Australia’s most celebrated and sought-after red wines, a wine that has defined Barossa Valley Shiraz for over four decades. Made by Robert O’Callaghan using century-old vines and a traditional basket press, this is a wine of extraordinary depth, power, and longevity.

My Wine Man on Rockford
Rockford is the antithesis of modern, commercial winemaking. Robert O’Callaghan, known simply as “Rocky”, has been making Basket Press from the same ancient Barossa vines since 1984, using equipment that most wineries retired generations ago. The result is a wine of unmatched authenticity: thick-skinned, old-vine fruit pressed slowly and gently, then aged in large old oak. There is nothing else quite like it in Australia.

Tasting Notes
Deep, brooding ruby with a complex nose of dark chocolate, violet perfume, mahogany, and toasty oak. The palate is full-bodied and concentrated, rich dark fruit, coffee, iodine, and silty tannin on a finish of exceptional intensity and length. Thick and sure-footed, with the structure to age for 15-20+ years.

Food Pairing
A thick-skinned, century-vine Barossa Shiraz like this deserves the finest beef. We love it with Australian Grass-Fed Cape Grim Rib-Eye Steak from My Meat Man, dry-aged and char-grilled medium-rare with bone-marrow butter, the wine’s dark chocolate, violet, iodine, coffee and silty tannin profile is a magnificent match for the rich marbling while keeping the pairing structured and elegant.

Why This Is a Smart Buy
Rockford Basket Press is one of the most allocated wines in Australia, production is tiny and demand far exceeds supply. At HK$1,088, this is a wine that trades hands at auction for multiples of its release price. With 96-98pt scores and a track record of ageing magnificently, this is as much an investment as it is a pleasure.

Looking for a Different Style?

• 2020 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz, the next vintage, same iconic wine
• 2018 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz, previous vintage with a year of additional bottle age
• 2001 Rockford SVS Hoffmann Shiraz, single-vineyard step-up from the same estate, now 20+ years old