Located over the train lines on Krondorf Rd coming into Tanunda (from Adelaide),
Rockford’s prides itself on traditional values, hand made wines and quality
fruit. Having a reputation for quality, it has amassed a loyal following, and its premium wines are very hard to get
outside of South Australia with the rarest releases only available to select
members of the “Stonewallers”, a private club managed by the winery.
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz
The flagship, old vine Shiraz with a fanatical following of wine enthusiasts. An
elegant, traditionally made Barossa Shiraz of finely, focussed fruit. Good
vintages can sell upwards of $140+ at auction. The problem for anyone
considering this wine for a quick profit is that the release is carefully
managed and availability is restricted to cellar door, restaurants and a handful
of bottles shops around Australia.
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no obligation valuation
Basket Press Shiraz - first Vintage
The first vintage was 1984. Some of these bottles still come up at auction,
although very rarely. Unfortunately the wine is past its drinking window at this
point, but as a collectible it has been known to fetch up to $600 at auction.
Basket Press Shiraz – Cellaring potential
The better vintages from the 90’s are
drinking superbly at the moment (2024), and still have quite a lot more years
left in them (Use google to search the internet
for recent vertical tastings). Remember, magnums have more volume and therefore age slower, a
vintage that is starting to show its age in bottle may still be quite youthful
in magnum, just make sure you have a few friends around to help you consume it.
Rockford's Stonewallers Club
Rockford’s have a special club that you may be invited to
join called the stonewallers. It is by special invite only for consistent, loyal
customers. You get an attachment for your keying and access to a special,
stonewallers only, tasting room at the winery. Other advantages are access to
some of the rarer wines and early access to the release of the annual Basket
Press Shiraz.
Other Special Release or Notable Rockford Wines at Auction
Rockford Single Vineyard Series or SVS Wines
As a "stonewaller" you can buy the Single
vineyard wines (as well as early and less costly access to each vintage of their
Basket Press Shiraz), produced only in epic vintages. Because of their
exclusivity, reputation for quality and limited quantity there is a large
premium paid for these wines at auction.
Rockford Sparkling Black Shiraz
The disgorgement date is 5 years old at release. Unique to Australian wine
connoisseurs and with the potential to age (fantastically), sparkling Shiraz has a
history going back over 100 years. Some of the older sparkling Shiraz from the
turn of the century, whilst not retaining its bubbles, is drinking remarkably
well. The process that gives these wines their fizz can also preserve them so
much longer than their still cousins. Whilst the Rockford’s sparkling shiraz can
not yet claim the same pedigree of the classics (such as the Seppelt sparkling
shiraz) their continual quality may make them a contender in decades to come,
although many people complain of older vintages weeping and problems with the
corks, it may not just be a Rockford’s problem and perhaps we should be hoping
for crown seals in all sparkling wines in the near future.
1996 and 1998 Rockford Basket Press Winemakers Release
There are two versions of the 1996 and the 1998 Basket Press
Shiraz. The original release and the Winemakers release. The back label on the
second release is clearly marked “Winemakers Release”.
According to the winery
there is no noticeable difference between the two releases. However, the second
release did spend more time in oak and hearsay from various tasters puts the
second one as slightly more oaky that the first when tasted side by side. Still
an elegant Shiraz, and not overly oaky in the first place, both are still
marvellous wines BUT occasionally the winemakers release sells for less. Why?
Its hard to say as we have interviewed a number of the buyers and they buy for
totally different reasons, but the majority perceive that the 2nd release is the
lesser quality wine hence the occasional price variation.
It can be a very
interesting look into the perception of quality and how it can affect demand and
pricing.
It is also worth noting that they have released other versions of the Basket Press, notably a rare chance release (2010) and a museum release (2008 an 2009).
Basket Press Pricing
The prices below are collected and averaged from the four leading wine auction houses in Australia on a monthly basis.
Valid October 2024
Vintage |
Wine Name |
Low-High |
Bottle Size |
|
1984 |
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz |
$450 - $600 |
Bottle |
SELL
|
1985 |
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz |
$180 - $220 |
Bottle |
SELL
|
1986 |
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz |
$140 - $200 |
Bottle |
SELL
|
1987 |
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz |
$120 - $160 |
Bottle |
SELL
|
1988 |
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz |
$140 - $190 |
Bottle |
SELL
|
1989 |
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz |
$150 - $250 |
Bottle |
SELL
|
1990 |
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz |
$400 - $500 |
Bottle |
SELL
|
1991 |
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz |
$260 - $350 |
Bottle |
SELL
|
1992 |
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz |
$160 - $200 |
Bottle |
SELL
|
1993 |
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz |
$180 - $220 |
Bottle |
SELL
|
1994 |
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz |
$230 - $280 |
Bottle |
SELL
|
1995 |
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz |
$170 - $220 |
Bottle |
SELL
|
1996 |
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz |
$200 - $250 |
Bottle |
SELL
|
1997 |
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz |
$220 - $300 |
Bottle |
SELL
|
1998 |
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz |
$250 - $300 |
Bottle |
SELL
|
1999 |
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz |
$220 - $260 |
Bottle |
SELL
|
2000 |
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz |
$160 - $200 |
Bottle |
SELL
|
2001 |
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz |
$220 - $280 |
Bottle |
SELL
|
2002 |
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz |
$180 - $220 |
Bottle |
SELL
|
2003 |
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz |
$150 - $180 |
Bottle |
SELL
|
2004 |
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz |
$200 - $250 |
Bottle |
SELL
|
2005 |
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz |
$220 - $240 |
Bottle |
SELL
|
2006 |
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz |
$200 - $250 |
Bottle |
SELL
|
2007 |
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz |
$160 - $200 |
Bottle |
SELL
|
2008 |
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz |
$190 - $260 |
Bottle |
SELL
|
2009 |
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz |
$140 - $180 |
Bottle |
SELL
|
2010 |
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz |
$200 - $250 |
Bottle |
SELL
|
2011 |
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz |
$180 - $200 |
Bottle |
SELL
|
2012 |
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz |
$170 - $250 |
Bottle |
SELL
|
2013 |
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz |
$180 - $200 |
Bottle |
SELL
|
2014 |
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz |
$200 - $250 |
Bottle |
SELL
|
2015 |
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz |
$180 - $240 |
Bottle |
SELL
|
2016 |
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz |
$180 - $220 |
Bottle |
SELL
|
2017 |
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz |
$150 - $180 |
Bottle |
SELL
|
2018 |
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz |
$170 - $220 |
Bottle |
SELL
|
2019 |
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz |
$180 - $240 |
Bottle |
SELL
|
Values have been aggregated from national secondary market data.
Notes on pricing and valuations
Low Range
Typically, price clusters form over time at market value. The low value is then
calculated
from the average accumulated hammer price at auction from multiple Australian wine
auction houses over a 6 month period. All prices are for bottles with no damage
or ullage. Well stored bottles with a documented purchase and storage history will
always attract the best prices.
High Range
High prices are typically outliers or record high values achieved over a long period of time and,typically,
includes only a very low sample of bottles sold,
never the average and most often only a single bottle.
Last Sale Price
This figure is not shown,
as using it in isolation can produce
a false sense of the true value of a bottle.
A note on auction reserves
All auction houses generally set a reserve price 10% less than the low price range. This allows for fluctua- tions of the market price going down as well as up.
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an accurate valuation
Around the internet with Rockford
We believe that wine blogs are a fantastic source of trusted information that can be used to guide you towards great bargains and forgotten treasures. We are, slowly, building a list of recommended wine blogs from around the world. The blogs mentioned below are just some of the ones we have found online with tasting notes or other related material on Henschke Hill of Grace.