2009 Torbreck Barossa Valley Woodcutter's Shiraz

There is a restaurant we frequent and this bottle frequently calls my name from the wine list, I decided to have it at home for it's $22 retail instead of the marked up list price. I respect Torbreck, we need to drink their stuff more often.

Cherries on the nose.

Quite big - not over the top ridiculous, but big nonetheless - cherries, vanilla, a little bit of oak but mostly fruity with some mocha and even some bell pepper qualities.

Plummy, peachy, cherry-y....a big finish with all sorts of stone fruit without any burn.

Can't knock it, but I'm also not knocking over old ladies to grab another bottle.

Score: 86

N/V Emeri de Bortoli Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc

Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc from Australia - interesting. The bottle ran me $13 - I haven't seen this producer's products before, so I snagged this one first and foremost.

A bit grassy on the nose with some pink grapefruit.

As the nose suggested....pink grapefruit and some grassiness. At the risk of this becoming the worst post ever, this tastes like a serviceable New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc with a bit of fizz...I mean, it's so Sauv Blancy, the fizz almost isn't noticeable.

This is the worst review ever....grass and pink grapefruit on the finish...slightly sweet, lingers for a while, all quite pleasant.

You know...it's almost like this wine is a gimmick, it's the kind of thing you'd expect from a crappy molecular gastronomy sorta place...."ooh, this is like a Sauvignon Blanc, only carbonated" and then you try it and think "yep."

Score: 85

N/V Emeri de Bortoli Sparkling Pinot Grigio

I stumbled across a display of a bunch of Emeri sparklers each for $13 each, so I snagged a couple - one doesn't see Sparkling Pinot Grigio often, especially from Australia.

This smells vaguely like white grape juice - in fact, this could totally pass for sparkling Welch's white grape juice.

Shock of the year with this one - this tastes like sparkling Welch's white grape juice on the attack and then once you get to the mid palate, some alcoholic heat as if some vodka were mixed in.

Yep...fizzy white grape juice on the finish, maybe some grapefruit as well.

While I suppose it doesn't taste that bad, it barely qualifies as a wine....I'm not about to dump it down the drain, but I will dump into a glass of ice with a dash or two of maraschino cherry juice.

Score: 70

2006 Mollydooker Two Left Feet Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon

My records say this ran me about $26 a few years ago - I seem to recall seeing the newest vintage for a bit cheaper than that though...

Blackberry jam and vanilla ice cream on the nose - almost like a sundae.

Black fruit dominate - dark blueberry, blackberry, plum. Somewhat sweet and I can't say I get much wood, but I do get some nice spicy qualities, perhaps some fresh basil and oregano, but mostly a minty.

A surprisingly short finish, anise, black fruit, and mint fade quickly with only some alcohol heat lingering for some time - it's worth nothing there is almost no heat on the palate.

It's big, it's fruit bomb like, it's stereotypically Aussie - it's also quite good. As potent and huge as it is, it's really not all that over the top - if this is your style, I give it a go.

Score: 88

2009 Frisk Prickly Riesling

A half bottle of this is $6 at Whole Foods but they also sell it in four packs for $20. It's a blend of mostly Riesling with a bit of Muscat Gordo thrown in.

A candied pear quality is present on the nose - pear Jelly Bellies or even

Every so slightly effervescent - as in there are bubbles that linger in the glass and a bit foams up to the top of the glass, but no streams. A nice balance - sugar and acid are well integrated with neither being terribly noticeable. The flavor profile is actually fairly unique - kiwi, pear, unripe honeydew, even a bit of guava.

An apple thing - pink lady - lingers on the finish for quite a decent length.

We enjoyed several bottles of this over the summer at Ravinia and I'll be drinking more over the coming months. This is not what you may expect from an Australian dessert wine, served blind you may guess Germany - good stuff.

Score: 89

2006 Layer Cake Shiraz

This goes for about fifteen bucks retail and previous vintages have been outstanding. Let's see how the 2006 does.

Mocha and plum on the nose.

If you want a beautifully made Shiraz, this is it. Coffee, chocolate, plum, black cherry, blueberry, a dash of root beer concentrate - big, fruity, not much for tannins, but acid is present, a bit of earth and spice give it nice balance. Mid palate brings strawberry and vanilla.

A soda like finish - root beer and cola notes - brown spices as well.

If you are firmly against fruit bombs, this may not sway you but it's still worth trying. It's well made, has very nice depth, and best of all, an obscene value.

Score: 92

N/V Portly Gentleman Australian Dessert Wine

Once in a great while I find a wine label that speaks to me....I present to you one such label. I'm not tasting this blind and am doing notes over the course of a few weeks. Retail on this is around $14.

Black cherry, black raspberry, and dark chocolate on the nose. After a few weeks of being open the nose is dominated by brandied cherries or maybe even cherry kijafa.

This wine needs air - pop it, pour a glass or two, and let it sit for a while (fridge or counter). Day one I called this flabby and dull. Now I'm rather sold. Big body, spice, oak, vanilla, spice, cinnamon, vanilla, plum, a bit of nuttiness.

A somewhat short finish - dark cherry at first, drifting away to vanilla.

Tasty and complex enough you'll want to drink it, cheap and tasty enough it would be great to poach some pears in. No complaints.

Score: 88* *not blind

N/V R.L. Buller & Son Premium Fine Victoria Muscat

We don't have a lot of this style wine, so I didn't even bother attempting to do the whole "blind" thing. To keep it fair though, I did make Fran buy it - a trend I hope to continue. Twelve bucks for a half bottle at Costco - not exactly cheap, but a little goes a long way.

Caramel, brown sugar, and raisin on the nose.

Truly outstanding. Incredibly complex, deep, and delicious - raisin, vanilla, dried apricot, nuts, figs, maple syrup, toffee - thick, sugary, syrupy. There's also a distinct old timey sarsaparilla thing - makes me want to break out my widdling set.

The root beer really comes out late on the finish - we're talking a finish that lingers in the minutes.

This might not be for everyone - even those who like dessert wine may find it to be a bit much, but for me - I'm sold.

Score: 93+* (*not blind)

2006 Mollydooker Maitre'D Cabernet Sauvignon

I was not a fan of the 2007 at all, but I had this 2006 on the rack, so I figured I'd crack it open. The first glass was just heat and burn.

I recapped it, put it in the fridge, and forgot about it for ten days. The plan was to let it sit for only a day or two, but out of sight out of mind - I was about to pour it down the drain, but thought I should at least try it. Guess what?

Ripe plum, almost prune like, and red licorice on the nose.

Red licorice, blueberry, black cherry, a touch of eucalyptus, coffee, and chocolate are all nicely integrated on the palate. A big wine to be sure, plenty of heat, but we actually get "something" here - after a full week and a freaking half.

It's pretty much all black cherry on the finish.

Day one was not good in the least – tight, huge, silly, painful (think low 70s). After a full week and a half we have a wine that's tolerable. I'm sticking with The Boxer from here on out.


Score - 80

N/V R Winery Bitch Bubbly

Nine bucks - a sparkling grenache, why not?

A light nose with very little going on beyond some white bread.

Interesting. Very interesting.... Take a somewhat sweet, large bodied rose and add a dash of carbonation. It's so different I almost don't know how to take it. Once again – big in body with pineapple, vanilla, papaya, and strawberry dominating the palate. Sweet and viscous – without the fizz to lighten it up a bit I might not be so forgiving, but it adds a nice dimension.

A tropical fruit mish mash for a finish – almost the sort of finish you'd expect from a Hurricane or some such adult beverage.

I'm gonna say give this one a go, but you gotta make sure you know what you're getting into – full bodied, pink, rather sweet – the sorta thing you'll eat with a frozen pizza or Big Macs and not think twice about. Hell, this could conceivably work at a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.

Wine: 6
Value: Sure

2007 Mollydooker Maitre'D Cabernet Sauvignon

Mollydooker's wines are ridiculously large - their wines can be a bit much for many people and situations. My experience has been rather hit and miss - I was lukewarm on the 2006, but grabbed a 2007 for fun. All the entry level offerings from this vintage went for $27 in these areas. One reviewer suggested giving this no less than 24 hours to open - I didn't even bother tasting this until six hours of air in the decanter. As you can see, I wanted to like this so much I decided to give it an extended period of time...

Six hours
Eucalyptus on the nose, in fact it's almost like a cherry cough drop. The palate is more or less ruined by heat - I can't say I taste much beyond the cherry cough drop thing from the nose and maybe some brown spice. Finish lingers for quite a while but nothing beyond a medicinal eucalyptus thing.

Twelve hours
No change on the nose. The palate has morphed a tad - more into a cherry cough syrup thing blended with a menthol cough drop.

Twenty-four hours
Some interesting overripe plum, bordering on prune things come out on the nose. The heat and medicinal qualities have faded (but not disappeared) leaving some dark, ultra ripe black cherry and raspberry, plus more plum, and even a chocolate thing.

Thirty hours
Eucalyptus, mint, even some anise on the nose - it's finally coming together. The heat has faded even more. I'm getting loads of spice - brown and green - with some black cherry for fruit. The eucalyptus does come through and linger for some time.

SIXTY hours
I normally wouldn't even bother with this, but I had a bit leftover and thought it would be interesting. Cherry and eucalyptus on the nose. The fruit has disappeared leaving a minty, mentholly, clove spiced, alcoholic beverage.

Even when it finally came together - 30 hours in the decanter - it was still a rather uninteresting and disappointing offering. If you want to try a Mollydooker, stick with The Boxer Shiraz.

Wine: 4.5
Value: Nope

2008 Two Hands Brilliant Disguise Barossa Valley Moscato

I got this for about eleven bones (500 ml bottle) on sale - it normally goes for around fifteen I think. This was tasted in less than ideal circumstances - at Ravinia with less than ideal stemware, so perhaps the brevity of my notes reflects this.

Everything here - nose, palate, finish - brings out an artificial peach quality, not unlike a peach Jolly Rancher. The body is fairly light and the sugar isn't terribly cloying, but the wine is fairly one dimensional.

It really depends on your enjoyment of peach Jolly Rancher - they are, believe it or not, my favorite flavor so this worked for me very nicely, but for $11 I can buy many months worth of the candy. A glass with (or as) dessert and you'll probably be alright - so maybe a bottle for the next family gathering would work, but for two people it's simple enough that I can't get too excited.

Wine: 6
Value: Pass

2008 Little Penguin Cabernet Sauvignon

We actually have been pretty forgiving to the Little Penguin - when we tried it several years back I recall liking it and feeling that it may not be great but it's also not total crap. I thought it was time for a revisit.

Plum and red licorice on the nose.

Heavy on plum, blueberry, ripe strawberry - somewhat jammy with no hint of tannin or structure to speak ok. A tad of vanilla is present as well, but overall we're talking about a very sweet wine here - so sweet it has destroyed any good will I may have had for it.

The finish almost brings out a tomato soup like quality, plus more strawberry, but in a clearly artificial sorta way. Imagine a piece of strawberry candy in a bowl of soup - not good.

Though the prices on this vary, $5 - $8 is about right. I'm curious if this vintage/bottle variation or if my palate has just changed so much. Either way, look elsewhere for value.

Wine: 3.5
Value: No

2007 Mollydooker Two Left Feet

Perhaps the most polarizing wines on the planet - at least in the under $30 range - the Mollydooker offerings are gigantic, explosive, some may say stupid, fruit bombs from down under. They generally get good marks from Parker, but it's not uncommon for others to rate them in the 70s.

A powerful nose with super ripe plums and less heat than I expected.

Plum - perhaps more prune - blackberry, ultra ripe blueberry, a bit of maple syrup even, all with vanilla extract - almost like some sort of vanilla liqueur, and eve n some of those farmer's market strawberries that are just on the edge of going bad, they're a tad dark, a bit squishy, and you're not sure whether or not you should eat them, but they weren't cheap and you don't feel like you're going to throw up after eating a couple, so you keep eating them.



It's a style for a certain palate. We own a fair amount of Mollydooker and to be honest, if I'm not in the mood for this style, I feel a tad nauseous even thinking about it. Every few months we'll pop open a bottle, dig it, but finish the bottle more than happy to not open another bottle until six months have passed.

That being said, when I am in the mood, and drinking this with something like ribs, steak with some sort of huge sauce, perhaps even a pasta dish with six types of cheese and three types of sausage, it holds it own and doesn't really overpower.

Wine: 8.5
Value: I think so, but proceed with caution

Yellow Tail Round Up

The economy sucks, the wine fridge is getting empty, and when the local grocery store had a sale – Yellow Tail, $4.15 each when you buy six bottles of booze – I couldn't pass it up buying five and a bottle of bourbon (you can mix and match). I also realized that we really haven't gone over much Yellow Tail on here – some aren't terrible (Riesling), some are atrocious (Sparklng), and some are damn good (Reserve Shiraz) – so I enjoy the opportunity to go through the five red wines I've seen in this market for just over $20.

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2008 Merlot

A jammy and somewhat funky nose.

Cherry, blueberry, a nice amount of acid, dare I say some tannins are present, as well as a bit of oak. Some nice vanilla is coming through, even some spice, and what the hell – a bit of coffee? I expected fruit bomb jammy nonsense – instead I got something that certainly qualifies as fruity, but is by no means at a W level of stupidity.

The finish drops off almost immediately.

It's Wednesday night, you're feeling cheap and eating pizza or chicken tetrazzini or burgers (though that's more of a weekend thing, Ray) or whatever sort of stew you may be eating, this isn't half bad.

Wine: 6.5
Value: Yes

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2008 Cabernet Sauvignon

I'm not convinced this has a nose.

This is an oddball. If you just drink it, you'd think it's totally blah – almost watery. Keep it on the palate, as nerds like me do, and you get some life – vanilla and cherry...all sorts of cherry. Not much tannin, but enough acid to work it out to an acceptable level.

A nice finish – short – but acid and fruit balance nicely.

Two for two so far – this ain't bad at all, and for the price it's groin grabbingly fine.

Wine: 6
Value: Sure

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2008 Yellow Tail Shiraz

The flagship of the Yellow Tail brand. Let's see how this holds up for four bones.

Some plummy notes on the nose.

Hmmm. Blackberry and peach, reasonably acidic, but no tannins to speak of.

The finish here is amusing. I'd actually say this wine – or this bottle at least – is perfect for describing a finish. Swallow a glass, for five seconds there's something – maybe some pepper, maybe some blackberry – and at the four second mark you literally feel it disappear, like water going down a drain.

It's official – I won't turn my nose up at it, but I won't be buying it again.

Wine: 5
Value: Pass

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2007 Shiraz Grenache

Basically, I get chocolate on the nose.

Probably the worst of the batch. A distinct cough medicine taste – somewhere along the lines of blue raspberry. I can't say I'm getting much else, this is simply not good.

Plenty of menthol on the finish.

No sir – big time pass. I'll have a glass with my frozen pizza dinner, but the rest is going down the drain.

Wine: 3
Value: Nope

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2007 Cabernet Sauvignon- Merlot blend
A weak nose that I can only describe as somewhat earthy.

I don't know about this one. An almost prune – but not in a good Port of way – quality comes through with some mint. As the bottle opens all I really get it cherry cough syrup with a bit of acid and added sugar.

I guess Yellow Tail doesn't do well with blends. Considering the stand alone Cab and stand alone Merlot are the best of the label, this one is probably the biggest disappointment.

Wine – 3.5
Value – No

2006 Mollydooker Blue Eyed Boy Shiraz

To celebrate post #500, I thought long and hard about what to open – settling on this one. We are fans of Mollydooker's Boxer Shiraz, this one is the “mid-range” offering which goes for around $50, and finally there is a more expensive one (Carnival of Love, I think) which we probably won't be trying anytime soon since I can't imagine dropping $80 on an Australian Shiraz (especially on this economy).

Black cherry on the nose. After a few hours, some spices really start presenting – cinnamon mostly – as well as plenty of earth.

Fairly similar to The Boxer, but less heat overall. Black cherry, blueberry, and vanilla. There's some very solid structure here as well – nice tannic backbone and some mild oak flavors as well. As this opens, some very candylike aspects come through – it almost makes your teeth hurt. Dare I say I get a bit of Dr. Pepper on the back palate and finish? After a few hours in the decanter, some new things pop up: chocolate, toffee, and coffee, with some new earthy and spicy notes.

Blueberry ice cream on the finish with some anise, tobacco, and mocha...just when you think it's gone, a bit of black pepper creeps in.

Thinking back to the 2006 Boxer (which was a disappointment compared to the 2005 and 2007), this is obviously better. Compared to the 2007 Boxer? I'm not convinced. If the quality of the Boxer gives a hint to the quality of this, then I'd be very curious to try the 2007 – but for $50, I certainly can't justify this.

Wine: 8.5
Value: No

2007 Mollydooker The Scooter Merlot

Alrighty, Mollydooker's Merlot offering. It's freezing out, so a gigantic, alcohol fueled wine seemed like it would fit the bill – the going rate for this one is about $25.

A big fat nose – almost like a blueberry infused brandy. Giant alcohol, black fruit, and licorice.

A big fat palate – blackberry, big fuzzy tannins, almost a cough syrup like quality – just gigantic and somewhat dumb, there is a fortified sort of quality, just a big alcoholic burn. Unpleasant on a warm day, but sitting in a drafty apartment when it's literally ten below zero – it does hit the spot nicely. This is the sort of bottle you'll want to let open for several hours – some nice oak and vanilla notes come through after a few hours,

A big fat finish – cinnamon, clove, and an array of miscellaneous dried green spices all with loads of Twizzlers.

I liked The Boxer a lot – I don't mind over the top wines, but there's a fine line between huge and ridiculous. I can't say this one works for me.

Wine: 6
Value: No

2007 Kim Crawford Unoaked Chardonnay

You can snag this one for about $15 at most places, but I saw it at $13 at our local Costco.

Pineapple on the nose.

Thick, actually rather sweet, not much acid, a bit buttery with a bit of vanilla hanging out. It's not bad – this is one of those things, for a "white wine" I don't really care for it, but as a "Chardonnay" is awesome. It's big and one-dimensional but it's tasty enough.

Pineapple ice cream on the finish.

I respect this wine, but I can't say I care for it. It's a bit too rich, too buttery, too sweet, and too flabby for me to really dig it.

Wine: 5.5
Value: Not our style, but it's well made and at the very least worth a “Pass.”

2006 Pillar Box Red

I wasn't thrilled with the 2005, but for ten bones I snagged a bottle of this.

Ripe plums, leather, and some raw hamburger – maybe a blood quality - on the nose here. Did some get caught in the harvesting machine? Do they have harvesting machines? I don't think so, but now I wonder.

A fuzzy feel – cinnamon, cedar, cigar box – with some super ripe cherries and plums, less pure fruit, more jam on this – blackberry and even a bit of blueberry. I recall the 2005 having a harsh sort of burn which is not present here at all. There's some green olives hanging out in here too along with some chocolate – it all works though.

Some green spices seem to come through on the finish – dried Italian spice with some anise and a punch of black pepper.

Do note, this bottle has a ton of sediment. Keep it upright for a day or two before serving and pour slowly.

At ten bucks, it's hard to complain – in fact, this is pretty damn solid. This is definitely one of those gigantic Australian reds, so if that's your style this is certainly worth your time.

Wine: 7.5
Value: Yes

2007 Yellow Tail Rose

I'm down with roses – I'm not so sure about Yellow Tail. Always being in the mood for a six dollar gamble, I grabbed a bottle of this.

Well, this basically tastes like White Zinfandel with a bit more acid. All strawberries. No nose or finish to speak of.

Ugh – if they just called this “Blush” I wouldn't have expected anything. By calling it a rose, I expected a rose, which this simply isn't. If you like White Zin, this may be a slightly more balanced version, but stick with your Sutter Home – you'll save a few bucks and get the same basic quality.

Wine: 4
QPR: Terrible value, skip this.