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

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

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

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

2006 Strong Arms Shiraz

We were looking around the wine shop a few months ago and this label caught my eye. I picked it up and thought it was amusing enough to spend $11 on. Upon closer inspection I saw the shelf talker saying Parker gave it 91 points, which is pretty good. My palate is pretty broad, but I've noticed that I do tend to agree with a good chunk of Parker's higher ratings.

The nose huge, as expected, peach, red licorice, and some burnt wood.

Big and bold but not quite over the top. Definitely a sweeter fruit bomb style – there's oak, mocha, and chocolate – but there's also loads of deep, dark red strawberry, black cherry, with quite a bit of stone fruit – super ripe peaches and plums.

The finish leaves a sweet sort of residue – more red licorice, with some mocha and cherries. This one lingers for quite a while.

I'd say this just a mild step down from Mollydooker's The Boxer, in scope and size – and certainly a better deal at half the price. In that sense, it's probably better than The Boxer because I can grab two bottles for the price of one of those and can actually see drinking this with a steak or a Chicago style pizza.

Wine: 8.5
QPR: 10

2007 Mollydooker The Boxer Shiraz

Alright, here it is....the 2007 vintage of Mollydooker. These wines are made in a very particular style – they are huge, over the top, some may say stupid wines – immense fruit and immense alcohol. A lot of people love these wines, plenty more cannot stand them. I lean towards the love side here, but let's see.

To misquote Ralph Wiggum: this smells like burning. Seriously – swirl this around and stick your nose in and expect some nose hair to be seared.

Enormous. Bigger wines may exist, but I have yet to encounter one. No tannins to speak of, it's all in your face, over the top, absurd red fruit blended in with a vanilla milkshake. Super ripe, dark red strawberries and giant, freaky, genetically modified, monster blueberries. This isn't “a touch of vanilla” or “a hint of vanilla bean” - it's “throw me a giant cookie, I'm drowning in this Olympic sized pool filled with vanilla milkshake.” I'm getting a left jab of asphalt, an uppercut of smoke, a bodyblow of tobacco, a right jab of green pepper, a low blow of oak, and is this ring in the middle of a barnyard? There may be more but I don't know any more boxing terminology. A speedbag full of blackberry jam? Deep into the finish a burst of cedar comes through as well as some blueberry and spiced cherry.

Serving temperature of wine is important – this cannot be overstated – but it's especially true with a wine like this. Consumed too warm – even slightly – this will be atrocious, burny, and harsh. Cool it down, my friend – mid to upper 50s and this will be enjoyable....if you're prone to enjoy this style.

Day two is interesting.

Tree bark on the nose – maybe cinnamon – more powerful alcoholic burn.

This almost feels heavier and darker – almost like blackberry fruit leather. A lot more spice, too – cinnamon, anise, nutmeg, basil, and menthol are coming through with some tobacco. It's almost giving me a fuzzy tongue. The oak seems a bit more present and that superpowered vanilla milkshake has faded tremendously but in its place is something vaguely reminiscent of cherry cough syrup.

The vanilla milkshake has finally shown itself on the finish though I do believe some raspberry is in the mix.

There you have it. I'm down. You may not be and that's splendid. This is the sort of wine that you shouldn't bother trying to pair anything with – popcorn maybe, something powerful - perhaps ribs? Mmmm, ribs....anyway, this goes for twenty-five bones, nothing to shake a stick at, but if this is your style I don't know if you're going to do better - if this review doesn't sound appealing, don't bother....really.....don't.....just don't.

Wine: 9
QPR: 9

2006 Penfolds Koonunga Hillls Shiraz – Cabernet Sauvignon

Nine bucks and highly rated, why not?

Lots of dark stuff on the nose – plum, blackberry, some chocolate, and black cherry.

Not bad – definitely a big wine – chocolate covered cherries, plums, some mild tobacco notes, a bit of vanilla comes through as well as some black pepper and dried spices.

Candied cherries linger for some time along with some oak and spices.

Nest day: Chocolate covered cherries on the nose. A huge, black fruit palate with a touch of flabbiness...some vanilla comes through from the oak as well as a hint of black pepper. It seems to have gotten bigger but simpler.

Nice complexities on an under $10 bottle and definitely worth a look.

2004 Juno Shiraz

This was given to me by a friend of mine and I figured I'd pop it open. Will it be better than one of the worst movies I've ever seen which shares its name? Let's find out.

I smell all sorts of black pepper, oak, and smoke in this.

Plum, black cherry, blackberry – all sorts of black fruit – with black pepper, oak, and spice.

The finish has some alcohol burn and some lingering raspberry.

Day one of this was a Friday, we didn't get to the bottle until Monday – that's three days versus or normal one – how does it hold up?

Spice and blackberry on the nose.

Interesting – dried raspberries, figs, and prune, the spice has disappeared and there's virtually no tannin, or oak for that matter though there is some smoke smokiness.

A bit of black pepper is creeping through on the finish as well as some prune and fig.

No complaints at all – a solid bottle and one I'd gladly snag on my own.

2006 Tait Ball Buster

I figured this one would be tight, so I'm doing one glass Wednesday, recapping it immediately, and getting the rest Friday. This bottle ran me about $15.

First day:
Black cherry, a bit of oak, and a fair amount of forest floor.

Not as tight as I expected, but you better believe it's appropriately named – ripe plum, blueberry, cherry, leather, both black and red licorice.

A bit of cedar, smoke, and plum on the finish – all which last a strikingly long time.

Two days later:
A burst of black pepper on the nose with some ripe raspberry.

Twizzlers, oak, black pepper, green pepper, leather, tobacco, cherry, strawberry - very thick and viscous - huge and complex.

The bell pepper, oak, spice, and tobacco linger.

This one is big – 15.7% alcohol – and these huge Australian Shiraz are either your thing or they aren't – if your preference is for subtle wines, don't even look at this one, but if you like big, bold, and in your face, this is solid.

2006 Mollydooker The Boxer Shiraz

Here we are with another Mollydooker bottle – last year the 2005 sold out within days around here, but the 2006 is still available at most places in these parts for about $20. I read about this wine a while back and found this interesting tidbit on their website called the Mollydooker Shake: basically open the bottle, pour out half a glass, recap it, and shake shake shake.

Our first notes are before the shake:

A huge punch of alcohol on the nose, with licorice and cherry.

This is an enormous wine – big fruit, big spice, big sugar, and big heat. The high alcohol content (16%) will most likely turn some people off, but every so often this is a fun wine to indulge in. I'm getting blueberry and cherry, ultra ripe plum, a mix of spices, but almost no tannins.

Not much on the finish, though I do seem to be getting some oak notes – it's mainly heat though.

Now – I recapped the bottle, did the shake, and tried again.


Red and black licorice as well as some herbal notes on the nose, but interestingly – the punch of alcohol has disappeared.

Still huge, but the alcohol has subsided. Oak is co\ming through, as well as a fair amount of spice – pepper and clove – the fruit is still mostly blueberry and cherry. It's far more peppery after the shake.

The finish is still tame – a bit of heat, though not nearly as harsh, and some nice black pepper is now predominant.

Before the shake, I probably would've hesitated recommending this – but I feel the shake and a good four hours of air really helped this one calm down a bit and brought up some depth, and dare I say finesse? Either way, this is an outstanding value.

2005 Yellow Tail Reserve Shiraz

I was perusing a local store and noticed the shelf for this wine was completely empty – strange. When I got around to looking at my new Wine Spectator I understood why. This is #72 on Wine Spectators Most Interesting Wines of 2007. A few days later I was at another store which had plenty so I grabbed one for about $10.

Licorice, chocolate, and cherry on the nose.

Smooth – chocolate, tobacco, cherry, smoke and oak, with medium tannins.

Cherry, cinnamon, and a bit of anise come through on the finish with some lingering oak notes.

Our review of the 2004 of this wine was lukewarm, but I feel stronger about this vintage – this is solid. The Wine Spectator list is for the “most interesting” wines – not necessarily;y the “best” - and therefore I agree. The fact that a Shiraz, made by Yellow Tail, that is easily acquired in a grocery store for around $10 can be this good is exciting. Don't go into this expecting the finest bottle of Shiraz you've ever had, but I'd bet served blind to a wine snob, this would get praised all around.

2004 The Colonial Estate Explorateur Shiraz

I love the “end of bin” clearances....this one was $5 marked down from about $20. The capsule felt fine, so why not?

This smells something like a bag with half cherry and half black licorice.

First and foremost – give this one a good two hours in the decanter before enjoying...it's very tight at first but opens nicely. The palate actually has a bit of balance – fruity but enough oak and earth to really bring it together. So much Australian Shiraz is of the “fruit bomb” persuasion, it's nice to get something a bit more even.

A bit of aak and cherry come out on the finish with some peppery notes.

For $5 – are you kidding? Is it worth the $20+ some places are charging? I'm leaning towards yes actually, especially if you're looking for a somewhat more sedate Shiraz.

2004 Shoofly Shiraz

We've been on a bit of a Shiraz kick so I grabbed this one out of the wine fridge – I had forgotten everything about it other than I liked the bottle, so I figured it was worth opening.

Cherry and raspberry on the nose.

Blackberry, cherry, menthol, anise, black pepper, earth, and a bit cedar. My advice is to give this one a few hours in the decanter. Very interestingly – on the second night this one assaulted the palate with black pepper – almost as if black pepper was added

Earth, blackberry, and wood on the finish which lingers nicely.

This bottle cost me $9 which makes it a steal and a half. It isn't a giant fruit bomb Australian Shiraz, there's a bit more subtlety and earthy flavors - I'd strongly recommend it.

2003 Penfold's Regional Selection Shiraz Coonawarra

A reliable producer, under $10 at the shop, and a “Limited Edition” on the label pretty much guaranteed I'd be picking this one up.

Black cherry on the nose with some notes of dried fruit.

Lots of black fruit – plum, black cherry, blackberry, even some prune. Some nice Shiraz spice with black pepper coming through the most. There's a slight touch of sweetness, but enough tannin and acid to balance it out.

The finish is spicy and fruity – a bit like spiced raisins.

A perfectly acceptable Shiraz for the price. I do prefer the more absurdly huge, and somewhat difficult to pair, Australian Shiraz, but give me a steak and I'd cheerfully pour a glass of this.

2005 Two Hands Gnarly Dudes Barossa Valley Shiraz

Not to be confused with the Gnarly Head Zin, this is the Gnary Dudes Shiraz from Australia. I found this at Costco for $25, which is at least $5 than I've seen it elsewhere....being familiar with the producer I figured it may be worth a shot.

Black fruit and licorice on the nose.

The palate was very approachable immediately after opening. Big palate, lots of fruit, rather sweet actually, and not much tannin. Twizzlers, ripe strawberries, Rainier cherries, licorice, anise.

The finish lasts for a while with a bit of anise lingering.

I don't recall the last time I had a wine that really struck me as “sweet” as much as this does, dare I say that may lead one to think this one is cheap. Unlike cheap wine, this has some excellent depth and a lingering finish. It is a style that some may not like – and for a bit less money you can get Layer Cake or The Boxer so though I enjoyed it, I won't be picking this one up again.

2005 Mollydooker The Boxer Shiraz

Well, it's great to be back – The Wineauxs have been on hiatus for close to two months. We moved and have slowly been settling in. Our updates will be back to their typical frequency – at least a couple times a week – and we have a whole wine fridge full of interesting bottles we look forward to writing about.

I've been sitting on this bottle for a while, mainly because I love the label art. Since I recently picked up a bottle of the 2006 vintage I figured I may as well crack this one open.

A note on color – I don't recall seeing a wine this dark recently...it's nearly black.

This one punches you in the nose with jam, dark plum, blackberry, and the like.

The palate can best be described as explosive. Huge berry and plum, a touch of alcohol, jam to the tenth degree, and some cocoa supporting it all. After some time in the decanter, dark chocolate became very pronounced. Virtually no tannin.

The finish lingers with, no shock, black fruit and chocolate.

I suspect this is a fairly polarizing wine – people who like this sort of thing would be in love with this, but if giant, jammy, fruit bomb doesn't sound appealing then I'd say steer clear. A while back we gushed about an Australian Shiraz called Layer Cake – this is on par with that one for sure. If you can find this one, give it a shot.

2005 Jacob’s Creek Shiraz

This was on sale at the local grocery store for about $5 and I figured I’d pick it up since two out of the three cheap Australian Shiraz that I’ve had have been pretty decent.

The nose has a sharp alcohol burn and just a suggestion of plum.

Raspberry, tart blueberry, cherry, anise, some medium tannins, not much oak, and a hint of carob. No spice or any distinct Shiraz elements...which is my frequent gripe with cheap Australian Shiraz - it’s certainly drinkable, but there’s no varietal characteristics.

Zero finish outside of a bit of quickly fading cherry cordial.

After a day, we tried this one again and it was the pretty good except for a very unsettling aftertaste - fecal matter? Not sure but it’s not pretty.

Not bad for a cheap grocery store find as long as you drink it in one sitting. I’d recommend it.

2004 L’hiver Shiraz

This has been sitting on the rack for quite a while, but I recall it costing around $18. We had this at a tasting and enjoyed it quite a bit. I decided to give this one about three hours to open since it seemed a bit tight on first pour.

Lots of fruit, but a bit of spice and earth on the nose.

The palate has lots of plum and cherry, perhaps raspberry and is accompanied by a bit of black pepper and oak. Nice medium tannins give this some great structure and prevent it from being too jammy.

Certainly worth the $18 pricetag. Recommended.

2005 Layer Cake Shiraz

Why the large photo? Read on, friends.

I picked this one up for $15 without trying it, but with a recommendation from the woman at our local wine shop. I let this open for around four hours before even trying it, and as I approach hour six it only improves.

Big, fruity nose....think raspberry or blackberry jam.

Lots of big berry fruit...blueberry and sweet blackberry. Smooth tannins with just a hint of oak that’s suggesting chocolate, but make no mistake this is a huge fruity wine. The back of the palate brings black pepper.

The finish has a drawn out, lingering taste of Twizzlers. When I say lingering, I’m talking I stopped the clock at 75 seconds and I still taste it.

The more Fran and I discuss this wine, the more we are becoming a bit nuts about it....this is one of the finest wines we’ve had in some time, unbelievable balance, strong fruit, nice smooth oak to balance it....it doesn’t get much better and for $15 it’s incredible—and we don’t even like Shiraz! If you see this, and you pass it up, you are a fool. Seriously.

If we did the whole “best of the year” wines, I can tell you right now this would be in our top five of 2007, and we’re barely two weeks in.