Psydr Short & To-The-Point Wine Reviews
Below are reviews of fun little finds purchased locally. The typical cost per bottle is $10 or less, and the label probably has a little more pizazz than your traditional Barolo. But don't judge the bottle by the label. These reviews are personal and certainly non-professional evaluations of wines we've tried. Enjoy!
September 1, 2008
August 28, 2008
2007 Yellow Tail Shiraz
YEAR: 2007WINERY: Yellow Tail
FLAVOR: Red, Shiraz
ORIGIN: South East Australia
PURCHASED: Seattle, WA
AMOUNT: $9
NICKNAME: "Hoppin' Shiraz"
1 Reviews:
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August 28, 2008 at 9:27 PM ,
psydr said...
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4 OUT OF 5 STARS
With it's strong berry influence and it's near complete lack of tannins or bitter aftertaste, I think Yellow Tail is bound to have another hit on their hands. Bravo Yellow Tail! This is a very good Shiraz.
Of note: One thing missing is a wee bit of earthy palate. The bottle would benefit from a little more substance. As is, the flavor suggests a lack of aging in oak barrels... keeping me from awarding the beverage with the coveted 5 STAR rating. I'll bet this bottle could use a little more time in the racks. Perhaps a year or more. Too bad I rarely have such patience. Good thing for YOU!
Using the new site search option here on Psydr Wine Reviews, I was quickly able to find my previous review of the 2006 vintage. I also gave it a 4 STAR rating. Nothing better than a consistent winery.
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July 26, 2008
2007 The Little Penguin Cabernet Sauvignon
YEAR: 2007WINERY: The Little Penguin
FLAVOR: Red, Cabernet Sauvignon
ORIGIN: South Eastern Australia
PURCHASED: Seattle, WA
AMOUNT: $8
NICKNAME: "Little Penguin Cabernet"
Labels: 1 STAR, 2007, Australia, Cabernet Sauvignon, Red, The Little Penguin
1 Reviews:
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July 26, 2008 at 12:48 PM ,
psydr said...
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1 OUT OF 5 STARS
This stuff is sickeningly sweet. It's so thick and syrup-like I required multiple attempts at swallowing to get it down. Seriously, this wine could use some more time in the bin before consumption. Perhaps a couple years or more could improve the taste... maybe.
I considered pouring the substance over my pancakes this morning just to see if grapes could formulate a decent syrup. The legs were so strong and clingy there was a moment I believed to see it climbing UP the glass. This is certainly a beverage for the strong willed. I can't imagine consuming this stuff on a regular basis without going into a diabetic coma.
It would be ill-intentioned of me to recommend this beverage to anyone. So, therefore, avoid purchasing this product unless you absolutely have no other choice or are capable of consuming sryup in a similar fashion as in the famous scene in Super Troopers. Maybe this would be a good party trick.
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April 21, 2008
2006 Yellow Tail Pinot Noir
YEAR: 2006WINERY: Yellow Tail
FLAVOR: Red, Pinot Noir
ORIGIN: South Eastern Australia
PURCHASED: Seattle, WA
AMOUNT: $8
NICKNAME: "Yellow Tail Pinot Noir"
Labels: 1 STAR, 2006, Australia, Pinot Noir, Red, Yellow Tail
1 Reviews:
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April 21, 2008 at 10:16 PM ,
psydr said...
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1 OUT OF 5 STARS
Okay, this stuff is pretty bad. I'm a little disappointed in this Yellow Tail varietal since the Shiraz scored so well.
This bottle was ridiculously sweet for a Pinot. Retarded sweet really. Not good.
Skip it... No, really, skip it.
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April 13, 2008
2006 Jacob's Creek Shiraz
YEAR: 2006WINERY: Jacob's Creek
FLAVOR: Red, Shiraz
ORIGIN: Barossa Valley, Australia
PURCHASED: Seattle, WA
AMOUNT: $8
NICKNAME: "Jacob's Shiraz"
1 Reviews:
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April 20, 2008 at 12:26 PM ,
psydr said...
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3 OUT OF 5 STARS
Here's another average wine. Good. Not great. Inexpensive. Maybe a tad on the sweeter side for a Shiraz.
These bottles seem to be about as readily available as bot Yellow Tail and Alice White and similar in quality. There seems to be several cheap, inexpensive Aussie wines out there at the moment. I enjoy each of them. However, none of them are my favorites... so far.
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March 3, 2008
1 Reviews:
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March 4, 2008 at 12:55 AM ,
psydr said...
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2 OUT OF 5 STARS
Tastes a bit like carbonated grape juice. Not quite to that extent, but something is surely wrong here. At the same time I didn't find it awful. At first I was tempted to rate this wine a 1 STAR but ended up enjoying it enough to give it 2. Hmmm... Maybe this has something to do with the amount of the wine I drank. We'll never know.
Either way, there's no real need to purchase this wine. Why not spend $6 bucks on something that tastes much better.
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2 Reviews:
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March 4, 2008 at 1:01 AM ,
psydr said...
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3 OUT OF 5 STARS
A strong flavor of current and cherry here in my opinion. I almost gave this bottle a 4 STAR rating... but didn't. Not a bad bottle. My only issue is that I believe it was a $15 or $16 bottle on sale for $10.
Much better wines are available for half the price. This wine is a good example of why we produce this blog. -
At
February 19, 2009 at 9:50 PM ,
said...
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2 out of 5 stars
I think 3 out of 5 stars was being generous.
My 2005 bottle was $8 at Costco in Atlanta.
Very dry. Otherwise forgettable. Sorry.
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February 23, 2008
2 Reviews:
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February 23, 2008 at 10:40 PM ,
psydr said...
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1 OUT OF 5 STARS
This is a bad, bad wine. And I don't mean that in the good way. This stuff is thicker and sweeter than molasses. Honestly, it was difficult to swallow. It's a good thing the sink drain is only a few feet away. This bottle will not be finished by yours personally. I'm pretty sure the toilet will see the end of this offering.
The reason I didn't give this bottle a ZERO: Because it's not quite as bad as the worst wines I've tried. But I would NEVER serve this stuff to anyone I didn't despise.
Usually I apologize to a winery I give such a low rating to, but in this case I'm not going to... A ONE is not a ZERO. -
At
May 9, 2009 at 12:39 PM ,
said...
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Wow, clogging the sink drain. Funny. Hey, review some white wines.
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February 13, 2008
1 Reviews:
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February 13, 2008 at 11:42 PM ,
psydr said...
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2 OUT OF 5 STARS
Found this wine in a small grocery mart on the way to work this morning. Honestly, it's not too hot. Bitter for a Shiraz. Not my fav.
However, you do get a liter-o-wine for your 10 bucks. That's like 33% more!
Still, I'll pass... Too bad. I liked the label quite a bit. Black & white. Simple.
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February 10, 2008
2006 Alice White Cabernet Shiraz
YEAR: 2006WINERY: Alice White
FLAVOR: Red, 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Shiraz
ORIGIN: South Eastern Australia
PURCHASED: Seattle, WA
AMOUNT: $7
NICKNAME: "Alice White Blend"
Labels: 2006, 4 STAR, Alice White, Australia, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mixed Varietal, Red, Shiraz
1 Reviews:
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February 10, 2008 at 7:44 PM ,
psydr said...
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4 OUT OF 5 STARS
Alice White is on a roll. These are good wines. This is just a tad bit more tart than the plain ol' Shiraz, but still very good. For $7 at your local convenience store, these wines are a steal.
Keep up the good work Alice!
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February 2, 2008
Mattie's Perch Cabernet Shiraz
YEAR: None Given, Purchased 2008WINERY: Mattie's Perch
FLAVOR: Red, Cabernet Sauvignon & Shiraz
ORIGIN: South Eastern Australia
PURCHASED: Seattle, WA
AMOUNT: $7
NICKNAME: "Koala Blend"
Labels: 3 STAR, Australia, Cabernet Sauvignon, Maggie's Perch, Mixed Varietal, Red, Shiraz
1 Reviews:
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February 2, 2008 at 4:59 PM ,
psydr said...
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3 OUT OF 5 STARS
Another decent wine. Smooth and supple. I don't really have anything good or bad to say about this wine. It had a good flavor, just not inspiring. Not sweet. Not too bitter.
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January 29, 2008
2007 Pepperwood Grove Pinot Noir
YEAR: 2007WINERY: Pepperwood Grove
FLAVOR: Red, Pinot Noir
ORIGIN: South Eastern Australia
PURCHASED: Seattle, WA
AMOUNT: $7
NICKNAME: "Pepperwood Pinot"
Labels: 2007, 3 STAR, Australia, Pepperwood Grove, Pinot Noir, Red
1 Reviews:
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January 29, 2008 at 9:55 PM ,
psydr said...
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3 OUT OF 5 STARS
This is my fault. I sampled the Pepperwood Pinot in the same evening as the Syrah. Historically, I prefer the Pinot over Syrah, but not in this case. Honestly, this Australian wine is no equal to its Californian brethren. I must deduct at least one Star... and fight myself not to deduct another. It's not a bad wine. I just wouldn't buy it over its Syrah counterpart... or over other Pinots I've sampled as of late.
I found this review hard to type. At first, I could not decide how to explain how I preferred one winery's Syrah over its Pinot. I am sure this happens from time to time. It just hasn't happened to me before.
Anyway, kudos to Pepperwood for their Syrah. Their Pinot Noir is... eh... average.
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January 11, 2008
2006 Yellow Tail Shiraz
YEAR: 2006WINERY: Yellow Tail
FLAVOR: Red, Shiraz
ORIGIN: South Eastern Australia
PURCHASED: Seattle, WA
AMOUNT: $8
NICKNAME: "Jumpin' Shiraz"
2 Reviews:
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January 11, 2008 at 8:03 PM ,
psydr said...
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4 OUT OF 5 STARS
A very decent wine. Smooth, good flavor. No real bite or bitter aftertaste. A nice balance of tannins. Perhaps a hint of berry. Went very nicely with my Chinese food this evening.
I may have discovered the reason why Yellow Tail is in every wine, grocery, and convenience store within 50 miles of my home. It's cheap and well done.
Bravo. -
At
February 4, 2008 at 8:04 PM ,
Jay said...
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3 stars
I'm beginning to notice a trend in my personal wine tasting. With many wines, such as this one, I'm not so excited upon first taste. A very few sips later I'm just fine with it. Initially I thought it was a bit...sour maybe. Now that I'm on my second glass it's pretty tasty.
Wouldn't be my first choice but if I'm shopping at the mini-mart, I'll pick it up again.
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January 9, 2008
2007 Alice White Shiraz
YEAR: 2007WINERY: Alice White
FLAVOR: Red, Shiraz
ORIGIN: South Eastern Austalia
PURCHASED: Seattle, WA
AMOUNT: $7
NICKNAME: "Alice Red"
1 Reviews:
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January 10, 2008 at 7:17 PM ,
psydr said...
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4 OUT OF 5 STARS
I must admit. This wine was a bit of a surprise. I had very low expectations pouring the first glass, but it turned out to be more than a palatable wine. In fact, if you're shooting for a decent $7 bottle of drinking wine or casual table wine, this one has nothing to be embarrassed about. Kudos to Alice White.
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1 Reviews:
0 OUT OF 5 STARS
Okay, so sometimes I pick up a bottle based on the label alone. It's kind of like reading a book by its cover... Well, kinda. And with a prologue like "Evil" and a mantra of "It's just wrong," how could I resist? Vessel purchased!
Excited, I scurried the bottle home from the local grocer with a little extra skip in my step. Upon reaching my humble abode, I popped the cork... Oh, no, wait... I unscrewed the cap and poured a small sampling into one of my favorite tester glasses. You know. The ones having a line revolving the center point saying, "optimista" above and "pesimista" below. No? Then by all means go out and purchase a set. They're great!
Moving on. Next came the pour and a moment or two of wait while checking the color and sampling the nose. Color: dark. Almost a muddy grape. Nose: tobacco and licorice. And I'm afraid these are the same two characteristics I would use to describe the palate. I'd almost go as far to say my sampling tasted as if I had lifted someone's dip cup to my mouth accidentally.
This vino is aweful. It really is. I appologize Evil Winery. I really do. But you folks will have to come up with something a little better to put in a 750ml bottle if you're planning on selling it to me. I will NOT purchase such a Cabernet again. Ever...
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