2008 Cycle Buff Beauty Malbec/Shiraz $14

80% Malbec and 20% Shiraz, sourced from the Claire Valley in South Australia. 14 months in French oak Barrels (mostly 2nd and 3rd fill). The label is 1960’s biker movie meets a Russ Meyer flick – not your everyday wine label, but then again this is an Australian wine and weird is normal.

The Cycle Buff Beauty has aging potential, the winemaker suggests drinking it within the next 8 years. In checking for information on this wine, I found that the % of the blend changes, some bottles are 85% Malbec and others are 80%, so this will probably taste different depending on the blend.

The color is Thanksgiving cranberry sauce red. The nose is dark red fruit, raspberries, black cherry, along with blackberry and plums, but not fresh fruit, more like cooked fruit stew. Velvety mouth feel. Big fruit upfront, blueberry, some cherry and strawberry and  french vanilla, then the oak and tannins kick in, along with a healthy dose of spice. The finish is spicy vanilla creme.

Young, big and fruity, but it has structure. Drinks nicely now, but give it a couple of years and it should really hit its peak.

2008 Monasterio De Las Vinas Garnacha/Syrah Blend – $7

Okay, we outdid ourselves this time.  We found another wine from the Cariñena region of Spain that is a ridiculous steal.  This 70% Garnacha 30% Syrah blend – aged 3 months in American oak – has a nose of strawberry and raspberry jam.  On the palate you get orange, raspberry and a little spicy pepper, with a finish that lasts and lasts!

It’s great with ribs and pizza and comes in at 13% alcohol.  It also scored an amazing 91 points with the Wine Enthusiast. You really need to buy this one by the case!

Sourced from a single vineyard, the “Monasterio de San Jose”, where for centuries monks produced wine. Nowadays, this is a large production wine made for the American market, but they really got it right. The Quality-Price Ratio (QPR) is off the charts for this one.

2006 Razor’s Edge Shiraz – $9

Every time I pick up a valued priced Shiraz, I go on the internet and find that it got 90 plus points from some national wine publication. This McLaren Vale Shiraz is one of Robert Parker’s Best Buy’s of Australia. From what I could find about the Razor’s Edge, it’s made primarily for  American tastes. There is not much information available about how long it is aged in oak, etc.. on the internet for this wine.

The color is your textbook Shiraz, deep, dark, opaque burgundy red. The nose is interesting, it is not all fruit, there is mushroom, earthy notes and dark fruit (that’s the McLaren Vale influence).  The mouth feel is slightly watery, but it does fill your mouth with flavor. Tart cherry juice and chocolate are the main flavors, but not candy sweet, now I see why these wines get 90+ points, who does not like chocolate covered cherries, it’s a very luxurious flavor. The finish is blueberries, it does not last a long time but it is pleasing.

I think I understand why all these inexpensive Australian Shiraz’s get these high grades, they taste great. That’s got to be one of the most important aspects to wine. Australia has a way with the Syrah grape. Lush, tasty wine is almost second nature with Australian Shiraz. Yes, the Razor’s Edge does not have all the layers and complexity of the the best Shiraz, but you can’t argue with “it tastes great”.

2008 Yellow Tail Shiraz – $7

Yellow Tail is one of the reasons we started this website. There are so many interesting under twenty dollar wines available, but virtually undiscovered, while Yellow Tail was 1/10th of all wine sales. There is nothing wrong with Yellow Tail Shiraz, for the price it’s fine. It’s available everywhere, cheap and it has a reliable taste, it’s kind of the McDonald’s of wine. Compared to the other mass produced wines it holds it’s own, but put it up against wine that sells for a few bucks more and Yellow Tail can’t compete. So head to your local wine shop, tell the help there that you want a bottle of their best under $10 wine, give it a try, find your new go-to everyday wine. There are some really exciting, well priced wines out there, start drinking your way through as many as you can. If price is the #1 consideration in your wine buying, then Yellow Tail isn’t a bad choice. But otherwise save your pennies and find a wine with a little “wow” factor.

Oh, I almost forgot, the review: The color is deep dark red, the nose is cherries with a bit of alcohol. It tastes of tangy cherry juice with a hint of sour green stick flavor popping up now and again. Even though the cherry flavor is slightly sour the over all taste is a bit sweet. No tannins to speak of and the finish is nondescript. A very drinkable, but simple wine.

Wine Bottom Line

With the death of investment banking and the collapse of the housing market, Americans have had to be that much smarter when it comes to spending their precious few remaining almighty dollars; even when it comes to wine the bottom line has become more about cost than, well, anything else.

As a wine newbie myself I was pretty static in my wine selections, sticking with $9-$12 Shiraz like McWilliams and Woop Woop,  as my ventures into the less expensive wine arena (Charles Shaw, Yellow Tail, etc.) were disappointing across the board.

Who has been my financial savior in 2009, saving me from death by 2-buck Chuck and cubed-wine?  Walmart!  Ah, the Evil Empire of Arkansas is sly and clever, and knowing no one would buy Walmart Wine they cleverly manifested the Oak Leaf Vineyard line of inexpensive wines, the only catch being that Oak Leaf Vineyard doesn’t actually exist as it’s really The Wine Group and Oak Leaf Vineyards serves as merely a marketing/label storefront.   Diabolical, I love it!

Regarding the Oak Leaf Vineyard wines, the Shiraz and Chardonnay are both quite pleasant and one would normally have to spend 3x as much (read: $9) for an equivalent value, and the other offerings (PinotG, Cab, Merlot) are certainly serviceable for the price point.  My point here is simply this:  at $2.97 the value proposition is saving 3x+ on what you throw into your cart when shopping at your local grocery store or Target, so stop doing it!  If you’re like my household and consume 4 bottles of wine per week (be honest with yourselves now), the value proposition translates to $12 (4 bottles of Oak Leaf) * 52 (weeks) = $624 vs. $40 (bottles of $10 so-so wine) * 52 (weeks) = $2080, the difference being we are now on track to spend $1456 less per year in household wine, which is a bottom line I can live with.

2005 Columbia Crest Two Vines Shiraz – $6

A 2005 Shiraz from Columbia Valley, Washington, the current vintage of Shiraz from Australia in this price range is 2008, so this wine has a nice bit of bottle age. Aged for 14 months, half in oak barrels, half in stainless. A splash of Cabernet Sauvignon to help with the nose and mouth feel. More attention to detail than you would expect for a wine that I picked up on-sale for $5.99. to top it off it’s a Wine Enthusiast “Best Buy”.

So, how does it taste? The answer is pretty good. A nice mellow fruit forward flavor, not a huge “fruit bomb”, more smooth black cherry with a touch of pepper. The finish evaporates quickly. Not a complex or lush wine, but drinks very well.

I usually avoid really inexpensive red wine, they seem to always have something that is not quite right about them, but the Columbia Crest was a solid shiraz. It was more than just bulk juice, somebody cared about what this wine tasted like. This would be a good “Playstation” wine, invite your buddies over for a Madden tournament, pop the top on a couple of bottles and you got a party started.

2009 Cahors Malbec Tasting “BLACK WINE”

At the latest tasting, we sampled not white wine, not red wine, but BLACK WINE! The “Black wine of Lot” as it’s known, or wines from the Cahors region in France. Here, they make ROBUST wines using mostly Malbec, with a little Tannat or Merlot thrown in to soften things up. If you like a deep intense color to your wine, you are going to love Cahors Malbecs. In the past these wine were on the “wild and wooly” side, but these days these wines are mildly oaked, have well integrated tannins and are very fruit forward, especially in the under $25 range.

Up until a couple of months ago, France didn’t allow the winemakers to put the grape varietal on the front of the label, only the region and/or the individual estate from where the wine was produced. So if you wanted a Malbec you had to know that Cahors was the region to look for, well needless to say France lost market share to every other Malbec producing region (Argentina for one).  The French finally  changed their laws governing the labeling of their wines and can now put the grape on the front label (just like the rest of the world’s winemakers). And guess what, French Malbec is affordable and tastes great.

My faves were the 100% Malbecs, but equally as good were the ones using a little Merlot to smooth things out a bit. The Australian Shiraz has pulled ahead of French Syrah, without much of a fight from the French, but France is fighting back on Malbec. There were some excellent wines available in the  $12 to $15 range.

So when drinking Cahors wine, bring a toothbrush, cuz this stuff had everyone smiling the smile of happy black teeth.

2007 Yangarra Shiraz

Man I love Australian wines! I have a hard time remembering the last time I had one I didn’t like. This one’s no exception. It has a real Goth feel to it – dark garnet – the color you wouldn’t want your daughter to wear when she goes out. Smells like you built a bonfire in a meadow – toasted wood and violets tease you into your first sip.

Then you take a taste – POW! It smacks you in the face with its intense, hearty dark fruits. Then as if you said the safe word, it backs off and finishes with a smooth mellow velvety texture.

The girl next to me took my advice and tried some too. She said, “The finish on this wine feels like silk lingerie slipping over my thighs”. You bet I gave her my card. Someone who enjoys wine as much as I do? And owns lingerie? And has thighs?

Get it HERE for $19.99.

Baer Cellars Winery Homemade Syrah

I was at a cook-out and my buddy, Elias,  had a bottle of Rhubarb/Raspberry wine that his Uncle, Father and Brothers made. It seems someone in his family has been making wine since 1949. Well the fruit wine was tasty, not too sweet. The only other fruit wine I had drank in the past was Boone’s Farm,  I was surprised by the Rhubarb/Raspberry wine. It was a drink for adults, not something for high schoolers. So, Elias, went home and brought back a private label Syrah for me to try, He called this a Shiraz, and since this was made in Minnesota (from California grapes), I will say this Syrah is made in the Aussie/Minnesota style.

I opened the bottle not knowing what to expect. The color was  a medium ruby color and the nose was a little tight, but had a mellow dark fruit aroma. Then the taste, not terribly complex, but definitely well balanced red fruit, with just a  touch of spice on the finish. One sip leads to another, very, very drinkable. It reminded me of a more strawberry version of Woop Woop (see review), which is a cheapwinefinder favorite.

If you are lucky enough to be offered a homemade wine by a family that knows how to make wine, jump at that chance. Thanks, Elias.

2007 Strong Arms Shiraz

I picked this up at a local bottle shop on sale for $9.99. This Shiraz is from R Wineries and the wine maker is Chris Ringland.  WS gave the 2007 vintage 89 pts and the 2006 91 pts. Now when I have an under $10 wine, I just want it to taste good and be a decent representative of the grape varietal. The Strong Arms gave me all that and more, it’s got nice dark fruit upfront, a bit of a spicy mid-palate and a decent finish. A nicely put together wine. I was a little worried by the alcohol content as I first tasted it, but by the second or third sip it mellowed out. All in all a very nice effort for the price range. Nice label, too.

Get it HERE for $10.99.

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