LONG TN: Cheap Shiraz results Many of you may remember my asking a few weeks ago about cheap Oz Shiraz recommendations for a friend's wedding. Suffice it to say that I took up your recommendations and went shopping in our "local" market (went down to Indy today). We tossed in a couple of Zins for comparison's sake. Here's the lineup and tasting notes from our sampling today: 1. nose: stones, leather, Syrah fruit, slightly medicinal palate: acidic entry, medicinal, slightly tannic, moderately fruity Jean found this wine "stinky" in the way that she finds many French Syrahs. She also found it to have notes of eucalyptus and pine Wishing Tree 2004 Shiraz ($10.29) 2. n: sweet oak, minerals, MINT p: MINT, acid, moderately fruity, acidic finish I just couldn't get past the mintiness of this wine, an experience I last had tasting Penfolds' latest releases earlier this year. In fact, had I known that there were no Penfolds wines in the lineup, I'd have guessed that that was what I was drinking. Jean didn't think there was much in the nose, but found that this wine was the only one in the first flight to not have the dreaded "Syrah stink" Rosenblum Vintner's Cuvee XXVIII Zinfandel ($9.99) 3. n: smoke, berry fruit, pencil lead p: acidic entry, berryish fruit, herbal notes, very acidic finish Jean found little sense of fruit in this wine. She got brush in the nose, and green tannins on the palate. I, OTOH, found this wine to be the most typical Syrah of the flight. Wynn's 2003 Coonawarra Shiraz ($10.99) 4. n: stewed fruit, iodine p: hint of Syrah character, moderately tannic, acidic finish Heat damaged? Jean found this wine stinky with eucalyptus notes and acidic. Neither of us cared for it much. Barossa Valley 2002 'Spires' Shiraz ($9.99) 5. n: minerals, tart raspberry and blackberry fruit, eucalyptus p: sweet entry, berry fruit, eucalyptus, med-full body, acid finish Jean liked this wine a lot, finding it juicy, round and filled with blackberry fruit and good acidity Cline California Zinfandel 2004 ($9.99) 6. n: Vicks Vapo-Rub 1 (!!) p: eucalyptus, raspberry, moderately tannic, acids in finish Jean found leather, eucalyptus, dust, medicinal notes in the nose, with decent fruit and oak and a long, brooding finish Wirra Wirra 2002 'Scrubby Rise" Shiraz ($10.99) 7. n: pencil lead, oak, berry fruit p: rich entry, good acid, deep berry fruit, slightly tannic finish Jean thought that this wine had cherry, oak and a slight Syrah stink with dusty and oaky flavors. Woop Woop 2004 Shiraz 8. n: pencil lead, cedar p: rich entry, medium-full body, pencil lead, fruit, slightly tannic finish Jean thought that this wine had green tannins, and tart green apple flavors, with oak, dust and bitter fruit Wyndham Estate Bin 555 2003 Shiraz There was clearly a lot of divergence in opinion between us, mostly a result of Jean's dislike of the stinkier aspects of Syrah. However, we both agreed on the Woop Woop as the most likely crowd pleaser of the bunch, with the Cline Zin running a hard second. For my money, the Wyndham Estate and the Wynn's Coonawarra got the prize for best varietal character in their price range. Overall, I was struck by how much Syrah character these wines had, by and large. The Barossa Valley seemed like it was probably cooked, which is a shame. I was particularly disappointed with the Wirra Wirra, as the '98 Church Block really made an impression on me. I *did* manage to find Peter Lehmann Shiraz locally, but at $17.99 it was just too pricey for our event. Our next installment will be on cheap CalChards (with two white Burgundies tossed in for the heck of it). Mark Lipton 1 For those of you who didn't suffer from respiratory problems as children in the US, Vicks Vapo-Rub is a balm containing camphor and menthol, as has an incredibly pungent odor. Not soon forgotten, it is. 
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