What's with Yellow Tail??

[Cynthia Wenslow]

Gosh, I'd love to join you all in this experience tomorrow evening, but I will be in WLDG Chat at the appointed hour. (That's a hint..... you could all drop by and talk about this....... )

[A.B. Drury]

Robert, try Walgreen's or, GASP . . . Wal-Mart--between those two you should be able to score a bottle of YT. Yes, the comedy here is that this stuff is available at either of the Wal-stores

Thanks for the advice, Dan!

[TomHill]

Welcome to WLDG, A.B. Where abouts in NM do you live??
YellowTail is, to me, much like 2$Chuck. It's rather on the boring side. It really doesn't have a lot to say to me. I once tried it w/ a meal a yr ago & managed to get down one glass, but just couldn't bring myself to have a 2nd glass and opened something a bit more interesting. It's not bad wine, per se. It just doesn't have much interest to me. That being said, I must admit that I've not tried the most recent Lot #3791, so can't speak w/ any authority.
Tom

[A.B. Drury]

Clovis, NM; far east, about half-way up the Texas panhandle. . . . Yeah, we're just having a little fun with this, I don't expect to love or hate it, "indifferent" will likely be my one-word summary

[Robert J.]

We have plenty of YT as it sells fairly well. We just don't have the Riesling. I think that I will opt for something German or do the Wolf Blass.

Cyn, you can count on me to be dropping by the chat. I may even discuss the Riesling.

rwj

[Bob Parsons Alberta]

I will be there too later on!! Maybe some winetalk can be arranged.

[Robert J.]

I'll be tasting a German riesling or kerner. Will there be a specified thread for the tasting?

rwj

[A.B. Drury]

Will there be a specified thread for the tasting?

Right here

[Robert J.]

I'll post my notes around the time chat starts and then head over there.

rwj

[Covert]

It is certainly interesting to witness how many people hit on a post about Yellow Tail. The symbol commands a collective reaction much like Paris Hilton: everybody says she is nothing but a tawdry ostentation, yet so many people are obsessed with her.

A couple of years ago, I would have posted a thesis on why I thought people who know and appreciate fine wine would bother to talk about Yellow Tail. I consider it an accomplishment that at this stage of my own growth I can resist voicing any opinion.

[Robert J.]

It is certainly interesting to witness how many people hit on a post about Yellow Tail. The symbol commands a collective reaction much like Paris Hilton: everybody says she is nothing but a tawdry ostentation, yet so many people are obsessed with her.

A couple of years ago, I would have posted a thesis on why I thought people who know and appreciate fine wine would bother to talk about Yellow Tail. I consider it an accomplishment that at this stage of my own growth I can resist voicing any opinion.

I'm not sure how I feel about your post but I can say that I am in the same boat. I don't give a rat's either way on either topic. My posts say as much.

rwj

[A.B. Drury]

Winery: [yellow tail]

Vintage: 2005

Region: Murray River Basin, Australia

Vineyard: UNK

Quality: N/A

Alc: 12.5%

Bought: Walgreen's Clovis, NM (US$7)

Date Opened: August 2007

***removed from fridge, opened & immediately poured glass; pale yellow color, typical from (limited) experience; initial aroma VERY familiar from other Rieslings sniffed; sat for ~10 minutes, little more gold color, seeing a (SLIGHT) green tint, no drastic change; aroma now more honey than before, more than w/ other Rieslings; temperature acceptable, first sip very petrol, very limey--not too pleasant; second sip, straight to swallow, not sweet in comparison--more akin to halbtrocken than spat/auslese so far; alcohol burn, for sure; let another glass sit; ~10 minutes pass, first sip dominated by alcohol, definitely lemon in there; will not finish bottle

[OW Holmes]

I just had my first glass of Yellowtail Riesling. It actually might be my first glass of anything Yellowtail. Almost no nose, and the taste misses all that is good about riesling. No peaches, no apples, no citrus, no stones. Not sure what that flavor is. Honey and butter on biscuits? A bit on the soft side too. None of the mouthwatering "squirt" you get from sufficient acidity. Basically alcoholic sugar water. What little flavor there is fades even before swallowing. No aftertaste - just a slight metalic feel like sucking on tin foil. No desire for glass two, but perhaps I will punish myself later. So there it is. Atypical in smell and taste, imbalanced, with a lousy finish. Other than that.....
And I am not opposed to cheap Riesling. Michigan's Chateau Grand Traverse made (maybe still do) a semi-dry riesling which I bought a couple of years ago for about $6.50 that - by comparison - was great. I actually went into this hoping I'd like it. Not for me, not when for a buck or so more there are a ton of rieslings that offer enjoyment.

[OW Holmes]

OK. I now have read your note AB. I guess we both got honey, but I certainly missed lime and later lemon, but hey -- everybody tastes a bit different. I do get the feeling, however, that you didn't like it much more than I did.

[A.B. Drury]

I do get the feeling, however, that you didn't like it much more than I did.

That feeling would be correct; not a YT Riesling fan--it's official. . . .

A lot of your words described what I failed to express in my notes

[Jenise]

A.B. (Normal?),

first sip dominated by alcohol...will not finish bottle

You may not have employed OW's flourish, but the above two excu--er, reasons--tell most wine lovers exactly what they need to know.

[Robert J.]

Here are my tasting notes straight from the page with no elaboration.

Koster Wolf 2006 Kerner Auslese
Alzeyer Romerberg
Rheinhessen

Alcohol = 9.5%

Price: $9.99 (American Dollars)

Color: Pale yellow

Nose: Pineapple, floral (honeysuckle), stone, banana(?!), apple maybe.

Palate: Stone fruit, mineral, honey, lime, stonefruit, and stonefruit. Good acid with a slight fizz upfront. More than decent finish and good viscosity.
No food match.

Here is what I might say about it:

There is a definite pineapple aroma that leads to honeysuckle and wet stones. After several minutes in the glass there seemed to be a hint of banana and apple. Very sweet smelling and pleasant.

The taste does not differ from the aroma. As is typical with German rieslings (kerner is a hybrid of riesling and trollinger) there is a little fizz upfront that fades quickly. There is stonefruit (apricot, peaches, nectarine) everywhere. I also pick up mineral flavors, honey, lime and citrus. The acidity is good and the finish is very decent. It was tasted alone, without food.

At $9.99/bottle this wine is a steal!

rwj

[Bob Parsons Alberta]

I am posting my notes having skipped here from the top of the page! I am not aware of previous comments!!! But I am in good company if OW has posted here.

WTN: `06 Yellow Tail Riesling, South East Australia.

Soft synthetic corked, nicely engraved with kangeroo! 13% alc, $13 Cdn informative back label for newbies, clever marketing as usual. I pulled out my Riedel Chianti/Riesling glass for this special occasion!

Color. Verging on medium straw with green tinges. No yellow or gold tones with this one (other colours to look out for AB).

Nose. I let wine stand in glass for half hour as way too chilled. Lime, melon as blurb says. Also found some stonefruit and whiffs of orange juice. Aroma is reminiscent of Riesling without the gasolein one gets from an aged riesling. Do not think this is confected like some of those cheap wines by the glass I remember in my youth!?

Palate. As usual the initial mouthfeel entry is of value (to me anyway). More than a gentle sweetness here and without too much acidity. The various aromas do not quite follow through on the palate until wine is close to room temp!!
Some tropical fruits here and has some riesling character but not my style. Far too sweet, great for a patio sipper on a hot day. More over-ripe orange, peach, melon and some honeysuckle on the finish. Better half thought " sweet, lime, crisp, light and refreshing". I then explained why we are tasting this and response was "can we try the Petaluma?".

So I guess what one would expect here. I feel for a few dollars more the Dr Loosen Riesling is a much better buy but Australia is in and there is some clever marketing all around us! I have enjoyed all the banter this week and thanks to all who participated. Now lets see what the others posted...it`s 7pm!!

[A.B. Drury]

Woo-hoo, I got the green!

Jenise, what were you asking by "Normal?"

Bob, either it was your fancy language or you enjoyed your glass more than OW and I did

[Bob Parsons Alberta]

Well, so far a termendous effort everyone!!! Some debate about the color but thats to be expected with the variable lighting. Some wines at Doris Ranch look different going from room to room!!!
I seem to have found more on the nose than others here but I am confident in my findings, LOL.
The palate notes are all different and that is to be expected. Some wines benefit with being served near to room temperature but not this one folks. Not serious enough by a long shot! The Kerner sounds quite good, thanks for this Robert.

So whatcha think AB??

[Jenise]

Jenise, what were you asking by "Normal?"

Surely you've seen Young Frankenstein....

[Bob Parsons Alberta]

Woo-hoo, I got the green!

Jenise, what were you asking by "Normal?"

Bob, either it was your fancy language or you enjoyed your glass more than OW and I did

Well, I tried to describe the wine so that a newcomer to the wine scene would understand what to look for. If I was writing a tasting note for the Grill chain of restaurants, I would not be so polite!!!! It wasn`t bad, it was what I expected I guess. One could have done a lot worse.

[A.B. Drury]

I think I would have rather had the Kerner, for sure! Seriously, I didn't like it. I will likely try it agian, some time down the road, but for now they've gotten the last of my money--the cute kangaroo will not sway me any more.

My apprehensions about posting a TN were slight and vanished quickly, so this was no big deal; I feel good about what I got, I imagine it takes time to pick up on most specifics.

Thanks for your help, though!

[A.B. Drury]

Jenise, what were you asking by "Normal?"

Surely you've seen Young Frankenstein....

A.B. Drury <---young Sorry, I'm a generation-or-so behind!