Some nights, you just feel like drinking something that you don't have to think about. Tonight is one of those nights. So I opened a bottle of Mallee Point Shiraz.
This is made by the Casella family of Australia, more famous for their [yellow tail] brand, which is made just for the US (if you find [yellow tail] in Australia, you know you're at a tourist joint; they imported it from the US). But the Mallee Point is much cleaner than the [yellow tail] wine; still simple, slightly sweet, not complex, but also not cloying the way the more famous wine is. Nothing special, but at $6/bottle, very affordable and drinkable.
According to Mark Casella, the Mallee Point wines are aimed a younger audience than the [yellow tail] wines, which is why they are sealed with a screw-cap. Maybe that's why I think they're better. ;-)
Overall, you'll never mistake this for a $20 bottle. But in the very low price range, this is one of the better wines I've run across.
I'll add that I've met Mark Casella. Even though he's third generation, he still looks like a Sicilian right off the boat; dark complexion, black hair, dark eyes, black suit, skinny black tie, and black shoes.
ReplyDeleteAnd the richest Aussie accent I've ever heard. He made Steve Erwin sound like he was from Boston. I'm not kidding when I say that I was able to understand Henri Lurton better, and Henri barley speaks English.
Still, seemed like a really nice guy, and as big as the outfit is, it's still largely family run (but I still won't touch [yellow tail])