Australian wines are hugely overrated - what they lack in sublety they make up with ever increasing strength.
I recently had a 15.5% Cab Sav that was basically loopy fruit juice.

I don't think you can label one grape as overrated. They all essentially have their purpose and all can be made into excellent wine provided that you have quality grapes to start with.

Essentially EVERY wine is overrated in years where the winery (or in cases or large distributors) or region has a bad year. You can find bad examples of even the most collectible wines when they have a bad year. Too much rain late in the season will ruin any vintage. The sad part is that wine prices are tied to the general market power of a brand as opposed to how good the wine actually is.

definitions
 

"Overrated" is an ambiguous term.
It could mean
(1) "overpriced": too much $$$ for the bang
(2a) "hyped" but nothing to write home about"
(2b) "taditionally considered good, but not really/anymore"

Thus, a popular el-cheapo supermarket series might be as overrated as
a micro-Chateau Garage. Moreover the benchmark for quality (AKA, the bang) may vary for each consumer. While I absolutely agree with violist (A 1982° Lynch-Bages in 2001 was one of my first great wine experiences), others would second Rejuvenated :rolleyes: (probably (s)he opened a bottle from the latest vintage available :D).

My picks (higly subjective):
(1) some CA Cabs, some Super Tuscans, Brunello from Biondi-Santi
(2a) Pinot Grigio, Beaujolais Nouveau, some atypical CA Pinots
(2b) Champagne. CAVE: highly subjective, I am not a bubbly fan. The Biondi-Santi may also fit into this category.

Conversely, my +ve list (also subjective):
(1) Riesling, especially German Riesling, Spanish reds.
(2a) also here Riesling, many Spanish reds
(2b) Barbera, Beaujolais (the Crus, not the noveau)

Admittedly, I started this post and then I had to think a lot...it is not that simple ;)

silver joke
opus one
stags leap wine cellars
rosenblum zinfandels
cloudy bay
argentinian malbecs
penfolds (certain ones)
quintessa
rombauer
franciscan
joseph phelps (not insignia)
santa margherita
archery summit (certain vineyards)
domaine serene (certain vineyards)

to name a few..these are what i'd think of as "overhyped" wines..they get lots of buzz from neophytes and wannabes.

as for "overrated" wines:
yellowtail
two buck chuck
casa lapostelle
sebastiani
kim crawford
santa rita
ravenswood

i could keep going but this list is long enough.

**one thing to note** i've tried multiple vintages and bottlings of each of the listed wines, however, the opinions expressed are just that, opinions. i don't mean to offend anyone and as a wine professional, i really do like to see people find wines they enjoy. :)

I'm not a wine professional so I guess that means I'm a neophyte or wannabe. :) I am glad to see your note as those sentiments are not usually the norm in the wine world. For what's it worth, I find it a bit overreaching to say an entire vinters product line is overrated. For example, while much of Ravenswood product is run of the mill, several of their single vineyard zins (Teldeschi, Big River, Cooke) are excellent. And who is overrating Sebastiani? I've never seen much praise for them anywhere. On our recent trip to Sonoma we almost skipped them because it seemed no one had anything good to say about them. We were pleasantly surprised to find they have a number of decent wines and their Old Vine Zin and Reserve Cab are quite good. Say what you want about Yellowtail, but their Shiraz is a real value.

Without going into much detail, I can tell you that I am intimately familiar with the entire product line of Ravenswood, going back 15+ years. My statement stands.
I've heard many good things about Sebastiani, from people touting their virtues as a "great sub-15$ napa cab" to "an amazing value priced chardonnay", and again, my statement stands on that too.
I'm glad you enjoy Yellowtail, keep buying it, you're helping to pay me. That being said, I think it's the single most overrated Australian wine out there. For 3-4$ less, the Chasing Clouds is better. Penfolds Rawson's Retreat, for about the same price is better, and for maybe a buck more a bottle, the newest Rosemount Shiraz is a pretty stellar bargain with complexity not typically found in such cheap wines.

But like I said in the my first post, these are my opinions.

Before writing off the entire industry for all vintages, perhaps you might share some specifics.

As previous FTers have mentioned, the area and vintage of the grapes play a large factor in how a wine compares to expectations, before even getting to the winemaker's part in composing a style of wine.

I'm sure you could easily pick a poor Cab Sauv but with a little knowledge of the areas and vintages one can avoid a relatively poor vintage (2003) and stick to Coonawarra or McLaren Vale-sourced wines rather than say Margaret River or Hunter for this variety.

As for picking a 15.5% version - that's like just asking for rocket fuel!
Why not find a booming Shiraz, if you're just wanting a big wine? These are very often made for cellaring 10-15 years.
Best to put away such wines, if a good vintage, for 5+ years and go for something suitable for drinking now.

But if you prefer to never have another - then there is more for me! ^

The thing about the Sebastiani chardonnay is that it is unpredictable. It has a really great price and sometimes the bottles drink way above their price. Other times, not good at all. When you get a good bottle its a very good value. I prefer to stick to others like Chateau St. Jean that are always well-priced and consistently good. My favorite chardonnay for the price used to be La Crema but they've gone from $9 a bottle to $16 a bottle now. I still like them but if they get any higher I'll just be drinking the Ferarri-Carano.

Thanks for the tip on Chasing Clouds. I'll have to give it a try.

Coming back to this thread after a little while away traveling (and having a yummy 1990 Spottswoode), I duly note those who disagree with me re Silver Oak.

But I've got to take issue with the "wine professional" who characterized as neophytes or wannabes many of the supporters of wines he considers "overhyped." Wine snobbery of the highest degree. :td: :td: :td:

I merely speak from the experiences I've had from within the industry, and to be fair, I did note that everyone's opinion is different. If you like Silver Oak, good for you, but maybe you really are a neophyte or a wannabe. Maybe you enjoy the soft vanilla oak and crushed berry flavors and don't want tannins, cassis, cedar, acidity or any other flavors and nuances that can make Cab great. If you do, well then that's great that you have a wine like Silver Oak, but please don't try to act like a connosieur when describing it. Silver Oak appeals to the masses who want a friendly, approachable wine. It's really good at pleasing crowds, but come on, for 60$ or more?
After reading the posts of the Silver Oak supporters, it appears that group of wine drinkers is more of the "label chasing" variety. Had a good Lewis Cellars lately? How 'bout that Radio Coteau? Tried any delicious Goldeneye in a while?

From my perspective, a good Bordeaux will always be better than Silver Oak, especially since the Alexander Valley is up past 60$ a bottle nowadays. Perhaps that's this wine professional's biggest beef, the rising cost of the wine yet no appreciable increase in quality. It's the same as it was in 1999, and to me that isn't really something to be proud of. I like to see vineyards continuously improving, evolving, and letting the grapes express themselves. Letting the juice spend 20 months in an American oak barrel won't really do that.

But hey, in the end, if you like it, that's all that matters. I'll stick to my 2005 Malm Cellars Pinot Noir and enjoy it :)

2006 Seleccion Moutier Bonarda from the Mendoza region. First red I've found to be incredibly disappointing from this region.

You're really not doing yourself any favors, having gone from describing many supporters of quite a number of wines as neophytes or wannabes to suggesting that participants in this very thread deserve such labels.

Your initial post did state that you did not intend to offend anyone. But I see little chance that a post in which a self-described wine professional calls others neophytes and wannabes would not be considered offensive, by both those who disagree and those who agree with the substance of the opinion expressed. You've now made the condemnation more personal and added the "label-chasing" charge. Not cool.

Since this thread is about overrated wines, I will allow that one needs a thicker skin for reading this thread than your usual FlyerTalk thread, as it is especially prone to strident disagreement on the basis of personal opinions. But I would encourage one and all to choose their words carefully. This thread has had a healthy discussion, but it now practically invites moderation.

On the merits, you're obviously a fan of Bordeaux (and Bordeaux-style?) wines and don't think much of California wines. That's fine. They are quite different. Some of us like the way California cabs present themselves and think most Bordeaux taste like a barnyard, with a bouquet to match. That said, this thread is supposed to be about overrated wines, not the generations-old American v. French debate. On Silver Oak, please note that most who wrote in favor of it in this thread were discussing the Napa product, not the Alexander.

Disagree here - I really enjoy KC's S.Blanc!