I was thrilled to have a chance to taste through the entire line-up of MollyDooker wines recently sans Scooter Merlot. For those of you unfamiliar with this winery, it is located in McLaren Vale, southern Australia. The wine makers and owners are Sarah and Sparky Marquis. If the last name sounds a little familiar, it is because they were at one time wine makers for a winery in Australia called Marquis Philips. The Marquis Philips wines were always top sellers at the store I work at. They had a red called Sarah’s Blend named of course after Sarah Marquis.
Sarah and Sparky parted ways with that winery and struck out on their own. Their talent for wine making and vineyard management have shown up in spades with their MollyDooker wines. They produce three level of wines. The Lefty wines, the Party wines and the Love wines. I would like to take the time to share with you my thoughts as I tasted though the line-up.
LEFTY WINES
2011 MollyDooker Violinist Verdelho (Mclaren Vale, Australia) … 24.99
Verdelho is not a grape varietal you hear about a lot. It is most commonly used in the Spanish wines of Madeira. And by the way, this is the only white they produce.
Aromas of Mango, papaya and peach backed by a nice mineral element. I actually get a little Froot Loop action on the nose. On the palate there are notes of mandarin orange, papaya and lemon with a hit of fresh cut grass.The mandarin notes linger for some time with a hit of Lemon Pledge on the long finish. This is loaded with sweet fruit notes, which are balanced out by a nice freshness from start to finish. I know it’s twenty-five bucks, but I also know that many folks don’t bat an eye at spending that on a chard. This is worth the price tag. 92 points
2011 MollyDooker Maitre D’ Cabernet Sauvignon (Mclaren Vale, Australia)… 24.99
Aromas of toast, bright cherries and red berries with a little hit of red licorice. Black plums and currants coat the front of the palate without going over-the-top. Dark cherry notes come through on the mid-palate and finish with a spicy, toasty edge that lingers. There is a nice backbone of acidity on this wine, letting me know that it will age nicely for the at least five more years. 91 points
2011 MollyDooker Two Left Feet (Mclaren Vale, Australia) … 24.99
A blend of 72% shiraz, 14% cab and 14% merlot. This wine is a little restrained on the nose with dusty red fruit notes coming through with hits of licorice and caramel. Powerful caramel, spice and black currant notes hit from start to finish backed by a current of balanced acidity giving it a nice fresh edge. Again, this will be a wine that will improve over the next five years. 90 points
2011 MollyDooker “The Boxer” Shiraz (Mclaren Vale, Australia) … 24.99
Aromas of black tea. red currants, toasted marshmallow and caramel notes. Excellent structure and balance. Caramelized blueberry and black currant notes come through up front with dark cherry showing up on the mid-palate. It finishes with a nice spicy edge that lingers for some time. Again, this is a wine that has a couple of years left in it to improve. 91 points
PARTY WINES
2011 Gigglepot Cabernet Sauvignon (Mclaren Vale, Australia) … 49.99
Sweet aromas of toasty cherries and blackberries. Black licorice and black currants drench the palate. Some wood notes show up on the mid-palate along with a nice density of black fruits and spice. Incredibly long, fresh finish that punctuates a very pleasing experience. ( The label has a picture of their daughter laughing away when she was much younger of course.) 94 points
2011 “Blue-Eyed Boy”Shiraz (McLaren Vale, Australia) … 49.99
Heady dark fruit aromas with a bright, mineral edge. This baby packs your palate with dense dark cherry notes backed by a nice minerality on sweet tannins. Spice shows up on the mid-palate as it glides across the mouth into an incredibly long finish of caramel and black currants. Like its siblings, this wine is silky smooth and delicious with excellent balance and a backbone of freshness that implies it will age nicley. 95 points ( Can you guess who is pictured on this label at a much younger age?)
LOVE WINES
2011 Enchanted Path Shiraz – Cabernet Sauvignon (McLaren Vale, Australia) … 89.99
Tasting this wine, you definitely know you have hit a different level. There is an interesting freshness to the nose with notes of wood, dark cherries and black currants. This baby is intense on the palate, smacking your taste buds and saying “HELLO”! It borderlines on hedonistic yet it has such good structure it never goes over-the-top. Notes of black currants, licorice and dark cherries with an undertow of black tea. It flows seamlessly across the palate on silky tannins into a finish that goes on and on. I think I can still taste it! Is it worth the ninety dollar price tag? Absolutely. 71% shiraz, 29% cabernet sauvignon. 96 points
2011 Carnival of Love Shiraz (McLaren Vale, Australia) … 89.99
Some interesting floral notes come through on the nose along with mint, black licorice and dark cherries. I love the aromas on this wine. Blackberries and currants hit you on the front of the palate with a little root beer action coming through in the middle. It coats the palate without getting goopy because of the nice structure and freshness that comes through. Seamless from start to finish with caramel and spice coming through on another long finish. Does this one deserve the ninety dollar price tag? Of course it does, but I like the Enchanted Path a little better. 92 points
2011 Velvet Glove Shiraz (McLaren Vale, Australia) … 189.99
Now we’re talking some serious bucks. Before I give you my thoughts, I just want to let you know that this wine was treated in new American oak three different times, or as one wine maker told me… 300% new oak… Wow! With barrels going for around seven hundred to a thousand dollars a barrel, you can begin to understand why this wine demands a higher price. That being said, I had never heard before this of any winery that treats their wine with so much new oak. How would the fruit hold up to so much lumber? Let’s see.
Wonderful aromas of rose pedal, tobacco leaf, black currants, toast and a little ginger and eucalyptus coming through. Intense dark fruit notes backed by an interesting citrus element. Toasty wood notes come in on the mid-palate, but they are not dominate. This wine is seamless and silky on the palate as it flows into a long, long finish of dark fruits, tobacco leaf, leather and herbs. A solid, well balanced structured wine that will age nicely over the next 10 to 15 years. I love syrah, and this one has to go down as one of my favorites. Believe me, I didn’t want to like it so much at this price, but I just can’t help myself. There are some Cote-Rotie out there (syrah from Northern Rhone) that are going for $400 a bottle that are not two hundred dollars better then this gem. Just to put it in perspective. 97 points
I recently had a chance to interview Sarah Marquis and I learned so much from our discussion.
http://blog.seattlepi.com/bluecollarwineguy/2012/10/23/mollydooker-heads-down-bottoms-up/
I have been a fan of their wines from the beginning, and although they are not considered an inexpensive choice, they do represent top notch wines that can be enjoyed at a reasonable price for the quality. If you are in the mood to celebrate a special occasion, or would just like to treat yourself to something special, look up Mollydooker! Stan The Wine Man
