Winery Of The Year - 2007

MyWineAssistant is pleased to announce that we have designated Mollydooker as our 2007 Winery Of The Year.  Congratulations to Mollydooker and everyone that made these great wines possible!

Mollydooker

Wines That Make You Go "Wow!"

Background

The Mollydooker brand was started by Sarah and Sparky Marquis in the McLaren Vale region of South Australia.  After building five successful bands, Fox Creek, Henry's Drive, Parson's Flat, Shirvington and Marquis Philips, Sarah and Sparky embarked on their ultimate dream.  They started Mollydooker (an Aussie term for "left-hander") in 2005 and it has been nothing short of an instant success.  (Read more about Sarah and Sparky)

The 2005 Mollydooker vintages were an instance success among both consumers and professional publications.  The 2005 Boxer Shiraz scored position #68 on Wine Spectators Top 100 Wines of 2006 and Robert Parker designated it the "Best Value Wine in the World Under $20."  The 2005 Two Left Feet shared some of the glory as Parker's "Second Best Value Wine in the World Under $20."  If that wasn't enough, the 2006 Violinist Verdelho was designed Parker's "Best Value White Wine in the World Under $20" with a score of 92 points. 

Saving the best for last, Mollydooker's flagship wines were an astounding success.  The 2005 Carnival of Love Shiraz earned an incredible 99 points from Robert Parker, followed closely by the 2005 Enchanted Path Shiraz / Cabernet which earned 96 points.  Note that most fans believe the Enchanted Path was underrated and is more appropriately rated a 97 / 98. 

The 2006 vintages show great promise based on feedback from a recent U.S. tour.  Eager Mollydooker fans reported that the next vintage is "as good or better" than the 2005 release.  But that's not all, this year we will the the opportunity to taste Sarah and Sparky's latest creation: The Velvet Glove.  "The Mollydooker 2006 Velvet Glove is quite simply the best wine we have ever made."

Congratulations, Sarah and Sparky, for the success of your Mollydooker brand made possible by your many years of dedication to producing top-quality wines. 

MyWineAssistant Ratings

Ratings as of June 25th, 2007.  Updated MWA ratings and wines can be found here.

A Letter From Sarah & Sparky

Wines

2007 The Violinist Verdelho ($20 USD)

The 2006 Verdelho, was a hot item after receiving recognition from Robert Parker as the "Best Value White Wine in the World under $20" with a score of 92. Unfortunately we won't have much of the Violinist in 2007, because crops are very low. The label depicts a left handed violinist in an orchestra causing havoc amongst the right handed violinists. As a child Sarah was forced to play right handed to avoid this problem.

Excerpts from reviews of the 2006 Violinist

The 2006 violinist is a gorgeously full bodied Verdelho. It is a powerful white boasting notes of honeyed melons and other tropical fruits, beeswax and crisp citrus. There is good underlying acidity, an explosively rich mid palate, and a fresh, lively elegant creamy texture as well as finish. This stunning wine works spectacularly well with Maryland?s soft shell crabs. 92 Points
Robert Parker Jr. Wine Advocate #165  

2006 The Scooter Merlot ($20 USD)

Well, firstly we must explain where the name came from. The very first day Sarah met Sparky, he was scootering around the University Campus. Sparky used to race scooters (yes, we mean the one you had as a kid) back in his home town and was known as 'The Man with the Scooter', as it was very rare in those days.

Why make a Merlot? Well fashions come and go, but classic wine styles endure for ever. It's a wine we personally enjoy. Our Merlot grapes come from Gemtree's vineyard in McLaren Vale, an area which has lovely fruit intensity, and Scott & Cheryl Longbottom’s vineyard in Padthaway which is renowned for highlighting the beauty and elegance of the variety.

The combination is a delightful, delicious, charming wine to relax with at the end of a busy day.

2006 The Maitre D' Cabernet Sauvignon ($20 USD)

The feedback we got from our release of the 2005 the Maitre D’ was amazing. People were astonished at the depth and voluptuousness. It sold out instantly. As with all our wines, we believe that the 2006 vintage is better than the 2005. Sourced from our cooler climate vineyards, it is rich, intensely flavoured, yet elegant in style.

Excerpts from reviews of 2005 Maitre D'

Distinctively ripe and spicy. Not at all herbal and remarkably open textured, with a bundle of juicy plum, currant and blackberry fruit shaded by hints of clove and allspice. The finish remains focused against fine grained tannins. Best from 2007 through 2013. Score: 90
Harvey Steiman Wine Spectator, Nov 15 2006

The 2005 Maitre D' is a superb Cabernet offering creamy crème de cassis notes intermixed with hints of licorice, new wood, and spice box. Full bodied, with great intensity. Purity, density and opulence as well as a voluptuous texture, rich mid palate, and long, full bodied supple finish displaying notions of roasted coffee and white chocolate, it is hard to believe Cabernet Sauvignon can hit this level of quality at this price point. These wines are meant to be consumed young, but it is hard to believe these knock out reds won’t last for 5-10 years.
Robert Parker Jr, Wine Advocate #165 

2006 Two Left Feet Shiraz, Cab, Merlot ($20 USD)

A blend of Shiraz, Cab, Merlot, the 2005 vintage was selected by Robert Parker as the 2nd "Best Value Wine in the World under $20". The 2006 is even better as the vintage produced fruit which was absolutely awesome.

The dancing couple on the label represent the influence of both a male and female palate in our winemaking. Sarah, February 2007  

Excerpts of Reviews of 2005 Two Left Feet

The 2005 Two left feet is blend put together by Sarah Marquis. It boasts an inky purple color, superb intensity, a big, sweet, full bodied nose of crème de cassis, graphite, white choclate, black olives, blackberry liqueur, anmd spice, and a spectacular, voluptuous, even unctuous texture. This is a big, powerful, classic southern Sustrlian red made with no compromises. Drink it over the next 3 years, though I suspect it will last a decade or longer.
94 Points. Robert Parker Jr Wine Advocate #165

Dark, dense and chewy. Not heavy, yet the meaty, smoky black cherry and plum flavours persist impressively on the solid finish. Needs time to soften. Best after 2007. Score 90
Harvey Steiman, Wine Spectator Nov 15 2006

MyWineAssistant Rating: 94.0

2006 The Boxer Shiraz (A Steal At $20 USD)

This Shiraz is a knock out! The 2005 was an enormous hit, after receiving 95 points from Robert Parker and being selected by him as the "Best Value Wine in the World under $20".

The 2006 will knock you out again with exuberant fruit, incredible flavors and color, and great length. The fruit is sourced from our Shiraz vineyards in McLaren Vale, Padthaway & Langhorne Creek.  

Excerpts from Reviews of the 2005 Boxer

The Boxer Shiraz exhibits a black/blue purple color, an incredible density of fruit, along with that tell tale purity, blackberries, white flowers, melted chocolate, sweet licorice and subtle wood. Full bodied, beautifully textured and layered, with an awesome finish it should drink well for 4-6+ years. 95 points. Robert Parker Jr Wine Advocate # 165

SMART BUY. Dark and dense. A big wine yet lively with nutmeg-and cinnamon scented blackberry, cherry and licorice flavors, balanced against firm but well integrated tannins. Needs some time to soften. Best from 2007 through 2014. 91 points. Harvey Steiman, Wine Spectator Nov 15 2006

The 2005 Boxer was #68 in the Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of 2006

MyWineAssistant Rating: 94.7

2006 Goosebumps Sparkling Shiraz ($50 USD)

We are thrilled to bits to be bringing you this new wine. To tell you the truth, we love drinking Sparkling Shiraz ourselves so we thought we would make some and share it with you. Our aim is for you to experience a taste sensation similar to the qualities of our Shiraz, enhanced with creamy bubbles – a perfect wine for special occasions, or simply sharing with friends for the fun of it. There could be no better name for it than "Goosebumps" – you get them both from the bubbles and from the amazing intensity of flavour!.

The Shiraz has been selected from Scott & Cheryl Longbottoms' vineyard in Padthaway and Darren & Belinda Joppichs' vineyard in Langhorne Creek, both of which are producing grapes which exude incredible flavour and complexity.

2006 Gigglepot Cabernet Sauvignon ($50 USD)

This gorgeous Cabernet was named after the Mollydooker Gigglepot, Sarah and Sparky's daughter, Holly.

Last year if a Cabernet had a Marquis Fruit Weight™ (MFW) score of 80% it was included in the Enchanted Path. This year it is in our new wine, Gigglepot. We are so proud of it. It is full of flavor, rich, supple and elegant – the very essence of Cabernet. When you taste it you will see what S+S mean when they say that we try to market our wines at 2 price points below their intrinsic value. This wine is stunning! Unfortunately there is very little of it. 

2006 Blue Eyed Boy Shiraz ($50 USD)

This joyous wine was named after the Mollydooker Blue Eyed Boy, Sarah and Sparky’s son, Luke.

Just wait till you taste this wine! Sarah and Sparky blended it last week. They let me have a taste after they had decided on the blend. I couldn't believe it. There were 3 major components, but the blend was exponentially better than any of them. I don’t understand how that happens. It had the best features of all three of the components – depth and complexity from one, velvety unctuousness from another, intensity and color from the third, and then a something extra - a life force of its own. Magic!

We are so happy to be able to bring you this new wine, which we believe is a great wine at an affordable price, perfect for celebrating, sharing with friends, or relishing on your own.

The grapes for this wine come from Scott and Cheryl Longbottom’s and Darren and Belinda Joppich’s vineyards.

2006 Enchanted Path Shiraz / Cabernet ($80 USD)

I absolutely love blending varieties together! It is my favourite part of winemaking. It’s so much fun capturing the beauty and strength of each variety to make a wine with elegance, balance and harmony. To me, you get the best of both worlds! Sarah

The fruit for the 2006 comes once again from our top vineyards - Prime and Gateway. This year we raised the bar for fruit to qualify for Enchanted path and in our Mollydooker tastings we are currently rating the 2006 higher than the 2005.

Excerpts from reviews of the 2005 Enchanted Path.

The 2005 Enchanted Path is fashioned from relatively young vines. It reveals an amazing opaque purple/blue/black color (always a hallmark of Marquis wines), a full bodied, powerful, smoky nose, extravagant layers of fruit, spice, glycerin, and extract, full body, superb intensity, tremendous richness, and a seamless personality. It is a textbook example of a southern Australian red at its richest, fullest, and most pure. For consumers with open minds and progressive palates this amazing red should age beautifully for 10-15 years. 96 points.
Robert Parker Jr, Wine Advocate #167

MyWineAssistant Rating: 97.3

2006 Carnival of Love Shiraz ($80 USD)

Well, I bet you are all wondering what the 2006 Carnival of Love will turn out like after a review of 99 pts from Robert Parker, and a Highly Recommended and 94 points from Harvey Steiman, for the 2005 vintage. We believe you will not be disappointed. This vintage we raised the bar for fruit to qualify for Carnival of Love. As the wine sits in barrel right now, the intensity and complexity of it blows us away. We are currently scoring it higher than the 2005. If you are after a HUGE Shiraz from Australia this is your wine.

Excerpts from reviews of 2005 Carnival of Love

Amazingly the Carnival of Love ratchets up the level of quality. A selection of the finest Shiraz barrels, it boasts an extraordinary black/purple color, gorgeous notes of blackberry liqueur, camphor, and smoke, and an enormous voluptuousness that would make even Pamela Anderson jealous. Great purity, symmetry and harmony as well as remarkable balance for such a rich intense wine, in the glass espresso, vanillin, white chocolate and additional black fruits also emerged. It should drink well for a decade. 99 points. Robert Parker Jr. Wine Advocate #167

This brims with personality, playing its toasty, roasted wheat berry and dusky spice flavours against a vital core of dark juicy blackberry, plum and cherry fruit. The finish just doesn't quit, with the tannins wrapping it all firmly but gently. Best from 2008 through 2016. Score: 94 HIGH RECOMMENDED. Harvey Steiman Wine Spectator, Jan/Feb 07

MyWineAssistant Rating: 99.0

2006 Velvet Glove Shiraz ($175 USD)

Our passion in winemaking is to make wines which coat your tongue with an unctuous silky smooth voluptuous flavour which lasts forever - a velvet glove.

We measure this quality on the Marquis Fruit Weight™ scale. For a wine to be included in Velvet Glove, it must score 95% or above. To score this highly, the grapes must come from a very special vineyard, must be grown according to the Marquis Vineyard Watering Programme™, and then must have that blessing from above – a favourable growing season.

In 2006 we were lucky enough to have all three, the magical Gateway Vineyard, Toby Bekkers (McLaren Vale Viticulturalist of the Year) and Daniel Libovich looking after the watering, and the God of the weather on our side.

We have, in the past, had 4 wines which have scored 99 points from Robert Parker Jnr. In our Mollydooker grading tastings we rate this wine higher. The 2006 Mollydooker Velvet Glove is quite simply the best wine we have ever made.

Links

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