Mollydooker
Winery is located in McLaren Vale, 30 minutes from from Adelaide, bordered by
the Adelaide Hills and five minutes away from glorious beaches. The vineyards
are situated on the magical Seaview Ridge, with ancient soils and Mediterranean
climate. There are three separate vineyards, Long Gully Road, Coppermine Road
and Home Blocks, giving a total of 116 acres of Shiraz, Cabernet and Merlot.
Sparky
Marquis was a successful professional photographer when his father told his
five children that whoever were prepared to learn winemaking and viticulture,
they would inherit the award winning vineyard and winery. Sparky’s sister
jumped at it but the boys did not, until Sparky remembered how much he liked
drinking wine and so he also raised his hands.
But in
Sparky’s second year Sarah Watts walked into his life, and shortly he decided
to stay with her and not going back to his family vineyard. While they were
dating, Sparky continued his thesis on canopy management and got great academic
results in his study, winning scholarship to travel overseas.
They
were married in 1991, and with $1000 only, succeeding a career they were both
passionate about, starting as winemakers with Sarah’s parents at Fox Creek. They
built a winery, introduced their Vineyard Watering Programme to get good fruit,
and devoted long hours perfecting winemaking skills.
After
receiving their winery license they won the McLaren Vale Bushing King and Queen
Trophy for Best Wine in the show, and after that won the trophy another two
times. They have been Australian Boutique Winemakers of the Year, as well as
Australian White Winemakers of the Year.
They
were busy and when their son Luke was born, they continued to work hard, with
their son sleeping in a bassinet nearby while they continued on winemaking.
However, when they gave a rejected parcel of wine to an agent to sell, and it
was sold in half an hour, Sarah and Sparky decided they would become bulk wine
producers in order to have more family time.
They created
a virtual winery by helping their grower friends to grow good quality grapes
with the Marquis Vineyard Watering Programme. After that they made wines from
those grapes, making a lot of money. After two years they asked Sparky’s
parents to sell up and join them, trying to make the best bulk wine in
Australia, successfully persuaded them to do so.
Unfortunately
in the next vintage there was a huge grape surplus, and the market wanted
Chardonnay instead of the red wine they made, so the price dropped from $7 a
litre to only 25 cents. They lost all the money they made in the previous two
years as a result.
They
went back to making bottled wine for their friends, like Henry’s Drive, Parson’s
Flat and Shirvington, plus their joint venture Marquis Philips, again getting
great success. In 1999 they became Australian Winemakers of the Year again and
in 2002 winning the Bushing Award for the third time.
The
Marquis Philips brand was a runaway success, growing from 8000 to 120,000 cases
in four years, but they thought they didn’t want to become corporate, and not
compromising on quality, to decide to stay small and hands-on. All of their
partners supported them, with staff offered to take a salary drop, growers
offered to take late payment, suppliers offered to extend terms and both
families mortgaged everything to chip in.
In March
2006 they named their new brand Mollydooker, the Aussie word for left-hander,
because both of them are left-handed. After two weeks their bank account was
down to $17, and they could not even afford to label the wine. A miracle
happened however, with a local businessman, after walking in and knowing they
were in trouble from hearing their story, giving them a cheque with enough
money to enable them to survive.
Three
months later the Wine Advocate chose The Boxer as the Best Value Red in the
world, the Two Left Feet the second, and Maitre D’ as fourth, and The Violinist
the Best Value White in the world. The wines were thus sold out in 19 days, and
all debts were paid off.
In
August, when the Carnival of Love and Enchanted Path were released they were
sold out in 5 days, and Mollydooker was back to pay early, and able to give
bonuses to staff and growers. Since them it was a story of phenomenal success,
with Mollydooker having more wines of 94 Parker points and above than any other
winemakers in the world.
The
Velvet Glove is the fifth of theirs to be awarded 99 points, and the Carnival
of Love has twice been in Wine Spectator’s Top Ten Wines in the world. A mere
18 months after being down to just $17, Sarah and Sparky were able to buy a
beautiful property, a winery, and 114 acres of vineyards on Seaview Ridge in
McLaren Vale.
Never
forgetting how they were helped when in need, they developed and funded three
Mollydooker Houses in Phnom Penh Cambodia to provide education for 300 children
and food for their families. They also support Chester County Futures in PA, on
education and mentoring for under-privileged children, as well as Mercy
Ministries in US for abused women and girls to gain self-esteem and overcome
addictions and depressions, and Hutt Street Centre in Australia for the
homeless and vulnerable people in Adelaide.
In
Mollydooker all grapes are grown sustainably, and about 75000 cases of wine are
made each year. There is 1500 tonne crushing capacity but only 1000 tonne is processed
so there is plenty of time to mollycoddle the wines, and to keep the winery
spick and span.
During
the last three years they have modernized and upgraded the winery, pulled out
unwanted varieties and replanted with Shiraz, installed a watering system,
implemented Vineyard Watering Programme and moved the city office to the winery.
They now have 50 permanent staff, joined by another 20 in vintage.
Sparky
loves his vines, and three months before harvest you can find him sitting under
the gum trees with the viticulture team, squashing grapes and tasting the
juices, to see how much water should be put on the vines in the next week and
when the grapes should be picked.
Sarah
indulged in her artistic flair and designed the quirky Lefty labels, the Family
labels, and the romantic Carnival of Love and Enchanted Path labels, plus the
elegant Velvet Glove which won the Australian Packaging Award. They are both
passionate and never take shortcuts or compromise on quality. They use new or
one year barrel to ferment.
The
guarantee on quality is through rating on its Marquis Fruit Weight, which
measure how far back on the tongue the velvety sensation of the fruit goes
before the prickly tannin is exposed. If the parcel did not reach the required
Fruit Weight, they don’t make those wines so in 2008 only the Lefty wines were
made.
Many
people assume the wines are highly extracted but they are only fermented for
5-6 days. The colour and flavors are contributed by the Marquis Vineyard
Watering Programme to achieve the highest Marquis Fruit Weight. The grapes are
fermented at a relatively low temperature, with the ferments and yeast
performance being monitored three times per day.
When the
sugar level drops to 5 Baume, the wine is pressed, immediately transfer to
barrel to complete primary fermentation, allowing the wine to absorb oak and
enable earlier maturation. During barrel fermentation each barrel is monitored
daily for temperature and Baume level.
Sarah
and Sparky will taste each barrel weekly, to make necessary adjustments and
when fermentation is complete, each wine is pumped from barrel into tank with
added oxygen to open the wine completely. Then the wine is transferred again to
barrel of specific oak profile. The winery works closely with coopers to
develop particular barrels. Each lot is kept separate and assigned specific
barrels for desired flavor profile.
When
secondary or malolactic fermentation begins, the samples are tasted every two
weeks. When the malolactic is finished or sufficient time in barrel is
achieved, it is racked from oak, under a blanket of carbon dioxide to protect
from outside influence. Sparky then assigns a new barrel profile to each wine,
and then are sorted and given time to age.
Fruit
Weight is the percentage of your palate that’s covered by the velvety sensation
of fruit, and a wine must achieve 65% Fruit Weight to be considered a
Mollydooker. The very top wine Velvet Glove achieves 95%-100% Fruit Weight, the
Love wines have 85-90%, the Family wines 75-80% and Lefty wines 65-70%. The
ones not achieving 65% would be sold as bulk wines.
Marquis
Vineyard Watering Programme focuses on nurturing strong and healthy vines with
balanced canopy growth to achieve most intense fruit flavors. Sparky studied
canopy management for his college thesis, and his groundbreaking works on Pinot
Noir in Tasmania earned him a scholarship to France and US. The program is
based on intense data collection and analysis, which starts at bud burst and
carries on with inspection of each vineyard throughout the entire growing
season.
Twice a
week the growth of the vines are measured, including canopy growth, rachis
maturation and Fruit Weight, then fed the data into a complex formula to
provide the precise watering recommendations for the following three days. The
winery has stringent conditions with growers, with the original contract for
one year to determine whether the philosophy is well-suited to each other.
A
three-year contract then follows, with Mollydooker paying a higher price and
bonus of up to 150% depending on the Fruit Weight. In Spring the team starts
their twice weekly inspection, to apply sufficient water to grow the canopy as
fast as possible and help the vines to be productive in the following year, as
the buds for the following vintage is developed in the current.
When the
canopy is sufficient the water is turned off, and vines start to concentrate on
developing the fruit instead of vegetative growth. The vines are still measured
twice weekly, and may apply water to ensure fruit set, or on exceptionally hot
days. Then the
water is authorized again, in small doses, to ensure they don’t go off on
vegetation, before it is fully re-hydrated, and this is repeated to create
sugar.
The team
then collects bunches, to weigh to estimate the approximate crop size, and the
juice is tasted for color and flavor. The sugar level rises rapidly while the
flavor may be lagging behind, and more water is applied to dilute the sugar
until the flavor catches up.
The
picking is usually two weeks later than others, with a supervisor on site to
ensure that everything is clean and no water in any bins. The After Harvest
Watering Program is applied then to enable the vines to store carbohydrates for
the next season, sending their roots deeper into the ground.
The
label of The Violinist shows Sarah, who was made to play violin right handed in
school, so she didn’t poke her neighbor in the eye with her bow. It is made
from Verdelho, with fresh vibrant fruit, like fruit bowl, citrus, pear and got
a creamy texture.
The
label of The Scooter shows Sparky, used to race 30km on a big tyre scooter. It
is made from Merlot, with fragrant cherry and plum nose, berry on palate with
mocha and spice, possessing racy acid, soft tannin and subtle oak. For warmer
regions it can taste tomato and tobacco leaf but this is not the case for The
Scooter, with its cinnamon, blackberry and vanilla.
The Maitre
D’ shows Sparky, who put himself through winemaking college as a left-handed
Maitre D’. It is made from Cabernet Sauvignon, with firm structure of cherry to
plum to chocolate, finishing with mint and coffee, dense fruit and fine tannin,
plus creaminess. On palate it has cassis and red berries, spice, vanilla and
chocolate, with a hint of mint.
The Two
Left Feet depicts what Sparky seems to have when he tries to dance with Sarah.
It is a blend combining Shiraz, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, with perfumed
fruit, richness and depth, firm tannin and blackberry, plus a great length. Great
complexity, it has fresh berries, dark currants and plum, black olive and dark
cherry, blackberry, vanilla cream and aniseed spice.
The Boxer
is named because the first person who tasted it said ‘It’s a knockout’, and the
label also is showing a double Mollydooker. It is a Shiraz with berry,
chocolate, licorice and spice, deep dark color, perfect balance of tannin and
toasty oak.
Miss
Molly is The Boxer’s girlfriend, full of fun and sparkle. It is a sparkling
Shiraz with fresh red berries and chocolate, cream, spice, fine tannin and
sparkling.
Gigglepot
shows their laughing daughter Holly, who couldn’t stop laughing on how she
looked with the black glasses on. It is a Cabernet with real finesse, providing
blackberry, dark chocolate and mint, spice and coffee finish.
Blue
Eyed Boy illustrates their son Luke, and it is a Shiraz with blueberry muffin,
rich, creamy vanilla, dark berry, plum and chocolate, silky texture.
The Enchanted
Path is created to celebrate their journey in life and partnership in
winemaking. It is a blend of Shiraz and Cabernet, giving plenty of fresh plum,
clove and choco mint, then having red berries, aniseed spice and milk chocolate.
The Carnival
of Love shows how life should be, being a Shiraz with depth and complexity yet
elegant, with plenty of rich cherry and blackberry, creamy vanilla, chocolate
and pepper spice.
The Velvet
Glove is a Shiraz with so much complexity, rich blackberry, black cherries,
creamy vanilla, chocolate, mocha and coffee, spice. Overall it gives a silky
texture.
I have
recently tasted the full series and below are my tasting notes:
Appearance
Bright
and clear, it has light lemon color, with watery rims and legs.
Nose
Clean,
with medium (+) intensity aromas of green fruit of pear, citrus fruit of
grapefruit and lemon, autolytic notes of yeast, dairy notes of cream, maturity
notes of rubber, oak notes of toast. The wine is developing.
Palate
Dry with
medium acidity, the wine has high alcohol and medium body. It has medium (+) flavors
of dairy notes of cream, oak notes of butterscotch, citrus fruit of grapefruit,
green fruit of pear. The wine has a medium finish.
Conclusion
Good
quality Australian Verdelho, with an intense nose showing plenty of complexity,
which demonstrates how this varietal can ripen and showing all the different
aromas if it is ripe and well-made. The palate is in balance, with good concentration
in flavors, reasonable complexity and even though a bit heavy it does not have
an overpowering burning feel despite its high alcohol level. With a nice
finish, the wine is ready to drink and not supposed for further ageing.
Appearance
Bright
and clear, it has light lemon-green color, with watery rims and legs.
Nose
Clean,
with medium (-) intensity aromas of green fruit such as pear, tropical fruit of
mixed fruit bowl, stone fruit of peach, floral notes of honeydew, pungent spice
of white pepper and sweet spice of coriander, oak notes of vanilla. The wine is
youthful.
Palate
Dry with
medium acidity, the wine has high alcohol and medium body. It has medium (+) flavors
of green fruit of pear, oak notes of vanilla, stone fruit of peach, some sweet
spice of coriander. The wine has a medium finish.
Conclusion
Good quality
Australian Verdelho showing a ripe fruit characters, yet overall in good
balance with the oak and varietal style, but in a much more concentrated way,
the wine has a slightly more subdued nose than the palate, but showing good
complexity. The alcohol level is very high though you would not feel that way,
with a reasonable length on the finish. It is ready to drink now and not intend
for ageing.
Appearance
Bright
and clear, it has deep ruby color, with fading rims and legs.
Nose
Clean,
with medium (+) intensity aromas of red fruit such as ripe cherries, black
fruit of plum and blackberry, oak notes of vanilla, kernel notes of mocha, some
sweet spice of nutmeg. The wine is youthful.
Palate
Dry with
medium acidity, the wine has medium tannin of ripe and soft texture, showing
high alcohol and medium (+) body. It has medium (+) flavors of red fruit such
as ripe cherries, black fruit of plum and blackberry, kernel notes of mocha,
oak notes of vanilla, sweet spice of nutmeg. The wine has a medium (+) finish.
Conclusion
Very
good quality Australian Merlot showing how the varietal can perform in a ripe
and warm environment, the wine has a fairly intense nose with reasonable
complexity, and on the palate it has a robust structure, with a good balance on
all fronts despite the high alcohol level. The palate is fairly concentrated
with also a good finish. It is ready to drink now and not intend for further
ageing.
Appearance
Bright
and clear, it has deep ruby color, with fading rims and legs.
Nose
Clean, with
medium intensity aromas of black fruit of blackberry and blackcurrant, oak
notes of vanilla, kernel notes of chocolate, some sweet spice of mint, pungent
spice of licorice. The wine is youthful.
Palate
Dry with
medium acidity, the wine has medium (+) tannin of ripe and velvety texture,
showing high alcohol and full body. It has medium (+) flavors of black fruit
such as blackberry and cassis, pungent spice of licorice, oak notes of vanilla,
kernel notes of coffee. The wine has a medium finish.
Conclusion
Good
quality Australian Cabernet Sauvignon showing the ripe fruit characters of the
varietal well, with fair intensity and complexity, the wine has a firm structure
with good concentration, though a bit simple on the flavors, finishing with a
decent length. It is ready to drink now though can benefit from further ageing
of another 1-2 years.
Appearance
Bright
and clear, it has deep ruby color, with fading rims and legs.
Nose
Clean,
with medium (+) intensity aromas of black fruit of blackberry, plum and
blackcurrant, oak notes of vanilla, dairy notes of cream, some sweet spice of aniseed
and clove. The wine is youthful.
Palate
Dry with
medium acidity, the wine has medium (+) tannin of ripe and silky texture,
showing high alcohol and full body. It has medium flavors of black fruit such
as blackberry, cassis and plum, oak notes of vanilla, dairy notes of cream,
sweet spice of aniseed, vegetable notes of black olive. The wine has a medium
finish.
Conclusion
Good
quality Australian red with a fairly good intensity of nice complexity, the
wine has a robust structure, in good balance and showing good concentration,
with a fair length on the finish. A rather well-balanced wine though may not
have particular outstanding point, it is nevertheless well-made and enjoyable.
Ready to drink now, it can benefit from further ageing of another 1-2 years.
Appearance
Bright
and clear, it has deep purple color, with fading rims and legs.
Nose
Clean,
with medium intensity aromas of black fruit of blackberry and blackcurrant, oak
notes of vanilla and toast, kernel notes of chocolate, pungent spice of
licorice. The wine is youthful.
Palate
Dry with
medium acidity, the wine has medium (+) tannin of ripe and silky texture,
showing high alcohol and full body. It has medium (+) flavors of black fruit
such as blackberry and blackcurrant, oak notes of vanilla and toast, dairy
notes of cream, pungent spice of licorice and kernel notes of chocolate. The
wine has a medium finish.
Conclusion
Good
quality Australian Shiraz with a fairly intense nose showing typical varietal
characters, though a bit simple for my liking. The wine has a firm structure, with
nice concentration of similar flavors and finishing with a reasonable length.
It is ready to drink now though can benefit from further ageing of another 1-2
years.
Appearance
Bright and
clear, it has deep ruby color, with fading rims and legs.
Nose
Clean,
with medium (+) intensity aromas of red fruit such as raspberry, strawberry and
sweet cherries, oak notes of vanilla, kernel notes of chocolate, dairy notes of
cream, sweet spice of clove. The wine is youthful.
Palate
Dry with
medium acidity, the wine has medium tannin of ripe and well-integrated texture,
showing high alcohol and medium (+) body. It has medium (+) flavors of red
fruit such as raspberry, strawberry and sweet cherries, oak notes of vanilla,
some sweet spice of clove. The wine has a medium finish.
Conclusion
Good
quality Australian sparkling shiraz with a sweet red fruit nose jumping out of
the glass, with decent complexity, the wine did not have much bubbles which is
typical of the sparkling shiraz, but still providing a nice fizziness on the palate.
With reasonable concentration and finish, it is ready to drink now and not
intend for further ageing.
Appearance
Bright
and clear, it has deep purple color, with fading rims and legs.
Nose
Clean,
with medium (+) intensity aromas of black fruit of blueberry, blackberry and
cassis, oak notes of vanilla, dairy notes of cream, pungent spice of licorice,
kernel notes of chocolate. The wine is youthful.
Palate
Dry with
medium acidity, the wine has medium (+) tannin of ripe and silky texture, showing
high alcohol and full body. It has medium (+) flavors of black fruit such as bilberry,
blackberry and cassis, oak notes of vanilla and toast, kernel notes of milky
chocolate. The wine has a medium (+) finish.
Conclusion
Very
good quality Australia Shiraz showing how the best varietal of Shiraz can show
up, it has a fairly strong intensity on the nose, with good complexity. On the
palate it is equally impressive with silky tannin balancing the strong fruit
and oak characters, with plenty of concentration and a fairly long finish.
Ready to drink now, the wine can benefit from further ageing of another 2-3
years.
Appearance
Bright
and clear, it has deep purple color, with paler rims and legs.
Nose
Clean,
with medium (+) intensity aromas of black fruit such as blackcurrant, dark
plum, blackberry and bilberry, oak notes of vanilla and cedar, kernel notes of
chocolate, herbal notes of mint, pungent spice of licorice. The wine is
youthful.
Palate
Dry with
medium (+) acidity, the wine has high tannin of ripe and a bit powdery on
texture, with high alcohol and full body. It has medium (+) flavors of black
fruit such as blackcurrant, blackberry and dark plum, oak notes of vanilla,
kernel notes of coffee, dairy notes of cream, sweet spice of clove. The wine
has a medium (+) finish.
Conclusion
Good
quality Australian Cabernet Sauvignon, showing ripeness that demonstrates how
well the variety can ripen in the climate, with an intense nose showing good
complexity. Still a bit young, the palate has refreshing acidity though a bit
less integrated than some of the other Mollydooker I tasted, but still with
concentrated flavors and a fairly long finish. Ready to drink now, it can
benefit from further ageing of another 3-5 years.
Appearance
Bright
and clear, it has deep purple color, with fading rims and legs.
Nose
Clean,
with medium (+) intensity aromas of red fruit such as strawberry and ripe
cherries, black fruit of plum and bilberry, oak notes of vanilla, kernel notes
of chocolate, herbal notes of mint, sweet spice of clove. The wine is youthful.
Palate
Dry with
medium acidity, the wine has medium (+) tannin of ripe and velvety texture,
showing high alcohol and full body. It has medium (+) flavors of red fruit such
as ripe cherries, black fruit of blackberry and plum, pungent spice of aniseed,
kernel notes of chocolate, oak notes of vanilla. The wine has a medium finish.
Conclusion
Very
good quality Australia red with a good intensity, showing nice complexity on
the nose and with a balanced and elegant structure, the wine has good velvety
tannin, plenty of ripe fruit and a concentrated palate of fairly complex
characters, ending with a reasonable length. It is ready to drink now though
can benefit from further ageing of another 3-5 years.
Appearance
Bright
and clear, it has deep purple color, with fading rims and legs.
Nose
Clean,
with medium (+) intensity aromas of black fruit of ripe black cherries,
blackberry and bilberry, oak notes of vanilla, sweet spice of clove, dairy
notes of cream, pungent spice of black pepper. The wine is youthful.
Palate
Dry with
medium acidity, the wine has medium (+) tannin of ripe and velvety texture,
showing high alcohol and full body. It has medium (+) flavors of black fruit
such as dark cherries, plum and blackberry, oak notes of vanilla, kernel notes
of chocolate, pungent spice of black pepper. The wine has a medium (+) finish.
Conclusion
Very
good quality Australia Shiraz with a surprising elegance that many winery could
not emulate, the wine has good intensity and nice complexity, supported by the
palate of finesse and elegance despite the high fruit and alcohol. The wine has
good concentration, highlighting the fruit and oak notes while at the same time
showing the kerneal and spicy notes. It is ready to drink now though can
benefit from further ageing of another 3-5 years.
Appearance
Bright
and clear, it has deep ruby color, with garnet rims and legs.
Nose
Clean,
with medium (+) intensity aromas of black fruit of blackberry, dark cherries
and bilberry, sweet spice of clove, oak notes of vanilla and cedar, dairy notes
of cream, kernel notes of chocolate and mocha, animal notes of meat. The wine
is developing.
Palate
Dry with
medium acidity, the wine has medium (+) tannin of ripe and velvety texture,
showing high alcohol and full body. It has medium (+) flavors of black fruit
such as blackberry, dark cherries and bilberry, oak notes of vanilla and cedar,
sweet spice of nutmeg, dairy notes of cream. The wine has a long finish.
Conclusion
Very
good Australia Shiraz depicting how best the varietal can taste, the wine has
intense nose showing high complexity, with the palate being powerful yet surprisingly
elegant, with a good balance on the fruit and tannin texture to make the high
alcohol level not particularly awkward. Finishing with an exceptional length,
the wine is ready to drink now though can benefit from further ageing of
another 5-7 years.
Ingredients (for 8):
1. First prepare the fresh pasta. Silt the flour. Beat the eggs and combine with the oil and salt. 
4. Rapidly spread the dough out using a pastry roller, then process it through a pasta maker. Use the pasta maker to cut out tagliatelle. Allow the pasta to dry for several hours before using it.
