Mollydooker Winery

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.