Molly Dooker Carnival of Love is made from 100% Shiraz.

The Wine

Carnival of Love is Mollydooker's flagship McLaren Vale Shiraz — a bold, richly layered red that has become one of Australia's most sought-after Shiraz bottlings. Grown on the Gateway vineyard and matured in 100% new American oak, it pours a deep, saturated purple and opens with lifted aromas of raspberry, black cherry and a whisper of aniseed spice. The palate is generous and plush, brimming with dark and red fruit, mocha, coconut and plum, all framed by chocolate, sweet spice and the signature Mollydooker fruit weight that carries the wine without ever feeling heavy. Powerful yet remarkably fresh, it drinks beautifully now and will reward another decade in the cellar.

Serving Tip

Give it the famous "Mollydooker Shake": pour off a small splash, re-cap the bottle and gently tip it a few times to release the winemaking nitrogen. The wine opens up richer, softer and more expressive in the glass.

Winery Info

Mollydooker was founded in 2005 by husband-and-wife winemakers Sparky and Sarah Marquis in McLaren Vale, South Australia. "Mollydooker" is Australian slang for a left-hander — both Sparky and Sarah are left-handed — and that playful, against-the-grain spirit runs through everything they make. The Marquises built their name on a fruit-first philosophy they call Marquis Fruit Weight™: farming for intensely concentrated, perfectly ripe grapes and letting that fruit, rather than heavy oak or extraction, define the wine. From a standing start the winery rocketed to international fame and a devoted worldwide following, and today ranks among the most recognized names in Australian wine. Carnival of Love sits at the top of the Mollydooker range as the flagship expression of everything McLaren Vale Shiraz can be.

Review:

Notes of star anise, red licorice and sarsaparilla add a wonderfully spicy thread that complements the core of cherry, including dried and kirschlike flavors. The dense tannins show a firming side that’s reminiscent of strong, malty Assam black tea and unsweetened chocolate.

Wine Spectator 93 Points

Opus One is the Napa Valley icon born of the partnership between Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild — a single Bordeaux-style blend grown on the Oakville benchland and released only from the vintages the estate deems worthy.

The 2022 is classic Opus: a deep, saturated core with lifted aromas of cassis, black cherry and violet framed by graphite, cedar and a whisper of espresso. Full bodied yet seamless, it layers ripe dark fruit over polished, fine-grained tannins that carry a long, mineral finish. Poured from magnum it opens more slowly and ages even better — the format collectors reach for.

THE MAGNUM: 1.5 liters, the same wine over twice the glass — the bottle that rewards patience and anchors a cellar or a celebration.

Chavy-Chouet Meursault Premier Cru Les Genevrieres is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.

Fruity flavors and typical nutty nuances.  The Genevrières parcels are located in the heart of Meursault's southern premiers crus. "Genevrieres" takes its name from the presence, years ago, of the juniper bushes which covered its slope, and it is sometimes said that the tang of this aromatic berry can be detected in the wine.

The Genevrières parcels are located in the heart of Meursault's southern premiers crus. "Genevrieres" takes its name from the presence, years ago, of the juniper bushes which covered its slope, and it is sometimes said that the tang of this aromatic berry can be detected in the wine.
Fruity flavors and typical nutty nuances.

Chavy-Chouet Bourgogne Rouge La Taupe is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.

Chavy-Chouet's Pinot Noir is classified as humble Bourgogne Rouge, but the fruit for it comes from an excellent single-vineyard site near Pommard. La Taupe's parcel was once part of the Pommard AOC.

The wine is juicy with a great mouthfeel. It has classic Bourgogne Rouge aromas, with a candied cherry character as well as strawberry, raspberry and spice, yet the structure and length of finish reminds one of a Pommard - ripe & rich with a bigger body.

Average age of the vines: 70 years old.

Density of planting: 10,000 vines per hectare.
Soil: clay

100% distemmed. 
Very little intervention. Less pigeage (punch down of the cap) but some remontage (pump-over)

Chavy-Chouet Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru Les Folatieres is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.

Les Folatieres is among the most celebrated Premier Cru climats of Puligny-Montrachet, climbing a steep, mid-slope incline of thin, marly limestone with the bedrock never far below the surface. In the cellar of Domaine Chavy-Chouet in Meursault it becomes a benchmark white Burgundy, drawn from vines of around fifty years.

Fermented on native yeasts and raised a year in French oak with a fifth new, it is concentrated yet precise, layering ripe citrus and orchard fruit over flint and crushed stone, with the drive, depth and long, saline finish that reward a few years in the cellar.

Chavy-Chouet Puligny-Montrachet Les Enseigneres is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.

Les Enseigneres is a coveted village lieu-dit in Puligny-Montrachet, sited right against the great slope near Batard-Montrachet and Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet, a village-level parcel that consistently reaches toward Premier Cru quality. Domaine Chavy-Chouet of Meursault works old vines here, some sixty-five years of age, on clay and limestone.

Fermented with native yeasts and aged a year in French oak with a fifth new, it is a Puligny to seek out: white peach and citrus over a core of wet-stone minerality, with the tension, depth and long finish that mark the finest whites of the village.

Boussey Aloxe Corton Les Valozieres is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir. 

The Aloxe Corton appellation is located right between the Cotes de Nuits and Cotes de Beaune, at the bottom of the Hill of Corton. The old vines planted in the village of "Valozieres" enjoy a perfect location and a specific terroir made of red/brown colored soils with a few silica veins and silex, limestone components, leading to solid and structured wines.

The wine displays a dark ruby and garnet color. The aromas are classic of the appellation with small red fruits, developping peony, jasmine, leather, truffle aromas with age. A firm structure, rich and chewy tannins, and a great length.

Boussey Pommard is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir. 

Pommard has been cultivated in the area for several Centuries. The name Pommard comes from Pomone, goddess of the fruits and gardens. 

The wine boasts a nice cherry red color. The nose is complex and powerful with predominant notes of fruit (Morello cherry, citrus, fresh fig), forest and spice. In the palate, it is powerful and robust with flavors of cherry and spice with well-integrated tannins. Great balance. 

Perfect with beefsteak, furred or feathered game, stewed poultry and cheeses like Epoisses.

Boussey Bourgogne Blanc Cote d'Or Vieilles Vignes is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.

Domaine Boussey is a five-generation family estate in the village of Monthelie, in the heart of the Cote de Beaune, today run by Laurent and Karen Boussey. This white comes off a single old-vine parcel set within the commune of Meursault itself, farmed on the classic clay and limestone of the slope, and carries the stricter Bourgogne Cote d'Or appellation reserved for fruit grown on the true Cote d'Or hillsides.

Two-thirds is raised in seasoned French oak and a third in stainless steel to hold on to freshness and fruit. The result is a genuine, small-domaine white Burgundy at an everyday price, with lime and citrus, a flinty edge and a note of honeysuckle carried on a fine, saline balance of acidity and roundness.

Boussey Meursault Les Meurgers is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.

The grapes for Meursault Les Meurgers are coming from the parcel located on the route to Auxey Duresses, in a horseshoe shape ravine. The grapes always reach ripeness quite early in the season. The name of this village comes from the efforts undertaken by man to plant vines in extremely stony soils. Stones that were thrown formed piles, that are called "murger".

Rich and luxurious wine, well balanced and structured in the mouth. Beautiful golden yellow in color with green highlights. It boasts aromas of toasted nuts, ripe fruit and a very delicate oak aroma. On the palate it is dry and mellow with a lingering smooth finish.

Pair with foie gras, lobster, seafood, poultry and fruit tart.

Boussey Volnay Premier Cru Taillepieds is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.

Les Taillepieds is one of Volnay's most admired Premier Cru climats, its name a nod to the steep, stony slope that once cut the feet of those who worked it. Domaine Boussey, a five-generation family estate in neighboring Monthelie, farms a small south-facing parcel here on clay and limestone from vines that average fifty years of age, roughly a hundred cases in all.

Fermented in stainless steel and aged a year in French oak with a quarter new, it shows the graceful side of the Cote de Beaune: a ruby-garnet color, a perfumed lift of red and black fruit, fig and violet, and the finesse, length and round, juicy tannins that make Volnay the most elegant of red Burgundies.

Michelet Petit Chablis is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.

Golden color. White flowers, fresh, lime and citrus aromas. Pleasant mouthfeel, supple, crisp, fruity flavors.

Machine harvested at full maturity (around Sep. 25th - lasts 12-18 days); pneumatic press; fermentation in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks for 8-10 days; M.L (2 months after the harvest); aging on the lees until February; racking; fining if necessary; cold stabilization; filtration right before bottling in April.

Ideal as an aperitif, the wine is an excellent companion to seafood.

Chavy-Chouet Pommard Premier Cru Les Chanlins is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.

Better known for its Meursault whites, Domaine Chavy-Chouet also crafts a small range of Cote de Beaune reds. Les Chanlins is a Pommard Premier Cru on the Volnay side of the village, a steep site of shallow, rocky soils over hard limestone, with clay and iron that lend the wine firm structure and a mineral cut. The vines average thirty years.

Fully destemmed and aged ten months in French oak with a fifth new, it is fresh and velvety, with red-berry fruit, real minerality and fine, noble tannins. Built to reward about three years in the cellar before it fully opens.

Mollydooker The Boxer is made from 100 percent Shiraz.

Deep, saturated purple in the glass. The nose leads with ripe black cherry and dark plum lifted by mocha and a touch of clove spice. Rich and velvety across the palate, it layers bittersweet chocolate, maraschino cherry and cardamom over a soft, plummy texture, with well-measured tannins and a note of toasted oak carrying a long finish. Full bodied and generous in classic Mollydooker style, yet balanced enough to enjoy now or hold over the next decade.

WHY "THE BOXER"?

The Boxer punches above its weight - Sarah and Sparky Marquis's benchmark McLaren Vale Shiraz, built to over-deliver at its price and the wine that introduces most people to the Mollydooker style.

TASTING NOTES:

Black cherry, plum and mocha with clove and cardamom spice; velvety and full bodied, finishing on bittersweet chocolate and fine oak. Drink now through 2034.

Alain de la Treille Merlot is made from 100 percent Merlot.

Le Jade Sauvignon Blanc is made from 100 percent Sauvignon Blanc.

The wine comes from sun-drenched vineyards planted on the best terroir, selected for its physical and geographical characteristics, on clay and limestone hillsides called "costieres" (coastal region), only a few miles away from the Etang de Thau - a coastal lagoon that is situated between the port of Sete and Marseillan.

This Sauvignon Blanc boasts a silvery straw color. Crisp and fragrant white wine with wonderful aromatic intensity, fresh exotic notes, delicious fruity aromas of citrus and gooseberry. A great varietal expression, this is a zesty and refreshing wine that lingers on the palate.

Maipe Malbec is made from 100 percent Malbec.

This Malbec has a deep purple color with violet tints, complex plum, fig, strawberry, spices and floral aromas; rounded and velvety tannins, excellent length with a distinguished character.

Excellent when paired with game, roasted red meats, pasta or pizza.

Capra Marco Sireveris Dolcetto d'Alba is made from 100 percent Dolcetto.

From Marco Capra's family estate in Piedmont, founded at Santo Stefano Belbo in 1945, "Sireveris" is a classic Dolcetto d'Alba. The grapes are grown at around 400 meters on limestone soils and hand-harvested in September; despite the name, which points to the fruit rather than the wine, Dolcetto finishes dry.

Deep ruby with violet highlights, it leads with ripe cherry and dark berry fruit and closes full and dry, with the gentle, almond-tinged bitterness that is the mark of the variety. An easy, supple, food-friendly red made to enjoy young.

Capra Marco Doppiadi Barbera d'Asti is made from 100 percent Barbera.

Azienda Agricola Marco Capra was founded in 1945 by Tommaso Capra in the hills of Santo Stefano Belbo, in Piedmont, and today Marco Capra farms some eighteen hectares across the Langhe, Roero and Monferrato. "Doppiadi" is the estate's Barbera d'Asti, grown on calcareous clay soils from vines of twenty to twenty-five years, trained in the traditional Guyot.

Barbera is the everyday red of the region, and this is a fine example: a deep, bright ruby with violet glints, a nose of ripe plum and black cherry, and a palate that is full and generous yet kept lively by Barbera's signature fresh acidity. A natural partner for the table.

Codirosso Chianti is made from 90% Sangiovese, 7% Canaiolo, 3% Colorino.

Vinification: fermentation in stainless steel at controlled temperatures for 7 to 8 days with an additional 7 to 8 days on the skins. The juice is pumped over daily for 10 days at the beginning of the fermentation. The wine is then racked and goes through malolactic.

Ruby red color with purple reflections. Intense vinous bouquet with hints of violets and dark cherry fruit.The flavor is full of ripe fruit and a hint of spice. It is well balanced and dry. The finish is persistent and satisfying.

Food pairing: grilled, braised or roasted meats