Mollydooker - Carnival of Love Shiraz 2018 (Vivino 4.4)

Mollydooker

Mollydooker - Carnival of Love Shiraz 2018

Country - Australia
Region - McLaren Vale
Vintage - 2018
Grape - 100% Shiraz
Oak type - 100% American oak, 100% new barrels
Strength - 15.5% vol.
Bottle size - 750ml

Vivino- 4.4 pts (119 ratings),
Wine-searcher HK average reference price - $652 as at 2021.2.28

Wine Spectator Vintage Charts – McLaren Vale 2018 - 93 pts

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Mollydooker, also known as the left-handed person, is a very innovative winery in recent years. Although not large in scale, it has won numerous awards and high scores.
Owners Sarah & Sparky previously worked as winemakers for renowned wineries like Henry's Drive and Shirvington, and were awarded "Australian Winemaker of the Year".

Besides the distinctive labels and consistently high scores for their wines, Mollydooker's most unique feature is their proprietary "Mollydooker Shake".
Most wineries inject Sulfur before bottling to protect the wine. However, Mollydooker uses Nitrogen, which preserves fruit aromas and reduces the risk of headaches or allergic reactions to Sulfur for some drinkers.
The process is simple- after opening the bottle, pour a small glass into the first wine glass. Seal the cap, Shake Shake Shake, open the cap to release some gas, reseal, and Shake Shake Shake again. Then, pour into the second wine glass and compare the differences. The second glass, after shaking, releases nitrogen gas which restores the wine's fruitiness and vitality, softening the powerful tannins.

Carnival Of Love ranked 9th in Wine Spectator Top 100 in 2009, and 2nd in 2014.
You might wonder if the 2018 vintage is too young. However, this wine has already achieved extremely high scores on Vivino. New World wines, especially those from Mollydooker that emphasize complexity in fruit flavors, have a captivating allure even when young.

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Official tasting note for reference-

A bold, lively and expressive Shiraz, the 2018 Carnival of Love begins with raspberry and cassis leading the aromatics, with soft hints of butterscotch.
The red fruits are rich with layers of toffee and coconut weaving through the darker plummy fruit that fills the palate.
Mocha and spice add more dimensions to an already impressive array of flavours, creating a true celebration of single vineyard McLaren Vale Shiraz.