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 Left-Hander, is a very innovative winery in recent years. Although not large in scale, it has received countless awards & high scores.
The owners, Sarah & Sparky, previously worked as winemakers for renowned wineries like Henry's Drive and Shirvington, and have been awarded 'Australian Winemaker of the Year'.

Besides the unique labels and consistently high scores, the most distinctive feature of Mollydooker is their exclusive 'Mollydooker Shake'.
Most wineries inject Sulphur before bottling to protect the wine's quality, but Mollydooker uses Nitrogen. This preserves the fruit aroma and reduces potential reactions to Sulphur sensitivity or headaches for some drinkers.
The process is simple: After opening, pour a small glass into the first wine glass. Cap the bottle and Shake Shake Shake. Release the pressure, recap, and Shake Shake Shake again. Pour the wine into the second glass and compare the difference between the two glasses. The shaking releases nitrogen, reviving the fruit aromas and vitality, and softening the strong tannins.

Carnival Of Love ranked 9th in Wine Spectator's Top 100 in 2009, and achieved 2nd place in 2014.
You might think the 2018 vintage is too young, but this wine already boasts an extremely high score on Vivino. New World wines emphasizing fruit, especially Mollydooker which focuses on fruit complexity, are captivating 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.