2006 Mollydooker The Violinist Verdelho

I am a sucker for a cool label and with Mollydooker’s strong reputation I figured I’d pick up a bottle of this one.

In a word: big. It reminds me of a Sauvignon Blanc on steroids.

The nose hits you with pineapple.

Though it’s somewhat creamy, I get lots of pineapple, white grapefruit, some herbal notes, and a nice amount of acid. It’s fruity, but not sweet.

The finish has an alcohol burn (no shock–15% alcohol) and I’m getting papaya.

I’ve never had a Verdelho before so I have nothing to compare this to, but this one is big and heavy.

I prefer my whites lighter and crisper, so this one just isn’t my style. If you like big, bold whites I’d recommend it. If you’re like me and enjoy Riesling and the like, avoid this one.

2005 Hope Estate Hunter Valley Verdelho

Further working our way to the Wine Century club, I present you with a Verdelho made by Hope Estate in Australia.

Most of the unusual red wines we have are good, but I can't say there's a varietal of red wine we flat out do not like...Shiraz tend to be hit or miss, but a decent red varietal is a safe bet...whereas there's lots of white we don't like....the best Chardonnay out there, we'd probably hate...lots of Sauvignon Blancs we don't care for, there's a whole style of Riesling we dislike, etc....so I'm hesitant with a lot of these whites.

Fran gets florals notes on the nose, all I get is pineapple. The palate is somewhat like a Sauvignon Blanc...tropical fruit, grapefruit, lots of acid, not sweet, and it has a lemon-lime finish. I had two glasses over two nights and pitched the bottle.

It's interesting, but not something we'd try again I'd say. I'd hope that in our quest for 100 we find something unusual that really grabs us, but this one isn't doing it.