2006 Mollydooker Two Left Feet Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon

My records say this ran me about $26 a few years ago - I seem to recall seeing the newest vintage for a bit cheaper than that though...

Blackberry jam and vanilla ice cream on the nose - almost like a sundae.

Black fruit dominate - dark blueberry, blackberry, plum. Somewhat sweet and I can't say I get much wood, but I do get some nice spicy qualities, perhaps some fresh basil and oregano, but mostly a minty.

A surprisingly short finish, anise, black fruit, and mint fade quickly with only some alcohol heat lingering for some time - it's worth nothing there is almost no heat on the palate.

It's big, it's fruit bomb like, it's stereotypically Aussie - it's also quite good. As potent and huge as it is, it's really not all that over the top - if this is your style, I give it a go.

Score: 88

2006 Mollydooker Maitre'D Cabernet Sauvignon

I was not a fan of the 2007 at all, but I had this 2006 on the rack, so I figured I'd crack it open. The first glass was just heat and burn.

I recapped it, put it in the fridge, and forgot about it for ten days. The plan was to let it sit for only a day or two, but out of sight out of mind - I was about to pour it down the drain, but thought I should at least try it. Guess what?

Ripe plum, almost prune like, and red licorice on the nose.

Red licorice, blueberry, black cherry, a touch of eucalyptus, coffee, and chocolate are all nicely integrated on the palate. A big wine to be sure, plenty of heat, but we actually get "something" here - after a full week and a freaking half.

It's pretty much all black cherry on the finish.

Day one was not good in the least – tight, huge, silly, painful (think low 70s). After a full week and a half we have a wine that's tolerable. I'm sticking with The Boxer from here on out.


Score - 80

2007 Mollydooker Maitre'D Cabernet Sauvignon

Mollydooker's wines are ridiculously large - their wines can be a bit much for many people and situations. My experience has been rather hit and miss - I was lukewarm on the 2006, but grabbed a 2007 for fun. All the entry level offerings from this vintage went for $27 in these areas. One reviewer suggested giving this no less than 24 hours to open - I didn't even bother tasting this until six hours of air in the decanter. As you can see, I wanted to like this so much I decided to give it an extended period of time...

Six hours
Eucalyptus on the nose, in fact it's almost like a cherry cough drop. The palate is more or less ruined by heat - I can't say I taste much beyond the cherry cough drop thing from the nose and maybe some brown spice. Finish lingers for quite a while but nothing beyond a medicinal eucalyptus thing.

Twelve hours
No change on the nose. The palate has morphed a tad - more into a cherry cough syrup thing blended with a menthol cough drop.

Twenty-four hours
Some interesting overripe plum, bordering on prune things come out on the nose. The heat and medicinal qualities have faded (but not disappeared) leaving some dark, ultra ripe black cherry and raspberry, plus more plum, and even a chocolate thing.

Thirty hours
Eucalyptus, mint, even some anise on the nose - it's finally coming together. The heat has faded even more. I'm getting loads of spice - brown and green - with some black cherry for fruit. The eucalyptus does come through and linger for some time.

SIXTY hours
I normally wouldn't even bother with this, but I had a bit leftover and thought it would be interesting. Cherry and eucalyptus on the nose. The fruit has disappeared leaving a minty, mentholly, clove spiced, alcoholic beverage.

Even when it finally came together - 30 hours in the decanter - it was still a rather uninteresting and disappointing offering. If you want to try a Mollydooker, stick with The Boxer Shiraz.

Wine: 4.5
Value: Nope

2007 Mollydooker Two Left Feet

Perhaps the most polarizing wines on the planet - at least in the under $30 range - the Mollydooker offerings are gigantic, explosive, some may say stupid, fruit bombs from down under. They generally get good marks from Parker, but it's not uncommon for others to rate them in the 70s.

A powerful nose with super ripe plums and less heat than I expected.

Plum - perhaps more prune - blackberry, ultra ripe blueberry, a bit of maple syrup even, all with vanilla extract - almost like some sort of vanilla liqueur, and eve n some of those farmer's market strawberries that are just on the edge of going bad, they're a tad dark, a bit squishy, and you're not sure whether or not you should eat them, but they weren't cheap and you don't feel like you're going to throw up after eating a couple, so you keep eating them.



It's a style for a certain palate. We own a fair amount of Mollydooker and to be honest, if I'm not in the mood for this style, I feel a tad nauseous even thinking about it. Every few months we'll pop open a bottle, dig it, but finish the bottle more than happy to not open another bottle until six months have passed.

That being said, when I am in the mood, and drinking this with something like ribs, steak with some sort of huge sauce, perhaps even a pasta dish with six types of cheese and three types of sausage, it holds it own and doesn't really overpower.

Wine: 8.5
Value: I think so, but proceed with caution

2006 Mollydooker Blue Eyed Boy Shiraz

To celebrate post #500, I thought long and hard about what to open – settling on this one. We are fans of Mollydooker's Boxer Shiraz, this one is the “mid-range” offering which goes for around $50, and finally there is a more expensive one (Carnival of Love, I think) which we probably won't be trying anytime soon since I can't imagine dropping $80 on an Australian Shiraz (especially on this economy).

Black cherry on the nose. After a few hours, some spices really start presenting – cinnamon mostly – as well as plenty of earth.

Fairly similar to The Boxer, but less heat overall. Black cherry, blueberry, and vanilla. There's some very solid structure here as well – nice tannic backbone and some mild oak flavors as well. As this opens, some very candylike aspects come through – it almost makes your teeth hurt. Dare I say I get a bit of Dr. Pepper on the back palate and finish? After a few hours in the decanter, some new things pop up: chocolate, toffee, and coffee, with some new earthy and spicy notes.

Blueberry ice cream on the finish with some anise, tobacco, and mocha...just when you think it's gone, a bit of black pepper creeps in.

Thinking back to the 2006 Boxer (which was a disappointment compared to the 2005 and 2007), this is obviously better. Compared to the 2007 Boxer? I'm not convinced. If the quality of the Boxer gives a hint to the quality of this, then I'd be very curious to try the 2007 – but for $50, I certainly can't justify this.

Wine: 8.5
Value: No

2007 Mollydooker The Scooter Merlot

Alrighty, Mollydooker's Merlot offering. It's freezing out, so a gigantic, alcohol fueled wine seemed like it would fit the bill – the going rate for this one is about $25.

A big fat nose – almost like a blueberry infused brandy. Giant alcohol, black fruit, and licorice.

A big fat palate – blackberry, big fuzzy tannins, almost a cough syrup like quality – just gigantic and somewhat dumb, there is a fortified sort of quality, just a big alcoholic burn. Unpleasant on a warm day, but sitting in a drafty apartment when it's literally ten below zero – it does hit the spot nicely. This is the sort of bottle you'll want to let open for several hours – some nice oak and vanilla notes come through after a few hours,

A big fat finish – cinnamon, clove, and an array of miscellaneous dried green spices all with loads of Twizzlers.

I liked The Boxer a lot – I don't mind over the top wines, but there's a fine line between huge and ridiculous. I can't say this one works for me.

Wine: 6
Value: No

2007 Mollydooker The Boxer Shiraz

Alright, here it is....the 2007 vintage of Mollydooker. These wines are made in a very particular style – they are huge, over the top, some may say stupid wines – immense fruit and immense alcohol. A lot of people love these wines, plenty more cannot stand them. I lean towards the love side here, but let's see.

To misquote Ralph Wiggum: this smells like burning. Seriously – swirl this around and stick your nose in and expect some nose hair to be seared.

Enormous. Bigger wines may exist, but I have yet to encounter one. No tannins to speak of, it's all in your face, over the top, absurd red fruit blended in with a vanilla milkshake. Super ripe, dark red strawberries and giant, freaky, genetically modified, monster blueberries. This isn't “a touch of vanilla” or “a hint of vanilla bean” - it's “throw me a giant cookie, I'm drowning in this Olympic sized pool filled with vanilla milkshake.” I'm getting a left jab of asphalt, an uppercut of smoke, a bodyblow of tobacco, a right jab of green pepper, a low blow of oak, and is this ring in the middle of a barnyard? There may be more but I don't know any more boxing terminology. A speedbag full of blackberry jam? Deep into the finish a burst of cedar comes through as well as some blueberry and spiced cherry.

Serving temperature of wine is important – this cannot be overstated – but it's especially true with a wine like this. Consumed too warm – even slightly – this will be atrocious, burny, and harsh. Cool it down, my friend – mid to upper 50s and this will be enjoyable....if you're prone to enjoy this style.

Day two is interesting.

Tree bark on the nose – maybe cinnamon – more powerful alcoholic burn.

This almost feels heavier and darker – almost like blackberry fruit leather. A lot more spice, too – cinnamon, anise, nutmeg, basil, and menthol are coming through with some tobacco. It's almost giving me a fuzzy tongue. The oak seems a bit more present and that superpowered vanilla milkshake has faded tremendously but in its place is something vaguely reminiscent of cherry cough syrup.

The vanilla milkshake has finally shown itself on the finish though I do believe some raspberry is in the mix.

There you have it. I'm down. You may not be and that's splendid. This is the sort of wine that you shouldn't bother trying to pair anything with – popcorn maybe, something powerful - perhaps ribs? Mmmm, ribs....anyway, this goes for twenty-five bones, nothing to shake a stick at, but if this is your style I don't know if you're going to do better - if this review doesn't sound appealing, don't bother....really.....don't.....just don't.

Wine: 9
QPR: 9

2006 Mollydooker The Boxer Shiraz

Here we are with another Mollydooker bottle – last year the 2005 sold out within days around here, but the 2006 is still available at most places in these parts for about $20. I read about this wine a while back and found this interesting tidbit on their website called the Mollydooker Shake: basically open the bottle, pour out half a glass, recap it, and shake shake shake.

Our first notes are before the shake:

A huge punch of alcohol on the nose, with licorice and cherry.

This is an enormous wine – big fruit, big spice, big sugar, and big heat. The high alcohol content (16%) will most likely turn some people off, but every so often this is a fun wine to indulge in. I'm getting blueberry and cherry, ultra ripe plum, a mix of spices, but almost no tannins.

Not much on the finish, though I do seem to be getting some oak notes – it's mainly heat though.

Now – I recapped the bottle, did the shake, and tried again.


Red and black licorice as well as some herbal notes on the nose, but interestingly – the punch of alcohol has disappeared.

Still huge, but the alcohol has subsided. Oak is co\ming through, as well as a fair amount of spice – pepper and clove – the fruit is still mostly blueberry and cherry. It's far more peppery after the shake.

The finish is still tame – a bit of heat, though not nearly as harsh, and some nice black pepper is now predominant.

Before the shake, I probably would've hesitated recommending this – but I feel the shake and a good four hours of air really helped this one calm down a bit and brought up some depth, and dare I say finesse? Either way, this is an outstanding value.

2006 Mollydooker The Maitre D Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2005 Mollydooker was such a huge hit, I didn't hesitate grabbing a few bottles of the 2006 line. This ran me $20.

Menthol and anise on the nose and not much else but alcohol.

Huge and over the top – no tannin to really speak of, lots of fruit – cherries and berries with a bit of oak.

The finish lingers with more menthol, oak, and perhaps cherry.

It's a big wine and I'd call it somewhat dumb, but still enjoyable. This is one I'd save for the winter and enjoy on a cold night. If you see this, pick it up, it maybe tough to find in the coming weeks.

2005 Mollydooker The Boxer Shiraz

Well, it's great to be back – The Wineauxs have been on hiatus for close to two months. We moved and have slowly been settling in. Our updates will be back to their typical frequency – at least a couple times a week – and we have a whole wine fridge full of interesting bottles we look forward to writing about.

I've been sitting on this bottle for a while, mainly because I love the label art. Since I recently picked up a bottle of the 2006 vintage I figured I may as well crack this one open.

A note on color – I don't recall seeing a wine this dark recently...it's nearly black.

This one punches you in the nose with jam, dark plum, blackberry, and the like.

The palate can best be described as explosive. Huge berry and plum, a touch of alcohol, jam to the tenth degree, and some cocoa supporting it all. After some time in the decanter, dark chocolate became very pronounced. Virtually no tannin.

The finish lingers with, no shock, black fruit and chocolate.

I suspect this is a fairly polarizing wine – people who like this sort of thing would be in love with this, but if giant, jammy, fruit bomb doesn't sound appealing then I'd say steer clear. A while back we gushed about an Australian Shiraz called Layer Cake – this is on par with that one for sure. If you can find this one, give it a shot.

2005 Mollydooker Two Left Feet

Late one evening, I saw this bottle of wine at a local wine shop but knew nothing about it - the label jumped out at me, but I figured “eh, I’ll jot down the name and come back in a few days after I find some reviews.” I tend to avoid picking up random bottles if it’s over $10 - this one was $20.

Every review I found was a rave, so I went back to the shop on my lunch the following day - sold out! They had maybe 20 cases, and between 8:30 one night and 1 pm the next day, they sold it out. While browsing at another wine shop a few weeks later, I found it again and snatched it up. Poking around online, you can find this ranging from $30 to $50.

Does it live up the hype?

The nose stings with alcohol but otherwise is somewhat muted.

Deliciously complex - oak, tobacco, black pepper, blackberry, cherry, anise, plum (prune?), vanilla, and coffee. Booming, New World fruit bomb, I didn’t even bother trying to pair it - maybe with some sort of red meat, but we just slowly enjoyed it over the course of an evening.

The finish brings out some blackberry jam, oak, some dried fruit, chocolate, and a bit of alcohol burn.

I hate to give into the hype, but goddamn this is a good bottle of wine. If you find it, grab it.

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.