Our visit to Mollydooker‘s Cellar Door highlighted our travels to McLaren Vale last month. A “cellar door” in Australia is the equivalent of a “tasting room” in the U.S. and Canada.

In just a couple of hours, we tasted some absolutely amazing wines; learned the Mollydooker story; were educated on the Marquis Fruit Weight™; heard amusing tales from Sparky Marquis and his dad, Leigh Gawith, who is also the vineyard manager; talked social media and cookie butter with Jen, Mollydooker’s Facebook and Twitter guru; chatted with Fran, our tour host; had a delicious meal of fresh garden produce; and searched for Bill, the resident Koala bear.

We never did see Bill, who hides high up in the trees surrounding the beautiful estate vineyards and only shows his adorable fuzzy face when he is in the mood and not sleeping.

The light lunch was delicious — garden-fresh produce, the best sourdough bread ever, slices of turkey, different cheeses, almonds, honey and other pairing delights. But not surprisingly, the wines took center stage. Or should we say centre stage? We were very fortunate to taste several wines, all Shiraz, that most definitely had that WOW factor.

We’re not alone in that belief. Mollydooker’s Velvet Glove was awarded 99 points, the Carnival of Love has twice been in the Wine Spectator’s Top Ten Wines in the World, the Blue Eyed Boy is featured in the Qantas President’s Lounge and the demand for The Boxer is massive.

We first tasted both the Carnival of Love and the Velvet Glove at the 2010 Wine Blogger Conference in Walla Walla. We were with a large group trying pours of numerous wines from various regions of the world, and our table was unanimous in declaring both of these rich, robust reds as the best of the day.

Four years later, we still feel the same way. But somehow, they taste even better in Australia!

Mollydooker Blue Eyed Boy
Simply lovely. We brought a bottle of this Shiraz back to our hotel, where we savored every sip while enjoying the view from our balcony. The name Blue Eyed Boy is perfect, because of the blueberry flavors that explode in your mouth the minute you take a sip. (The winemaker says it reminds him of taking a bite from a blueberry muffin.) This is a rich, powerful wine with a silky texture and a very long finish.

Mollydooker Carnival of Love
Love is exactly what we feel about this wine. Full-bodied, complex, intense and elegant, Carnival of Love shares the same silkiness as other Mollydooker wines. And yes, we took some back to Seattle.

Mollydooker Velvet Glove
This beauty is exemplified first by the black velvet label, and then by the velvety smooth taste on the palate. WOW doesn’t even seem adequate for one of our favorite wines in the world. Inky in color, complex, beautifully balanced, rich and luxurious, Velvet Glove has black fruit flavors layered with chocolate, mocha and spice. It’s impossible to just drink one glass.

Marquis Fruit Weight™
Owners Sparky and Sarah Marquis guarantee the quality of their wine by rating it on their unique Marquis Fruit Weight™, which is “the measure of how far back on your tongue the velvety sensation of fruit goes, before the prickly sensation of tannin is exposed.”

More details about fruit weight and the Mollydooker story will be highlighted in our next blog post, Mollydooker Wines-Part 2. We hope you come back to read more about our adventures at Mollydooker’s Cellar Door in McLaren Vale, Australia.

Cheers!
Margot and Dave