2009 Mollydooker Carnival Of Love Shiraz
A broody wine, the 2009 Mollydooker Carnival of Love gives an Amarone vibe. Classic and big Aussie Shiraz profile, that of intense creme de cassis, mulberries, vanilla, spice, baked brown sugar, as well other characters well described by WS and Parker et al. Those bold flavours, rich texture cumulate in what the winemakers call “fruit weight". On the palate, the 15.5% ABV carries the concentration and power, with fine tannins and some McLaren Vale elegance. Using 100% American oak, this Carnival of Love 2009 has a distinctive dark chocolate and vanilla flavours with a high level of alcohol - seldom less than 14.5% and sometimes more than 15.5%.
Try the Mollydooky shake(s) to helping nitrogen release and uncover more fruit. Let's face it, the Velvet Glove is finer, yet this Carnival of Love is way above Enchanted Path, the sibling of the Love Series.
The 2009 Carnival of Love is 100% Shiraz coming from a single vineyard of 9-year-old vines and matured in 97% new and 3% one-year American oak. A wine to drink now and to keep.
Impressive scores. Cult-status wine.
94 points Wine Spectator (Ranked #55 on the Top 100 wines of 2010) Dense and chewy, but after an initial hit this backs off to let the gorgeous smoke-tinged black cherry, mulberry, dried tomato and tomato leaf flavors emerge at an almost leisurely pace. There's a sense of refinement underneath the raw power, and the finish holds on expressively. (HS) (9/2010)
93 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate The 2009 Carnival of Love is 100% Shiraz coming from a single vineyard of 9 year old vines and matured in 97% new and 3% one year American oak. Very deep garnet-purple colored, it gives intense creme de cassis, vanilla, spice, mocha and licorice notes. Crisp and firmly structured with a high level of grainy tannins, this is a full-bodied, powerful Shiraz with a great deal of ripe dense fruit giving very good persistence. It finishes seriously spicy and just a little hot. Consider drinking this one 2012 to 2019+. Following a challenging 2008 vintage when no Velvet Glove, Gigglepot, Blue Eyed Boy, Enchanted Path or Carnival of Love wines were made, Sparky Marquis and his inimitable Mollydooker line-up is back to firing on all cylinders in 2009. (LPB) (12/2010)
