WTN: Baker's Dozen for Charity

[David M. Bueker]

Every year I donate a wine tasting party to the United Way silent auction at work. Yesterday the winner "took posession" of the prize:

Aubry Champagne NV
Disgorged April 2009, and predictably forward fruity with lovely toast elements in the background. While not overly complex it was overly delicious.

2005 Louis Michel Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons
Steely lemon fruit with good back end richness. Lots of folks liked this.

2006 Francois Cotat Sancerre Les Monts Dammes
Very badly corked. This was at least instructive for those who did not understand corked wines.

2005 Pepiere Muscadet Granite de Clisson
Ground seashells in a dry lemonade - fantastic.

2005 Trimbach Pinot Gris Reserve
Smoky, spicy and in fact a touch sweet. I liked it a lot, but the group had that "ick, it's sweet" reaction. There was some fruit available, so I had them all take a piece of apple or a grape tyhen taste the wine. Totally different reaction with near unanimous approval.

2008 Pali Wine Company Pinot Noir 'Riviera' (Sonoma Coast)
Crisp red fruit and light oak. This has really good acidity & freshness. I like it a lot.

1996 Chateau Lagrange (St. Julien)
I wanted people to taste an older wine, and this was in perfect form. Still some fruit, but also lots of leathery, cedary elements coming it. The finish was long and persistent. Lagrange usually shows very oaky when young, but this showed almost no oak at 14 years old.

2006 La Spinetta Barbera d'Alba 'Gallina'
Wow was this dark. It had good acidity which was about the only thing that said Barbera to me. Still it was very drinkable, and went very well with the Italian food the hosts had prepared.

2005 Mas de Guiot Costières-de-Nîmes Cuvée Numa
A little bit of the horse crept into this bottle of Syrah. Tasted more fruity than earthy though, and it evolved well in the glass. Quite dry and tannic.

2007 Dashe Zinfandel Florence Vineyard (Dry Creek)
Well mannered zin. Berry fruit, moderate oak & no trace of heat. Quite delicious, and it was one of the group favorites.

2006 Turley Zinfandel Mead Ranch Vineyard (Atlas Peak)
Surprisingly light in body for a 16.5% alcohol wine. It really held the alcohol well, and the fruit was very fresh. This got sucked down pretty fast.

2005 Clos Les Lunelles (Cotes de Castillon)
Dark, dark, dark. Tannic, tannic, tannic. There's plenty of fruit there, so put it in the cellar and forget it.

2008 Mollydooker Cabernet Sauvignon The Maitre D (S. Australia)
Enough fruit for three wines. Too candied for me. It also had a minty edge, and between that and the sweet fruit it went well with mint frosted brownies.

2008 Mollydooker Shiraz The Boxer (S. Australia)
The two Mollydooker wines were meant as a bit of a joke as the host requested "big reds." Well we had them, and the group loved them. Not a one of them had ever heard of Mollydooker before, so there was zero critical/hype influence and the loved the wines. This was actually more palatable to me than the Cab, as it was less candied, but man, what a goop monster. Oof. Anyway - it's not really the Parker/Spec effect, they really liked the wines. Go figure.

Oof. Anyway - it's not really the Parker/Spec effect, they really liked the wines. Go figure.

It's probably physiological.

Nice comment about the cabernet sauvignon going well with the brownies. More evidence that perhaps Port is a better frame of reference!

2005 Louis Michel Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons
Steely lemon fruit with good back end richness. Lots of folks liked this.

Thanks. You just saved me some money. I was planning to pick up a couple bottles of this on my next run up to MacArthur's. Any time the word lemon shows up in a tasting note I know my wife will not like the wine. Its nice that she is that consistent.

Any time the word lemon shows up in a tasting note I know my wife will not like the wine..

Is that because the wines are not rich/heavy enough?

I guess she doesn't like Chablis in general then?

Any time the word lemon shows up in a tasting note I know my wife will not like the wine..

Is that because the wines are not rich/heavy enough?

I guess she doesn't like Chablis in general then?

Right on both. Plus Lemon is a flavor she does not like in anything (makes cooking difficult at times) and Lemon is often associated with higher acid which she is only just now starting to accept.

A couple of questions, David. Well, the first one is an observation.

1) I take it from your note on the 1996 Lagrange, that it is time to start drinking it. I bring this up, because this morning I was rearranging some of my wines, especially Bordeaux, and I put most of my 1996s out of reach, thinking they still need a couple of years. I specifically remember putting my Lagrange far away, but maybe I shouldn't have.

2) Did you find that most people liked the 2005 Clos les Lunelles inspite of the tannins? I find that the general population enjoy the lushness of 2005 and are unaware of the tannins. My 2005s are buried deeper than my 1996.

David, what, no Riesling???

Hi Dave,
Janet here, Sparky’s mom, from Mollydooker. Thanks so much for choosing our wines when asked to provide ‘big reds’. It was great to hear that the group enjoyed them so much. We invest everything, heart and soul, into making them, so it is wonderful to get that feedback. But I’m hanging my head in shame that nobody had heard of us, I obviously need to hone my marketing skills. If anyone would like check us out they can go to http://www.mollydookerwines.com; if they would like to get in touch with us about anything to do with our wines, winemaking, or vineyards they can contact me at janet@mollydookerwines.com.au ; and if any WineLovers are coming down under and would like to visit, just email me and we will roll out the red carpet.
Thanks again,
Janet and The Mollydooker Team

[David M. Bueker]

Janet - nobody had heard of them because they seem to disappear from the shelves as fast as they get there. You've done well. I'm not a fan (though I confess, I didn't hate the shiraz which has upset my standing with my wine group), but I can understand why lots of people would be.

Hi Dave,
Janet here, Sparky’s mom, from Mollydooker. Thanks so much for choosing our wines when asked to provide ‘big reds’. It was great to hear that the group enjoyed them so much. We invest everything, heart and soul, into making them, so it is wonderful to get that feedback. But I’m hanging my head in shame that nobody had heard of us, I obviously need to hone my marketing skills. If anyone would like check us out they can go to http://www.mollydookerwines.com; if they would like to get in touch with us about anything to do with our wines, winemaking, or vineyards they can contact me at janet@mollydookerwines.com.au ; and if any WineLovers are coming down under and would like to visit, just email me and we will roll out the red carpet.
Thanks again,
Janet and The Mollydooker Team

Hi Janet, and welcome to the forum. I hope you will stay around and tell us all about your wines in particular, and about OZ wine in general. One of my favorite wines in all the world is the Ch. Tahbilk (Nagambie Lakes region) marsanne. I must also admit that their 1860 vine shiraz is a favorite, but alas the price is rising above my ability. I am still drinking a few of the 1995 marsanne though.

Thank you Bob for welcoming Mollydooker and in particular Janet (Sparky's Mom) to this discussion forum. Nice to begin new friendships especially with those who have the same passion as ourselves, WINE!

Quick update from Mollydooker for you all! The winery is a buzz as we are only a couple of weeks away from harvesting our fruit for 2010. Our cellar vintage casuals have eagerly started working with us. This year we have a few international cellar hands which is fantastic.

Our 2009s are looking superb - we are at the last stage of blending right now, and will start to bottle in about a month’s. You can actually check out Sarah and Sparky blending the 09 Velvet Glove and Carnival of Love (our high end wines) on our website home page - http://mollydookerwines.com.

Keep on sharing your experiences,
Tarlie, Janet's helping hand

I'll join Bob in welcoming you here, Victoria. It's always great to have the perspective of the folks who make this stuff we love to drink so much. Please do keep us posted on what's happening with Mollydooker and I hope you'll have the time to join in on any other threads that interest you.

I'll join Bob in welcoming you here, Victoria. It's always great to have the perspective of the folks who make this stuff we love to drink so much. Please do keep us posted on what's happening with Mollydooker and I hope you'll have the time to join in on any other threads that interest you.

Except that neither of the individuals making posts under Victoria's name was in fact Victoria Savage. The first post was made by Janet Gawith, Molldooker's GM and Sparky's mom; the latest post was, according to the signoff, made by Tarlie Rodgers, Mollydooker's Internet Sales Manager. I'm not sure exactly what's going on here, but it's not exactly consistent with WLDG's real names policy.

Mark Lipton

Mark, I was also concerned by this---and puzzled to see three different people appearing "as one". Also to see the rather blatant--I thought--commercial nature of the post.

It's one thing for a winemaker, or even a winemaker GM (not least when it's the Mom) to chime in here. That is always greatly appreciated. But when it's a coterie of people and a commercial website manager who's there to drive traffic and pr, that's another matter. To me at least.

I figured if it was worth worrying about, that's what the Janitor and the Moderators are for, and it's their place to decide whether and how this is appropriate.

[Jenise]

Except that neither of the individuals making posts under Victoria's name was in fact Victoria Savage. The first post was made by Janet Gawith, Molldooker's GM and Sparky's mom; the latest post was, according to the signoff, made by Tarlie Rodgers, Mollydooker's Internet Sales Manager. I'm not sure exactly what's going on here, but it's not exactly consistent with WLDG's real names policy.
Mark Lipton

Hey, no worries, mate , this is completely fine with Robin. Victoria originally registered as 'Mollydooker' which, for the reasons you state we couldn't accept, and quite willingly then supplied her own name. And then Victoria went on vacation and Janet piped in and then Janet was unavailable and so Tarlie responded next. In each case the person speaking has identified themselves and been both friendly and gracious. I personally like and appreciate this kind of participation.

[Robin Garr]

Hey, no worries, mate , this is completely fine with Robin. Victoria originally registered as 'Mollydooker' which, for the reasons you state we couldn't accept, and quite willingly then supplied her own name. And then Victoria went on vacation and Janet piped in and then Janet was unavailable and so Tarlie responded next. In each case the person speaking has identified themselves and been both friendly and gracious. I personally like and appreciate this kind of participation.

I concur in Jenise's remarks. Yes, this forum does not appreciate "spam." However, we also strongly encourage civil discussion and a welcoming attitude toward newcomers.

It is hardly spam when winery folks step in, identifying themselves, to respond to comments made here about their products. This is simple fairness, and is not spammish in any way, shape or form. Let's get a grip, folks, and welcome Victoria, Janet and Tarlie. I, too, hope that they'll stay around to talk with us about wine in general, and I'm quite certain that they won't be promoting Mollydooker or seeking free publicity in places where it isn't appropriate.