The Boxer hit him with his Velvet Glove...

[Jenise]

...but Josh (Raynolds) didn't wake up in the Carnival of Love.

From his recent review on Mollydooker wines:

"It was almost impossible for me to write notes, much less rate, these jaw-droppingly horrific affronts to Australian wine in a way that didn't sound completely insulting to the people who made and actually enjoy them. I simply find the entire 2014 Mollydooker range of grape-derived beverages somewhere between simply undrinkable and completely but fascinatingly repulsive. As usual, I actually drank, rather than just tasted, the wines over a couple of days to give them every opportunity to reveal even a glimmer of redeeming value, but, as the old saying goes: live in hope, die in despair. To me these bottlings taste as if they could be made from anything and come from anywhere, so completely untethered as they are from my concept of wine reality."

He rated eight of the 2014 releases and gave seven of them 70 points each. The one that rose above the others? The 2014 Enchanted Path: 72 points.

[David M. Bueker]

Well they are undrinkable swill.

[Jenise]

I agree. But isn't it nice that someone actually said so? The Spectator, by comparison, rated them fairly highly. (Is that still Harvey Steimen's territory?)

My fave MD reviews

View From the Cellar, John Gilman
Sep/Oct 2007, Issue #11, Road Kill II: More Highly Rated Wines of Very Questionable Merit
This heady wine weighs in at a cool sixteen percent alcohol, and is one of the most repulsive wines that I have tasted in twenty-five years as a professional taster. The wild and offensive nose offers up notes of marinated raspberries, chocolate liqueur, toasted coconut and a lumberyard full of raw, sawdusty oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, fat, cloying, syrupy and excessively scarred by its high alcohol, with a thick and utterly repulsive finish, that alas, lasts much longer than is healthy to the taster. The ’05 Mollydooker “Enchanted Path” is the vinous equivalent of toxic waste. 47 points

View From the Cellar, John Gilman
Sep/Oct 2007, Issue #11, Road Kill II: More Highly Rated Wines of Very Questionable Merit
This lovely little gem from Mollydooker comes in an even more high octane alcohol level of 16.5%, and is even strikingly more offensive than the wine above. The sickly sweet nose (I wonder what the residual sugar level is on this wine) is a blur of black raspberries, peanut butter, rotting beef, raw oak and chocolate. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, fat and oily, with an almost macabre ugliness to it, no focus, no structure and an aggressively hot, bitter and dry woody finish. I could not spit this nasty wine out fast enough. 45 points

I've never come across Mollydooker and it seems to be no loss. However, I notice tons of 90+ scores and enthusiastic reviews on CT. That's another warning only to take account of reviews there from people with palates obviously closely calibrated with one's own.

Wow, those reviews are right up there with Robert Parker's comments on a Tepusquet cabernet sauvignon: "The vinous equivalent of Liquid Plumber". I haven't seen any Mollydooker wines around here. Bringing them in would probably violate federal laws concerning the transportation and storage of hazardous waste.

-Paul W.

Wow, those reviews are right up there with Robert Parker's comments on a Tepusquet cabernet sauvignon: "The vinous equivalent of Liquid Plumber". I haven't seen any Mollydooker wines around here. Bringing them in would probably violate federal laws concerning the transportation and storage of hazardous waste.

-Paul W.

Alas, among the selection of wines at the "better" local grocery store (Nugget Market) Mollydooker seems to take up an inordinate amount of shelf space. The wine program at the local Nugget has been declining for years, to be honest (Vacaville is a beer and burgers kind of town), so what can one expect.

I have friends who like these wines, just different tastes
But I applaud critics who take a stand.

[Jenise]

I have friends who like these wines, just different tastes
But I applaud critics who take a stand.

Yeah, most of the people who attend the neighborhood tastings I host would prefer them, too. And while I try to buy more for their tastes than mine, I do have to meet them closer to the middle.

I have friends who like these wines, just different tastes
But I applaud critics who take a stand.

I agree.

I'm increasingly impatient with critics who seek to be "objective" and distribute praise and high points to wines which they personally dislike on the grounds that they are outstanding in their own way. Rare are "objective" critics whose TNs are so good that one can calibrate their views to one's own tastes. An even worse argument is the risk of offending readers who like the style.

IMO a critic's recommendation is only useful if one knows where he/she stands in matters of taste and style. This is particularly important for me as I now rely on critics' views when buying non-French wines on internet.

On another forum on a thread about Raynolds' take on the MD wines, someone posted "The role of a critic is to evaluate against a broader standard than his or her personal preference."

Um, no. I want a critic who has clear preferences- I do, and the "critic" who finds something to like about everything (and has a scoring range of 87-92) is pretty useless to me. My tastes might be closer (though certainly not perfectly aligned) with Raynolds or Gilman, but I find Parker's notes more informative than those that like every style.

[Jenise]

Rare are "objective" critics whose TNs are so good that one can calibrate their views to one's own tastes. An even worse argument is the risk of offending readers who like the style.

Couldn't agree more. The Spectator seems to have gone the most egregiously down that path. They never mention or even hint at high alcohols--they basically ignore such things completely les, I presume, offend an advertiser--and yet it's an element of taste and, sometimes, aroma. It's part of the wine.

Oh no. My daughter in law gave me a bottle of 2011 Carnival of Love. I know she paid lots of $$$ for it and was very excited to give it to me. It's sitting in my Screw Top bottle section waiting for the right occasion. From what I've read here maybe the best occasion would be a big party where I wouldn't have to drink too much of it!

I'm betting The Donald loves Mollydooker wines.

Oh no. My daughter in law gave me a bottle of 2011 Carnival of Love. I know she paid lots of $$$ for it and was very excited to give it to me. It's sitting in my Screw Top bottle section waiting for the right occasion. From what I've read here maybe the best occasion would be a big party where I wouldn't have to drink too much of it!

Maybe it can be reduced down over a low simmer to become an ice cream sauce?

[Jenise]

I'm betting The Donald loves Mollydooker wines.

To go with his steak cooked well-done?

Actually, word is he's a non-drinker.

[Jenise]

Oh no. My daughter in law gave me a bottle of 2011 Carnival of Love. I know she paid lots of $$$ for it and was very excited to give it to me. It's sitting in my Screw Top bottle section waiting for the right occasion. From what I've read here maybe the best occasion would be a big party where I wouldn't have to drink too much of it!

It's definitely not your style of wine, Ines. But you'll probably have to take one for the team. Easter's coming up!

[David M. Bueker]

Oh no. My daughter in law gave me a bottle of 2011 Carnival of Love. I know she paid lots of $$$ for it and was very excited to give it to me. It's sitting in my Screw Top bottle section waiting for the right occasion. From what I've read here maybe the best occasion would be a big party where I wouldn't have to drink too much of it!

Sangria

I know that it makes me uncool, but I will admit to enjoying the Molly Dooker wines on occasion. They are a punch in the face as wines go, but often an enjoyable punch, at least for me. The Boxer, The Enchanted Path and Velvet Glove may all be found in my cellar. However, I am NOT sharing them with any of you, so don't even bother to ask me!