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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 93.9 pts. and median of 94 pts. in 354 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Ex-Ray on 1/25/2024 & rated 95 points: 16th time tasting since 2014, next to last bottle. It's still going strong after 18 years. Still dark garnet, with a hint of brown edge; very aromatic in a typical Marquis style, lots of black fruits, smoke and oak. On the palate, still has smooth, rich, concentrated black fruit flavors. Long aftertaste with some heat. I'm not sure it's evolved that much from when it was young. By the next night the fruit was gone, so drink up.
Ric (668 views) | | | Tasted by Ex-Ray on 12/27/2023 & rated 96 points: 15th time tasting since 2014. It's still going strong after 18 years. Still dark garnet, with a hint of brown edge; very aromatic in a typical Marquis style, lots of black fruits, smoke and oak. On the palate, still has smooth, rich, concentrated black fruit flavors. Long aftertaste with some heat. Time to drink up but not yet fading. I'll drink our remaining few bottles in the next year or so.
Ric (653 views) | | | Tasted by Ex-Ray on 11/30/2023 & rated 95 points: 14th time tasting since 2014. It's still going strong after 18 years. Still dark garnet, with a hint of brown edge; very aromatic in a typical Marquis style, lots of black fruits, smoke and oak. On the palate, still has smooth, rich, concentrated black fruit flavors. Long aftertaste with some heat. Time to drink up but not yet fading. I'll drink our remaining three bottles in the next year or so.
Ric (912 views) | | | Tasted by 2MLW on 10/14/2023: The good: What a fantastic name! First of all, I love the name Mollydooker. And “Carnival of Love” is exciting! And the label… a work of art. The whole thing is so enticing and exciting! Love it.
The bad: Berniemsy (below) sums up this wine perfectly. And as much as I want to love it, I don’t think I can drink it. Sadly. (956 views) | | | Tasted by Ex-Ray on 8/14/2023 & rated 96 points: Drank this bottle at sunset at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. It's still going strong after 18 years. Still dark garnet, with a hint of brown edge; very aromatic in a typical Marquis style, lots of black fruits, smoke and oak. On the palate, still has smooth, rich, concentrated black fruit flavors. Long aftertaste with some heat. Time to drink up but not yet fading. I'll drink our remaining four bottles in the next year or so.
Ric (1271 views) | | | Tasted by BernieMSY on 11/23/2022 & rated 89 points: 3 hour decant. incredibly concentrated, and over the top jammy.
Incredibly extracted overripe fruit. Not my thing, (1594 views) | | | Tasted by Ex-Ray on 10/7/2022 & rated 93 points: Still outstanding, but now showing signs of age, with slight prune notes. The second evening there was clearly the aroma and taste of an older wine. Still dark garnet and opaque, with pronounced aromas of sweet black fruits and plums, some American oak. The flavors are rich and full-bodied, mostly dark fruits, with only slight tannin left. Mouth-coating but balanced and round, very long sweet aftertaste. Time to drink up.
Ric (1785 views) | | | Tasted by alohashirt on 10/8/2021 & rated 96 points: This was a first for me. I’ve drunk a lot of 15yo Mollydookers- the Boxer, Two Left Feet, Blue Eyed Boy and they’ve been a very mixed bunch - some were luxurious, some were tired. I
This is the first older Carnival of Love I’ve tasted. It’s excellent but very different than a five year old COL.
Stewed plums and vanilla nose, unctuous, piety plummy fruit on the palate, very soft tannins, just enough acid to hold it together, long, long finish. This was great with roast chicken and great on its own. Clearly this was an excellent vintage - maybe past it’s best yet still delicious. For me, Carnival of Love us different from the other Mollydooker wines - it’s not just the wine I love drinking, it’s the bottle that I want to finish. More than any other wine in have drunk this disappears quickly when it’s open. Very special (3395 views) | | | Tasted by peter.mancell@mfg.com.au on 8/7/2021 & rated 98 points: Simply sensational!
After following 2002 Torbreck Les Amis magnum and a Saxum Bone Rock magnum both of which were wonderful, it stood very very proud. Pure McLaren Vale Shiraz at close to its best!
Massive dark fruit, tobacco, leather, spice and the most glorious full throttle texture that coated the mouth in every direction. So pleased we have more, will keep for a special occasion. (3162 views) | | | Tasted by Lordswood on 7/25/2021 & rated 91 points: This had a 99 point rating from Parker soon after release, and seems to be the typical style of the early 2000s - late hang, incredibly powerful and alcoholic (17% according to the label). I didn’t enjoy my first bottle, just over 8 years ago, but I found that a bit of time has given this a little more subtlety albeit at the coffee, dark chocolate end of the spectrum. A part of me missed the primary fruits, but the wine was better for it. Drink any remaining bottles soon, I think (3054 views) | | | Tasted by SlimShaney on 6/4/2021 & rated 98 points: The 2005 CoL will always be an incredible bottle and memory for me and what a pleasure to have this one. Whilst it's ageing and there's hints of port and really negligible tannin, it still basks in reminiscent opulence. (2845 views) | | | Tasted by Ex-Ray on 4/9/2021 & rated 95 points: Still outstanding, showing no signs of decline, but also won't get any better. Still dark garnet and opaque, with pronounced aromas of sweet black fruits and plums, some American oak. The flavors are rich and full-bodied, mostly dark fruits, with only slight tannin left. Mouth-coating but balanced and round, very long sweet aftertaste. One of our perennial favorites!
Ric (2737 views) | | | Tasted by wineguy75 on 4/3/2021 & rated 97 points: Big, racy, creamy, lots of fruit, spice. Not for everyone, but for those who like it this is a treat. I think this will drink longer than I thought earlier, at least for another 5 years before the high alcohol shows through. (1834 views) | | | Tasted by wineguy75 on 11/11/2020 & rated 97 points: pnp. Big red fruit, lots of spice, hints of chocolate. Drinking really great now, but consume rest over next several years. (1898 views) | | | Tasted by Ex-Ray on 11/3/2020 & rated 96 points: Still outstanding, showing no signs of decline, but also won't get any better. Still dark garnet and opaque, with pronounced aromas of sweet black fruits and plums, some American oak. The flavors are rich and full-bodied, mostly dark fruits, with only slight tannin left. Mouth-coating but balanced and round, very long sweet aftertaste. One of our perennial favorites!
Ric (1980 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundy Al on 10/31/2020 & rated 85 points: Tasted double blind. Ultra ripe and modern styled while fully mature, probably slightly past its peak. I first thought it an extreme Zinfandel, but another taster thought this Syrah-like, which made me realize it was a Parkerized Aussie Shiraz. Not my style. (2431 views) | | | Tasted by suttonri on 9/27/2020: Bricked at rim. Very portlike. Raisins. Licorice Plums. High alcohol. Probably best with Stilton. (1657 views) | | | Tasted by wine4ever on 8/21/2020 & rated 97 points: From our cellar, stored since release. This is bottle 5 of our half case. An extraordinary wine. Definitely still at peak, and for us, it's best showing so far. The nose and palate are supercharged with plum, blackberry, black raspberry, blueberry, pepper, spice, coffee and vanilla notes. Full bodied, creamy in texture, great depth and amazing balance for something of this size. The finish is extremely long and enjoyable. You would never know that it was 16.5% alcohol because it isn't obvious any more. I don't see any rush to drink these, other than they are truly amazing to drink right now. (1624 views) | | | Tasted by guile on 6/13/2020 & rated 85 points: Dark purple color. An initially oxidized nose blew off into chocolate and dark fruits. Within an hour of airtime it came into its own with a nice silky texture that culminated in a near-syrup weight reminisncent of unsweetened Luxardo cherry juice. Not a bad wine but not really my style either. (1529 views) | | | Tasted by suttonri on 5/17/2020: Cherry explosion when pouring into glass. A bit of bricking on the rim. Heavy fruit extract. Alcohol not too intrusive. Oak perhaps a little more disjoint than in the past. Still displaying the charm and grotesqueness of its youth. Drink or hold. (1616 views) | | | Tasted by knlowery on 3/28/2020 & rated 93 points: had this wine with the winemakers 13 years ago. and again tonight.
It is lovely, mature and aging well but may be over aged to some. stewed fruit on the nose, nice fruit with some prune on the front pallet with a nice earthy finish. We are having it with pot roast in a an hour so we will see. (1755 views) | | | Tasted by Vinewanderers on 3/25/2020 & rated 94 points: The name of this wine is so descriptive of what is in the bottle. If you haven’t tried this yet, you may not know what we mean. The instant you smell this—that is, right when you pull the cork—the carnival begins.
The 2005 Mollydooker Carnival of Love is now a garnet wine with a deep amber hue, but not bricked. The bouquet on this wine is pungent and transfixing. A multitude of elusive, transient, and nostalgic complexities swarm at high velocity through the glass. A wine of some paradoxes, it is explosive yet seamlessly integrated, fun yet impressive, the Jester yet the King.
A ticket to this Carnival guarantees wafts of buttered popcorn, salt water taffy, crème fraiche, fresh air, Haribo candied raspberries, fresh blackberries, cedar, caramel, vanilla, and lavender. The palate is decadent and oozes with milk chocolate, blackberry cobbler, and Tootsie Roll. It could be served as an after-dinner drink just as easily as it can be drunk on its own (which is how we enjoyed it). It is, however, some potent stuff, and is particularly intoxicating. The carousel accelerates as you drink this.
This wine was acquired from auction and appears to have been recorked. We performed the ceremonious Mollydooker shake.
If you can find some, the 2005 is a remarkable vintage, and we plan to savor our remaining four for several more years, if we can muster the restraint. Yum!
Original Score: 92
Grade: A− (Top 5%) (1634 views) | | | Tasted by Neecies on 2/27/2020: Extremely porty. Lavishly sweet and alcoholic--much loved by those who prefer the first and don't mind the second, but way too much for my tastes. (1754 views) | | | Tasted by pgm on 10/2/2019 & rated 91 points: Beginning to show its age with some bricking, but still clear and bright in the glass. And still huge all around: powerful and heady, tasty black and red fruit. Drink in the near term, not that it’s falling apart fast or anything. (2193 views) | | | Tasted by Ex-Ray on 8/9/2019 & rated 95 points: A huge wine, at its peak. Dark garnet-purple, but showing a little translucency after 14 years. Still a huge, smoky, black fruit aroma, but showed some age on the second night. The flavors are big, concentrated, rich, but softer than when released. They also seemed older the second night. Moderate tannins still there, long aftertaste. Definitely power over elegance. Considering the change the second night, I think this is fully mature and should be consumed, but only after airing (and shaken!) a few hours before...Mate!
Ric (2271 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
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