Tag Archives: Australia

Mollydooker Blue Eyed Boy Shiraz 2022

2 November 2026 By in Red Wine, Wine Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment

Syrah from Mclaren Vale, South Australia, Australia

Purchase Price: $80.00 (Restaurant)

Wine Spectator 92, Cellar Tracker 90, ElsBob 92

ABV: 16.5%

A deep purple wine of exceptional fresh black fruits and a hint of coffee on the palate. Full-bodied and bold with very approachable tannins and a poignant long finish. You should be able to enjoy this wine for many years to come. This paired magnificently with our meal of medium-rare beef filets, bake Brussel sprouts infused with cranberries, golden fried hashbrowns topped with crumbled blue cheese and bacon, finished off with a slice of Key Lime cheesecake.

An excellent fine wine at a fair price. Current retail prices range from $52-67.

The 2022 Blue Eyed Boyed is at least the 4th vintage I have enjoyed over the years. The previous ones were 2014 that I rated at 94 pts, 2016 at 91, and 2020 at 93. Other vintages carry similar ratings from other sources including the 2018 and 2019 vintages both rated at 92 pts.

Through the Grapevine: McLaren Vale takes its name from John McLaren, a surveyor who mapped the district in the 1830s. The first European settlers were a mix of discharged soldiers, free settlers from England and Scotland, German migrants fleeing religious persecution, and a handful of “ticket‑of‑leave” men; former convicts permitted to work.

The German settlers were Old Lutherans escaping a forced merger between the Lutheran and Reformed (Calvinist) churches imposed by King Frederick William III of Prussia. Those who resisted faced jail, fines, and bans on worship outside the state‑sanctioned church. Martin Luther be damned. These migrants brought with them deep agricultural knowledge, including vine‑growing and cooperage skills, and their influence still runs through both McLaren Vale and the Barossa.

By the late 1830s, vineyards were already in the ground, and by the 1850s the region was exporting wine. Shipments went not only across Australia and to New Zealand, but also to Britain, India, Singapore, and Hong Kong. An impressive reach for such a young colony.

McLaren Vale also attracted a less welcome crowd: feral bushrangers, deserters from whaling ships, and the occasional moonshiner hiding stills in the hills. The most notable outlaw associated with the area was John “Black Jack” Seaver, an escaped convict known for cattle rustling and hut robberies. He evaded capture for months by disappearing into the dense scrub and gullies around Willunga and Sellicks, McLaren’s doorstep, but eventually the law caught up with him. Exhausted or simply out of options, he surrendered without resistance.

Penfolds Grandfather Rare Tawny

3 May 2025 By in Red Wine, Wine Tags: , , Leave a comment

Port from Australia

Predominately but not limited to Shiraz, Grenache, Mataro, and Cabernet

Purchase Price: $99.99

ElsBob 92

ABV 19.0%

A deep tawny color with aromas of licorice and raisins, full-bodied, sweet with a long finish. A perfect after dinner dessert wine.

An excellent non-vintage port at a fair price. If you look around, you might find it for about $80. Drink now. Cheers.

From Penfolds Overview: With each vintage, varietal batches are selected for Grandfather. These batches are individually aged in seasoned old oak casks before being blended together at 14 years of age. This blend is then introduced into the ‘Grandfather Solera’. This Solera consists of six stages that are designed to fully integrate all components offering consistency and freshness with a final minimum average blended age of 20 years. (Ed. Current vintages in the Solera range from 1960-2004.)

19 Crimes–The Banished Dark Red 2021

22 October 2024 By in Red Wine Tags: , , Leave a comment

Red Blend from South Eastern, Australia

Purchase Price: $9.99

Vivino 92, ElsBob 91

ABV: 13.5%

Aromas of cloves and dark fruits, full-bodied, slightly sweet, and smooth. Will pair well with most red meats, cheese, and chocolate.

An excellent table wine at an unbelievable price, selling at half to a third of comparable wines.

Trivia: The wine is named after the nineteen crimes committed in Great Britian that were punishable by death or banishment to Australia. This punishment by ‘transportation’ began in 1788, and many of the lawless died at sea. For the rough-hewn prisoners who made it to shore, a new world awaited. As pioneers in a frontier penal colony, they forged a new country and new lives, brick by brick. This wine celebrates the rules they broke and the culture they built.

Thorn-Clarke James Goddard Shiraz 2018

20 August 2024 By in Red Wine, Uncategorized Tags: , , , Leave a comment

Shiraz/Syrah from Barossa Valley, Australia

Purchase Price: $13.95

Vivino 90, WE 86, ElsBob 89

ABV 14.5%

Deep purple, oaky, dark berry fruits, with a hint of spice aromas, medium-full body, dry, and smooth. A good pick to serve with beef or lamb.

A very good fine wine priced 2-3 times less than similarly rated red wines but one probably shouldn’t pay more than $10.

Mollydooker Blue Eyed Boy 2020

28 March 2024 By in Red Wine Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Syrah/Shiraz from McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia.

Purchased price $106.00 (Restaurant).

Generally priced ~$60.00 retail.

Rankings: Wine Spectator 93. Robert Parker 93. Me 93.

ABV: 16.5%

A full-bodied, bold, deep-reddish purple wine with scents of plums and chocolate. Enjoyed it with a medium-cooked tenderloin. Wonderful.

This is an outstanding wine but a little on the pricey side for its ranking.

Don’t forget the “Mollydooker Shake”.

Mollydooker Blue Eyed Boy Shiraz 2016

10 April 2018 By in Red Wine Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

W Blue Eyed 2016Shiraz from The Gateway, McLaren Vale, Fleurieu Zone, South Australia, Australia

100% shiraz

16.0% alcohol

Purchased:  6 April 2018  –  $60.00

Opened:  6 April 2018

els:  9.1/10

Cellar Tracker:  91

In the beginning, Australia’s entire stock of vines had to be imported from Europe and South Africa since it does not have any native grape varieties. In the early 1800s John Macarthur, established the first successful vineyards and winery near Sydney. By the early 1820s wine was being produced in sufficient quantities that the first exports were recorded in 1822.  In 1833 James Busby brought additional cuttings from Europe and introduced Shiraz to the fledgling wine industry. By the latter half of the 1800s, Australian wines were garnering world-wide attention and tasting awards.  Then the unspeakable happened. Phylloxera reached Australia around 1875 destroying a majority of vines in the country.  It would take until the 1960s before Australia moved beyond fortified wines and started producing good to great table wines again.

Wine is currently produced in all 6 six of the country’s states which are further divided up into 65 wine regions that contain over 2400 wineries.  The regions creating serious wines, though, are all located in the cooler southern states of Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales, and Tasmania.

Australia, in 2016, was the 5th largest producer of wine in the world, behind the US and ahead of China, making 343 million gallons of wine or about 4% of the world-wide total.  Australia consumes about 40% of their wine or a little more than 135 million gallons and exports 60%, about 215 million gallons in 2017, and is 4th largest exporter of wine in the world.  The country exports to 126 counties but five of those countries; China, the US, the UK, Canada, and Hong Kong account for 75% of the total wine exports. China is by far the country’s largest market, sending about a 3rd of their total wine exports, by value, to their thirsty northern neighbors.

The country grows over 130 varietals with just a few accounting for the lion’s share of all grapes harvested. The red grapes Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot accounted for 85% of all grapes harvested in 2017. Shiraz contributed 47% to that years red grapes total harvest.  Chardonnay is the top white grape harvested in 2017 accounting for 42% of the total.

South Australia is the largest wine area, by acres of vines planted and wine produced, in Australia.  The temperatures vary widely over area, cool along the coast and hot in the interior. The area is consistently dry and requires irrigation almost everywhere. The area first started growing grapes and producing wine back in the 1830s.

The region had almost 190,000 acres planted in 2017, more than half of the country’s total.  The area produced over 160 million gallons of wine in 2017 and exported 135 million gallons. China-Hong Kong, the UK, the US, and Canada are South Australia’s largest export markets.

There are 7 wine zones, further divided up into 20 distinct regions in South Australia. The zones are: Barossa, Fleurieu, Mount Lofty Ranges, Far North, Limestone Coast, Lower Murray, and The Peninsulas.  The 20 regions are all recognized appellations known in the country as Australian Geographical Indications or AGIs.

McLaren Vale, 1 of the 5 regions within the Fleurieu zone, is one of two premier South Australia wine-producing regions in the country; the other being Barossa Valley. McLaren Vale’s wine history goes back at least 175 years to the time of John Reynell and Thomas Hardy and their first grape plantings in the region.  Today’s Accolade Wines traces its beginnings back to the establishment of the Thomas Hardy and Sons winery, in 1853, in Old Reynella, now a suburb of Adelaide. With its Mediterranean climate and well-drained soils, McLaren Vale has 18,000 acres planted in vines and more than 80 wineries. Its star pupil is Shiraz, accounting for 55% of all grapes grown and processed. The region also produces great wines from Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache grapes.

Australia is the second largest producer of Shiraz or its genetic French twin, Syrah, in the world, France being the first. These are dark-skinned grapes that produce wildly different flavors depending on the terroir they spring from. The cooler climate versions tend towards medium-bodied wines with higher tannins, producing flavors and aromas of pepper and tobacco.  In the hotter climates, such as McLaren Vale, the wine is fuller in body, softer in tannins with notes of leather and velvety chocolate. Ageing potential is 10-15 years.

In 2006, Sparky and Sarah Marquis established their own brand: Mollydooker, and opened their winery the next year just a few miles southwest of Adelaide and a hop, skip, and jump from the Gulf of St. Vincent in The Gateway sub-region of McLaren Vale. From the outset they have produced outstanding wines garnering high 90s ratings and wine of the year accolades, seemingly without effort. The winery includes 3 vineyards: Long Gully Road, Coppermine Road (Steve Earle’s Copperhead Road produced weed and whiskey),  and the Home Block, totaling 114 acres planted in Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

The grapes for Blue Eyed Boy were grown on all 3 of Mollydooker’s vineyards: Coppermine Road, Long Gully Road, and Home Block. The vines are growing in ancient, Snowball Earth, Pre-Cambrian to Cambrian metasediments, usually extremely weathered and kaolinized. The metasediments include various textures from siltstones to sandstones and limestones to dolostones.  The Mollydooker vineyards are situated a little over 450′ above sea level and enjoy a Mediterranean climate with growing season temperatures ranging from 55-85ºF.  Rainfall is generally less than 1.25″ per month during the growing season.

The grapes are barrel fermented and matured in American oak, 58% new and 42% one- year old.

A dark, dark purple wine with a ruby rim. Aromas of  blueberry, plum and a hint of vanilla. A full-bodied wine, well-structured, and solid tannins. Juicy, silky and smooth, with a very long finish. The high alcohol content does sneak up on you after a couple of glasses.

An outstanding wine.  My wife and I had this for dinner at the Helix Wine and Bites restaurant in Grand Forks, ND.  We shared an entrée of a fall-off-the-bone rib eye, served with baked new potatoes and fried broccoli in olive oil and garlic.

The wine with the meal was simply astounding. The wine is on the pricey side but worth it for special occasions. It is a little young to drink now, wait awhile.  It should last until 2026-2030. Decanting this wine did it a world of good.

$48.99 wine.com

Mollydooker Carnival of Love 2014

19 February 2018 By in Red Wine Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

W Love 2014Shiraz from The Gateway, McLaren Vale, Fleurieu Zone, South Australia, Australia

100% shiraz

15.5-16.5% alcohol

Purchased: 14 Feb 2014 – $100.00

Opened: 14 Feb 2018

els: 9.4/10

Wine Spectator: 95

Tasting Panel: 95

Cellar Tracker: 93

Vinous: 70

In the beginning, Australia’s entire stock of vines had to be imported from Europe and South Africa since it does not have any native grape varieties. In the early 1800s John Macarthur, established the first successful vineyards and winery near Sydney. By the early 1820s wine was being produced in sufficient quantities that the first exports were recorded in 1822.  In 1833 James Busby brought additional cuttings from Europe and introduced Shiraz to the fledgling wine industry. By the latter half of the 1800s, Australian wines were garnering world-wide attention and tasting awards.  Then the unspeakable happened. Phylloxera reached Australia around 1875 destroying a majority of vines in the country.  It would take until the 1960s before Australia moved beyond fortified wines and started producing good to great table wines again.

Wine is currently produced in all 6 six of the country’s states which are further divided up into 65 wine regions that contain over 2400 wineries.  The regions creating serious wines, though, are all located in the cooler southern states of Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales, and Tasmania.

Australia, in 2016, was the 5th largest producer of wine in the world, behind the US and ahead of China, making 343 million gallons of wine or about 4% of the world-wide total.  Australia consumes about 40% of their wine or a little more than 135 million gallons and exports 60%, about 215 million gallons in 2017, and is 4th largest exporter of wine in the world.  The country exports to 126 counties but five of those countries; China, the US, the UK, Canada, and Hong Kong account for 75% of the total wine exports. China is by far the country’s largest market, sending about a 3rd of their total wine exports, by value, to their thirsty northern neighbors.

The country grows over 130 varietals with just a few accounting for the lion’s share of all grapes harvested. The red grapes Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot accounted for 85% of all grapes harvested in 2017. Shiraz contributed 47% to that years red grapes total harvest.  Chardonnay is the top white grape harvested in 2017 accounting for 42% of the total.

South Australia is the largest wine area, by acres of vines planted and wine produced, in Australia.  The temperatures vary widely over area, cool along the coast and hot in the interior. The area is consistently dry and requires irrigation almost everywhere. The area first started growing grapes and producing wine back in the 1830s.

The region had almost 190,000 acres planted in 2017, more than half of the country’s total.  The area produced over 160 million gallons of wine in 2017 and exported 135 million gallons. China-Hong Kong, the UK, the US, and Canada are South Australia’s largest export markets.

There are 7 wine zones, further divided up into 20 distinct regions in South Australia. The zones are: Barossa, Fleurieu, Mount Lofty Ranges, Far North, Limestone Coast, Lower Murray, and The Peninsulas.  The 20 regions are all recognized appellations known in the country as Australian Geographical Indications or AGIs.

McLaren Vale, 1 of the 5 regions within the Fleurieu zone, is one of two premier South Australia wine-producing regions in the country; the other being Barossa Valley. McLaren Vale’s wine history goes back at least 175 years to the time of John Reynell and Thomas Hardy and their first grape plantings in the region.  Today’s Accolade Wines traces its beginnings back to the establishment of the Thomas Hardy and Sons winery, in 1853, in Old Reynella, now a suburb of Adelaide. With its Mediterranean climate and well-drained soils, McLaren Vale has 18,000 acres planted in vines and more than 80 wineries. Its star pupil is Shiraz, accounting for 55% of all grapes grown and processed. The region also produces great wines from Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache grapes.

Australia is the second largest producer of Shiraz or its genetic French twin, Syrah, in the world, France being the first. These are dark-skinned grapes that produce wildly different flavors depending on the terroir they spring from. The cooler climate versions tend towards medium-bodied wines with higher tannins, producing flavors and aromas of pepper and tobacco.  In the hotter climates, such as McLaren Vale, the wine is fuller in body, softer in tannins with notes of leather and velvety chocolate. Ageing potential is 10-15 years.

In 2006, Sparky and Sarah Marquis established their own brand: Mollydooker, and opened their winery the next year just a few miles southwest of Adelaide and a hop, skip, and jump from the Gulf of St. Vincent in The Gateway sub-region of McLaren Vale. From the outset they have produced outstanding wines garnering high 90s ratings and wine of the year accolades, seemingly without effort. The winery includes 3 vineyards: Long Gully Road, Coppermine Road (Steve Earle’s Copperhead Road produced weed and whiskey),  and the Home Block, totaling 114 acres planted in Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

The grapes are cold fermented, below 60ºF, with final fermentation occurring in oak barrels. After fermentation the wine is racked back to tanks for oxygenation. Then back to the barrel for approximately 3 months of malolactic fermentation. The final stage is to rack the wine again into different oak barrels to age some more before finding their way into the colorfully labeled bottles. Even before leaving the cellar these are well-traveled wines.

A dark, dark purple wine with a ruby rim. A bouquet of jammy berries and plums, bursting with chocolate. A very bold wine with medium tannins and acidity.  Luscious silk and velvet on the tongue. A wonderful, lasting, spicy candy finish. A parenthetical aside on the alcohol content.  The bottle states the ABV is 16.5% while the technical sheet states 15.5%.  Either one packs a wallop.

An outstanding wine.  My wife and I had this for our Valentines’ dinner at the Helix Wine and Bites restaurant in Grand Forks, ND. We started the meal off with a terrific morsel of grilled watermelon topped with a pepper spiced shrimp followed by oysters on the half shell heaped with garlic and herbs. The entrees were a medium rare rib eye and a filet of orange roughy tightly wound in herbs and spices.  The wine supremely complemented both of these main dishes. We finished off the wine with a desert of berries and milk chocolate fondue. Actually the wine ran out before we finished the desert forcing us to top off with Bailey’s and Penfolds’ port; life is hard but we try to go along with it.

The wine with the meal was simply astounding. Drink now, but should last until 2025-2029. This is still a young wine so I strongly recommended that you decant and aerate for one hour, or more, before drinking.

$68.99-99.99 wine-searcher.com

Two Hands Bella’s Garden Shiraz 2013

27 January 2018 By in Red Wine Tags: , , , Leave a comment

W Bella Garden 2013Shiraz from Barossa Valley, Barossa, Australia

100% shiraz

14.5% alcohol

Opened 21 Jan 2018

els: 9.4/10

James Halliday: 95

Wine Advocate: 94

Wine Spectator: 94

Cellar Tracker: 93

German immigrants brought the wine industry to Barossa Valley in 1843 and its reputation in the wine trade has waxed and waned through the years, along with the world’s perception of Shiraz. In the late 20th century the valley once again saw its fortunes on the rise and today it rates along side McLaren Vale as South Australia’s premier wine regions.

The Two Hands winery came into existence in 1999 with the single aim of producing the best Shiraz from the best regions of Australia. By 2003 the company had put down roots in Barossa Valley and their Shiraz Garden series wines were in full bloom. The series is currently a collection of 6 Shiraz wines, each sourced from a different growing region in South Australia and Victoria.  The different region’s grapes are prepared and processed in exactly the same manner at their Barossa Estate so that the 6 separate Shirazes’ character becomes a definite reflection of their distinct terroir.

The Barossa Valley vineyards grow in a hot and dry continental climate and receive a scant 6 inches of rain during the growing season. Growing season temperatures peak in the high 80s°F during the day and dip into the low 50s°F at night. The soils tend to be clay and silt with some sand aiding in the drainage. The grapes are de-stemmed, crushed and fermented in open fermenters. After 2 weeks the wine is racked to barrels for malolactic fermentation. The wine is aged for 18 months in new and old French oak hogsheads (59-66 US gallons) and puncheons (132 US gallons).

The wine has a deep and dark purple color with a lighter purple rim. Dark fruits and berries wind their way through your nose and palate, interacting with the perfect balance of acidity and tannins to produce a long and satisfying finish.

An outstanding dinner wine.  My wife and I drank this wine over a delicious meal that started off with warm sourdough bread dipped in a mixture of salt-basil-pepper and olive oil, followed by two small, lightly spiced crab cakes, just to keep our appetites in check until the next course made its appearance. Our entrees consisted of a medium-rare filet mignon and a medium lamb loin, both served with garlic mashed potatoes and grilled, whole baby carrots.  We finished the repast with a slice of lime cheesecake topped with blueberries and unsweetened whipped cream. The Shiraz made it all simply divine and so decadent. This wine should last for many years. Decant and aerate for one hour before drinking.

$49.99-79.99  wine-searcher.com (~ $70.00 at the restaurant)

 

Wirra Wirra Church Block CSM 2013

20 January 2018 By in Red Wine Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment

W Church Block 2013Other Red Blends from McLaren Vale, Australia

50% cabernet sauvignon

37% shiraz

13% merlot

14.5% alcohol

Opened 10 Jan 2018

els: 9.2/10

Australian Wine Companion:  94

James Suckling:  92

Wine Enthusiast:  91

Wine Spectator:  90

Wilfred Wong:  90

Vinous:  89

The McLaren Vale wine region is centered around the eponymous small town populated with approximately 4000 people, located 20 miles south of Adelaide in South Australia.  The wine growing region, triangular in shape, is less than 20 miles in length and 8 miles in width, nestled between the Gulf of St. Vincent on the west-northwest and the Willunga Fault and scarp, known as the Sellicks Hills Range, along its southeastern edge. McLaren Vale grew famous with its Shiraz wines but today its 88 wineries produce world-class reds and whites; including Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Mourvedre, Chardonnay, Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc. It is not uncommon to find 100-year old vines in McLaren Vale vineyards.

The Wirra Wirra winery was established in 1969 by Greg Trott and others, out of the ruins of the 1894 winery started by a gentleman delightfully named, Robert Strangways Wigley. Greg Trott’s first Wirra Wirra labeled wine was the 1972 Church Block CSM, named after a vineyard adjacent to a small church.

The vineyards of McLaren Vale are subjected to a Mediterranean climate with dry summers and wet winters, perfect for growing red wine grapes.  Rains bring between 20 and 30 inches per year; the rains peaking in the southern hemisphere May to September winter.  Growing season temperatures range from daytime highs in the mid-80s to night time lows in the mid-50s degrees Fahrenheit. Frost and snow are almost unheard of anytime during the year.  The soils are generally well-drained, thin loamy sands with clays and clayey limes underneath.

This wine has a brilliant ruby-red hue with a narrow pink rim.  Redolent of black berries and plums. An intense taste of red fruits with lasting tannins, and a very long, balanced finish.

An outstanding red wine at a great price.  Serves well with beef and lamb. Tastes great by itself.  Tannins suggests that this wine will serve well for many years to come. A very versatile wine. Decant and aerate for one hour before drinking.

$14.99-21.99  wine-searcher.com

Tahbilk Shiraz 2012

3 January 2018 By in Red Wine Tags: , , Leave a comment

W Tahbilk 2012Shiraz from Nagambie Lakes, Australia

100% shiraz

13.7% alcohol

Opened 26 Dec 2017

els: 9.0/10

Australian Wine Companion: 92

Wine and Spirits: 91

Robert Parker: 90

The Wine Front: 90

Cellar Tracker: 89

Tahbilk established itself in 1860 as the first winery in the Goulburn Valley of Central Victoria, Australia, and is one of the oldest wineries in Australia. The Daung-wurrung, a Victorian aboriginal clan, in their native language called the area tabilk-tabilk or the ‘place of many waterholes’, so named because the local Goulburn River dried up periodically and left isolated bodies of water: ‘waterholes’; in the river and along its billabongs. Reginald Purbrick purchased the winery in 1925 and 5 generations of family have been making wines there ever since.

The Shiraz vineyards encompass about 75 acres and contain vines planted between the 1930s and 2000s. The vineyards are situated less than 500 feet above sea level experiencing cool nights of about 50 degrees Fahrenheit and the days hover in the low 80s during the growing season. Rain is sufficient at about 1.5 to 2.5 inches per month. The soils are sandy.

The wine is fermented in open-topped oak barrels and aged in 100 year French oak barrels.

This is a brilliant, garnet colored wine with a pale pink rim. Aromas of red fruits and dark berries, with a hint of oak. Very nice tasting, balanced, medium bodied and smooth, with thick tannins; producing a long, dry, satisfying finish. A classy girl of a wine, reminiscent of long, perfect legs, anchored to glossy stiletto heals, and, unfortunately, partially retiring inside a white silk dress, slit long on the left thigh; the dress continuing upward along luscious curves  with a single, lonely strap across the right shoulder.

An outstanding wine. Serve with beef, lamb or wild game. Decant and aerate for one hour before drinking.

$13.99  wine.com