Wine of the Month August 2006

                  Mollydooker "The Boxer" Shiraz; 2005
                    
   

    Mollydooker's 2005 "The Boxer Shiraz" (Syrah) is a mediocre wine in my opinion.  This is only the 2nd time that I have featured a mediocre wine as "Wine of the Month".  The reason I did it with the Mollydooker is not to signify that the wine was great, but rather, to signify that the wine was important, and should be tried by many people who are getting into Aussie Shiraz these days.  The reason that I feel the wine is important is that this wine seems to be the epitome of a new breed of Australian wines that the very influential wine critic Robert Parker is raving about.  He's lavishing this new breed of Aussie Shiraz with scores in the mid to upper 90's, and consequently, our local wine shops are clammoring to get them, and then we see them on the retail shelves.  Unfortunately, I have found that many people dislike these wines, and I find myself in that group.  It is important that you try this wine so that you can see for yourself whether you have a "Parker-like" palate when it comes to Australian Shiraz, or whether you have an "anti-Parker" palate.  Once you have calibrated (or contrasted) your palate to his, you will know whether you  can trust his scores or not.

   Mollydooker (Australian slang for left-hander) is a new winery project by Sparky and Sarah Marquis.  Many readers will recognize the Marquis name from the recently defunct Marquis-Phillips winery in Australia (another Parker darling).  The Marquis' proudly proclaim that this is the 5th succesful wine label they have created in the past ten years.  They certainly are prolific.  Mr. Parker has been pumping their projects during this time with consistently favorable reviews.  Mollydooker released their first wines just a few months ago (summer 2006), and are featuring wines from the 2005 vintage.  Mollydooker has a cleaver marketing program, and features fun labels with vaudeville-like sketches.  Wine offerings from Mollydooker include "The Boxer", "the Violinist", "the Maitre 'D", and "Two Left Feet".  The Boxer was originally slated for a retail price of about 20 bucks, but the unprecedented anticipation and high Parker score are already creating waiting lists and prices are running into the mid 30 dollar range at many venues.

   The 2005 "The Boxer" is 100% Shiraz from several well klnown regions in Australia (McLaren-Vale, Padthaway, and Langhorne Creek).  The wine comes from young vines, most being 5-10 years old.  From an Australian standpoint, such vines are infantile, as many of the more classic Aussie wines are being produced from vines 100 years old.  In many instances, all other factors being equal, the older vines are capable of producing more complex interesting wines.

   The 2005 "The Boxer" Shiraz was not a bad wine, just not a "95 point wine", in my opinion.  Robert Parker gave this wine 95 points, a score traditionally reserved for the absolute best wines in the world.  Is The Boxer Shiraz on the same playing field as other great Shiraz/Syrah wines such as Australia's Henschke's Hill of Grace, Penfold's Grange, or any of the great Syrah's from Cote Rotie and Hermitage in France's Rhone River Valley?  No.  Not even close.  It seems to be a decent everyday quaffer for sure, but 95 points?  Not in this writer's opininion.

   The 2005 Mollydooker Boxer was not as well balanced as many other Shiraz based wines in this price category.  It has a fairly uninspiring bouquet, dominated by peppery notes and a bit of leather.  The pepper carries onto the palate, with modest one-dimensional fruit hidden behind it.  A better balanced wine would have the fruit up front and the peppery spice in the background.  The finish was hot, leaving ones tongue burning a little.  I recognize that Mr. Parker likes these high alcohol wines, but to this writer, such tongue scorching experiences belong in the realm of brandies, not wines.  This wine has a stated alcohol content of 16%.

   I'm not sure whether this wine will improve with time, since I have no past history with it (it is a brand new wine label).  I suspect that the wine may have benefitted from longer barrel ageing.  Perhaps the Marquis' should not have been in such a hurry to get their "fifth wine label to market in just 10 short years!"

   So the bottom line:  If you like Aussie Shiraz, you owe it to yourself to try this 20 dollar wine that was awarded 95 points from the world's most powerful wine critic.  If you find that you like it, you can probably trust his scores for other Australian wines.  If you find you don't like the wine, you will have to take his scores with a grain of salt, and perhaps check the label for alcohol content.  Consulting other wine critics for their scores may also be of benefit if you disagree with Parker.  I should point out that although I strongly disagree with his score on this wine, and many other Shiraz with high alcohol content, I do agree with his scores on other wines.  Therefore, I can not just "ignore" every wine he likes, I just can't believe his scores without testing myself.  You all should do similarly.  (As an aside, I do find that my palate aligns very well with his when it comes to French Bordeaux wines, and Itialian Brunellos, Barbarescos, and Barolos).

I score this wine 3 stars.  If I was using Parker's scale, it would be about 85, a far cry lower than his 95, but respectable.
   

This wine is currently selling at San Diego Wine Company in the Eastgate Mall area near Miramar Blvd and Miramar Air Station.  It is also available at the  Wine Exchange in Orange County, and can be purchased through their very reliable website.  The WineSellar and Brasserie in Sorrento Valley is scheduled to receive it soon as well. 

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