There is so much I want to say…. I’ll start with my mission- to taste the full lineup of Mollydooker’s wines. Seeing as my local shop doesn’t carry all of them, the folks downunda were kind enough (no, really generous enough) to send me a sampling of their full range. With their help I previously managed to procure the 2009 and 2010 Carnival of Love and now also have the 2012. I will endeavor to get the 2011 so I can do a 4 year vertical. I digress.
Verdelho is the varietal used in the Violinist. Predominantly Portuguese, I was surprised to see it on the label of this winery’s sole white wine. This wine was a gorgeous pale yellow in the glass, telltale of what was to come. On the nose- pear, apple and a touch of wood. I was blown away by the initial attack. Pear, Quince and Yellow apple all mixing it up. The mouthfeel is superb, with a fullness reminiscent of a Cali Chardonnay. Gentle and balanced acidity make this a full bodied wine with some nice finishing notes of nut, Asian pear and flowers. I timed a good 20 second finish on this wine.
Now, back to the chicken and the egg…… Did I cook chicken for dinner because I was having this wine, or did I pick this wine to go along with the bird I was going to cook anyways? I shall not reveal the correct answer. Once the chicken was done, I decided to immediately whip up a spicy gravy to go with it. I just happened to have some fresh stock from the other night, so I dressed it up just so- a dash of sage, some onion powder, a hint of salt and a boatload of Chili and Red Pepper. The resultant sauce was red in color and fiery in nature.
The combination of the spicy sauce and the somewhat sweetness of the Verdelho- a perfect combo. This wine sits at a whopping 16% alcohol which is a shocking amount for most wines, let alone a white. I tip my hat to the winemaker who has managed to hide the alcohol without a trace of heat, well done Andrew.
The majority of Mollydooker’s wines are priced at $25. For this amount of cash you are getting an exceptional wine with complexity and depth not to mention great taste and mouthfeel. I am going 89 points and 4 stars for this one and recommend drinking it with some fish or poultry. Salut….