First off pardon the dearth of posts, it's rather hot here out west and wine is not a summer pastime. In fact, for fear of heat damage, all fine wine shops here do not receive new inventory from the end of May through October. This is disaster for trying new things or getting new vintages of old favorites - but it's great on the pocket as bottle shops try to unload their inventory in anticipation of new stuff in the fall. There's that and...try as I might, I have not mastered Jerry's patented bottle on the side photography technique - but no matter. I think you'll get the idea:
I recently inked a new business deal and to celebrate decided to get a bottle of bubbly. My go-to bubbly is usually something from the alchemists at Billecarte-Salmon. However, this week I was a) unwilling to drive to the only place that keeps the stuff in stock and b) looking for an excuse to try this curiousity known as sparkling shiraz.
I'm not sure when I first heard of this stuff - but in my minds eye...er mouth I imagined this to be a charming, quirky take on bubbly much like Proseco. I located a bottle and put it on ice where upon my first dilemma arose - champagne glasses or wine glasses? I stuck with champagne stems.
At this point I should note that I didn't do any research on this, as I often do before I buy a +$50 bottle. Keep that in mind - it'll be funny later on.
Quick background on MollyDooker: It's the latest outgrowth from husband and wife wine making team Sarah & Sparky Marquis. They insist that you pronounce their last name 'mar-kwis' but it sounds so much more fun if you pronounce it the French way: 'Sparky Markey' sounds like some sort of wine making secret agent. Anyway, they make a number of quirky, robust, slightly upmarket (over $35 here) wines under this label. If you've had a bottle of Marquis Philips - which is a great deal more reasonable ($17 here) - you've tasted their work, as well.
Anyway, the ball and chain and I polished off dinner (grilled carne asada - two thumbs up there!) and I popped the cork on the Goosebumps. The first thing you get on the nose is a blast of carbonate propelled fruit. Compared to your typical Aussie fruit bomb - this is a fruit mortar. In the mouth your first thought is, "WOW, this is actually sparkling shiraz!" followed soon after by, "What the hell was I thinking anyway?" The carbonation process imparts a powerful sweetness to what might otherwise be a very decent Shiraz.
What you are left with is a curiosity that will, most likely make you wonder what else you could have dropped $56 on. As I was drinking this I was thinking of a non vintage Billecarte Salmon or even non bubbly - Peter Franus Zinfandel. The Old Ghost from Lodi. An Alexander Valley Silver Oak - if you're a careful shopper...a Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cab, even. What I wasn't at all thinking is of buying another bottle of Goosebumps.
As an after thought I did a little research on Cellar Tracker and some other sites and came up with the following pithy reviews:
"Ugh! Did not like this wine at all. I must say it was what it promised to be: a dark, brooding, overwhelming Mollydooker shiraz bomb with gas. But just think about that for a second, is that enjoyable? No, no it isn't."
"Just not good. Ugh I have 2 more bottles to get rid of."
"This stuff was absolutely wretched. Over the top alcoholic and artificial fruit flavors that remind me of trying to wash dirt out of my mouth with Robitussin cough syrup."
"I really had trouble choking down this wine. I could not get past the feel inside my mouth to evaluate the taste. It reminded me of pop rocks."
Lesson learned.
Price: $56 (Out West). Closure: Real cork with wire. Alcohol content: 15.0%.
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