Mitolo Jester Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 (12 x 750mL) McLaren Vale, SA

Description:

Vintage 2008

Rainfall in late December and late January topped up soil moisture to retain canopy health. Mid-January the temperatures in McLaren Vale were in the 20oC range most days and these mild conditions persisted into the start of March. Cool and dry conditions during berry ripening were conducive to excellent flavour, colour and phenolic development. Vintage started in the first week of February, slightly earlier than average, with much of the premium fruit off the vine with high natural acid due to the cool early summer and healthy canopies. Th¬e heatwave, which saw a record run of 15 days over 35oC, interrupted perfect vintage conditions in McLaren Vale, causing the most condensed harvest in the region’s history. Whilst there were challenges with the sudden ripening, overall 2008 will be a great year for quality.

Vinification

20% of the grapes were left to dry on 10 kg drying racks for 5 weeks and 2 days in the traditional Amarone manner to concentrate flavour. The fruit for Jester was fermented on skins for 6 days at cool temperatures to enhance the pure berry fruit flavours. Th¬e wine is then pressed and underwent partial barrel fermentation. Natural malolactic fermentation occurred before the wine was racked

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Wine Summary Image

Vintage 2008

Rainfall in late December and late January topped up soil moisture to retain canopy health. Mid-January the temperatures in McLaren Vale were in the 20oC range most days and these mild conditions persisted into the start of March. Cool and dry conditions during berry ripening were conducive to excellent flavour, colour and phenolic development. Vintage started in the first week of February, slightly earlier than average, with much of the premium fruit off the vine with high natural acid due to the cool early summer and healthy canopies. Th¬e heatwave, which saw a record run of 15 days over 35oC, interrupted perfect vintage conditions in McLaren Vale, causing the most condensed harvest in the region’s history. Whilst there were challenges with the sudden ripening, overall 2008 will be a great year for quality.

Vinification

20% of the grapes were left to dry on 10 kg drying racks for 5 weeks and 2 days in the traditional Amarone manner to concentrate flavour. The fruit for Jester was fermented on skins for 6 days at cool temperatures to enhance the pure berry fruit flavours. Th¬e wine is then pressed and underwent partial barrel fermentation. Natural malolactic fermentation occurred before the wine was racked

Region:
SA - McLaren Vale
State:
South Australia
Country:
Australia

Expert Reviews

“A fool and his cab sav are easily parted. One of those cabs that buck the trend, you can drink it now, so we did. What heights in two years?” - 8.8/10 - Max Crus, Daily Examiner, Grafton and Northern Star, Lismore, September 2009

“There is something about McLaren Vale Cabernet that I enjoy - they get away with being rich more than other regions. Anyhow this is good.” - 90 points - Tony Keys, The Key Report, November 2009

“All joking aside, this wine may just be the feel-good hit of the season. Winemaker Ben Glaetzer sets aside a percentage of the grapes for this Cabernet and lets them air-dry for 5 weeks, concentrating their flavours. Expect lush, spicy fruit and silky texture in this crowd-pleaser. Your guests will be delighted with your sense of humour, not to mention your sense of taste.” - LCBO Vintages Magazine Canada, January 2010

Very rich and racy blueberry, black currants and piquant raspberry aromas lead into a rich, soft raspberry and blackberry delivery of flavours. On the finish, a hit of licorice plays on the palate. A truly fun red, and I am not jesting. - 90+ Gord Stimmel, Toronto Star, January 2010

“In a vastly different style is Mitolo Jester Cabernet Sauvignon 2008. One can't complain of overbearing acidity in this warm-climate red. Mitolo loves to make ripe wines. Twenty per cent of the fully ripe fruit for this one was set aside to dry in the Amarone winemaking manner to concentrate sugars and flavours. The result is a sort of turbocharged Australian style: fat, rich and crammed with berry, plum and chocolate flavours and a distinct raisin-like syrupiness. “Elegant” would not be a word I'd use, but for fruit-bomb fans, it would make satisfying cold-weather quaffing on a cold day or a decent partner for char-grilled meats.” - Beppi Crosariol, GlobeLife, January 2010

“A big wine with fruity aromas and a typically fleshy and SA lushly textured McLaren Vale palate showing super-ripe black-plum fruit, cassis and touches of mint backed by smoky oak, the palate's full-bodied and mouth- filling richness running to a smoothly persistent finish and a long, fruit-sweet aftertaste.” - Graeme Phillips, Sunday Tasmanian, January 2010

Juicy Ripe Plumy-Cherries Recommended Best Buy

“Extremely deep intense purple black colour. Intense, spicy, slightly sweet, raisiny, plummy, baked cherry nose. Intense, dry, medium bodied, very juicy, spicy. slightly sweetish, black cherry jam flavours with a long, lingering finish.” - Juicy Ripe Plumy-Cherries Recommended Best Buy - Red Table Wine, Canada - Ontario, January 2010

“The 2008 Jester 'Monarco' Cabernet Sauvignon has a very deep garnet-purple color and intense notes of warm blackberry, prunes, some dark chocolate, kirsch and creme de cassis. The palate is rich and full bodied with plenty of juicy fruit, plus high acidity and a medium level of soft tannins to lend support. The finish is long. Drinking now, it should cellar to 2014+.” erobertparker.com, Robert Parker by Lisa Perotti Brown M.W., October 2010

“The fruit and the winemaking come together spectacularly well in this quality McLaren Vale Cabernet. Ben Glaetzer is the winemaker, the Mitolo, being Frank Mitolo. The Jester aside, this is serious red drinking folks. Yes there is robust solid red berry fruit, yes there is pronounced sweet oak, but they are melded so well together. Deep, concentrated, stylish and yet idiosyncratic in its delivery. Refined rather than big, the alcohol is not sticking out at all, it delivers drink-ability in bucket loads on the palate, so much for my refinement, but seriously this is a top quality red at a very respectable price. A young wine that is thor-oughly delicious and has lines of complexity and interest running through it.” - Paul Ippolito, www.paulippolito.com.au, March 2010

Winery Tasting Notes

Notes Image

Deep crimson, with brick red hues. the 2008 Jester Cabernet shows liquorice, nutmeg and cassis notes which provide a lift to the subtle hints of French oak. Well rounded on the palate, the firm tannins are complemented by nuances of chocolate, blackcurrant and earth.

Medals & Trophies

Gold

Japanese Wine Challenge, July 2009

Winery Profile

Brand Profile Image

When the Mitolo family arrived in Australia in the 1950s they brought their viticulturist ancestry and an ethos belonging to the Abruzzo region - forte e gentile or strong and gentle. The family worked hard to become successful market gardeners while staying true to their origins where food and wine, family and friends, laughter and celebration were an integral part of life.

After years of working in his family’s potato business, Frank Mitolo started making wine for family and friends.

In 1999, after a now legendary 5 hour discussion with winemaker Ben Glaetzer, the pair fashioned a dream of making the ultimate expression of McLaren Vale’s rich provenance of soils. They jotted a six word business plan on the back of a napkin: individuality, integrity, quality, purity, elegance and power.

The first Mitolo wine, the 2000 G.A.M. Shiraz was named after Frank’s children Gemma, Alex and Marco. Since then Mitolo have added another 16 wines to the range each with its own distinct personality and story.

The winery works closely with its growers, the Loprestis. The Loprestis, also Italian immigrants and old friends of the Mitolos, have an affinity with their land, producing fruit of the highest quality. The fruit is the essence of Mitolo, with a depth of flavour garnered from heavy clay soils, yet freshness thanks to the gentle afternoon sea breeze. In the winery, Ben takes a ‘hands-off’ approach, fermenting cool to retain purity, and using a range of barrel coopers to generate complexity yet respect and enhance the fruit.

The Mitolo Italian heritage runs strongly through the range using the Italian varieties and techniques. Business meetings are still held over Sunday lunch with traditional Italian food and of course Mitolo wine shared with friends, old and new. And at the heart of it all, in the wine style, in the people, is the motto that the Mitolos brought from Abruzzo - forte a gentile: strong and gentle.

View Mitolo website

Other Information

  • 2008 vintage
  • 12 x 750mL units
  • SA - McLaren Vale, South Australia
  • Screwcap closure

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