Mitolo Wines recently opened a new Cellar Door so we had to visit and see what they had done with a few shipping contains and to try their wines, of course.

The Mitolo Wines Story – from their website

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 10 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 varietals 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.

The Cellar Door

Mitolo Wines new Cellar Door is an interesting structure that is a lot bigger than it looks from the car park. The use of new shipping containers is innovative and works, the real effect is not seen from the outside, it is inside the structure where the use of the containers as “wings” or “tasting booths” is realised.

Mitolo Wines, McLaren Vale South Australia,

The Cellar Door also has a restaurant that serves up a degaustation menu that can, of course, be paired with wine. The restaurant was not open when we visited, although we were able to try out a little of the food as the wine tasting we chose included a very enjoyable tasting plate. If I have the chance to return, I would like to return and give the restaurant a try.

Their Wines

Jester Wines

Jester Vermentino
Jester Sangiovese Rosé
Jester Grenache
Jester Cabernet Sauvignon
Jester Shiraz

Small Batch Series

Small Batch Vermentino
Small Batch Grenache Rosé
Ourea Sagrantino
7th Son Grenache Shiraz Sagrantino – Tasted
Angela Shiraz – Tasted

Single Vineyard Series

G.A.M. Shiraz – Tasted
Cantiniere Shiraz
Savitar Shiraz – Tasted
Serpico Cabernet Sauvignon – Tasted
Marsican Shiraz

Large Format Series

Savitar Shiraz Magnum
Jester Shiraz Magnum

Cellar Door Wine Tasting

Mitolo Wines offer three different tasting experiences named after the roads that ring the vineyards that Mitolo Wines source their fruit from.

“Hahn Road” featuring five wines from the Jester range
“Paddy’s Row” – from the Small Batch range
“Flour Mill Road” – from the Single Vineyard range

I chose the Flour Mill Road tasting experience (I would have called it a tasting flight, but …). This experience is AUD25 / per person and includes a tasting plate that has been matched with the wines.

Oz’s Ratings

wdt_ID	Rating	Description
1	1 out of 5	Bug spray, good for cleaning or powering vehicles
2	2 out of 5	Acceptable at a pinch (must be extremely desperate)
3	2.5 out of 5	Drinkable, might improve with age or decanting, good for the last bottle of the night when there is nothing else available
4	3 out of 5	A good wine, may improve with time, a quaffer
5	3.5 out of 5	A very good wine, worth a try and probably a bit of patience if it is a young wine
6	4 out of 5	A great wine! Recommended by Oz
7	4.5 out of 5	A great wine, definitely one that Oz recommends!!
11	5 out of 5	Amazing, WoW. Highly recommended, please give me more!

Oz’s Wine Reviews

The entire flight was comprised of good quality wines, the three that stood out for me were:

Mitolo G.A.M Shiraz
Mitolo Savitar Shiraz
Mitolo Serpico Cabernet Sauvignon

wdt_ID	Rating	Photo	Wine
1			> Name: Mitolo 7th Son Year: 2015 Region: McLaren, South Australia, Australia Varietal: Grenache, Shiraz and Sagrantino Oz's Rating: 3.5 out 5 Bright mid-weight garnet in colour. Complex, earthy combination of cherry, plum and black pepper aromas. The palate is medium-bodied, dusty mouthfeel with savoury tannins and medium-long finish. This wine is still evolving and will be a great drop with 5 to 10 years (maybe more) age. <
2			> Name: Mitolo Angela Year: 2015 Region: McLaren, South Australia, Australia Varietal: Shiraz Oz's Rating: 3.5 out 5 Vivid deep crimson / purple in colour. The nose is a pleasant mix of blackberry, mint and mocha aromas. Medium-bodied balanced palate with evolving savoury tannins and an enjoyable medium-long finish. This is a good barbie wine, needs a couple more years of age before its peak, still drinking well now. <
3			> Name: Mitolo G.A.M Year: 2014 Region: McLaren, South Australia, Australia Varietal: Shiraz Oz's Rating: 4 out 5 The colour is rich, deep crimson with a red-brick edge. The nose is an enjoyable medium-bodied combo of dark cherry, black pepper and mocha aromas. The palate is smooth and balanced with developing tannins and a medium-long finish that will improve with age. G.A.M is named for Frank Mitolo's three children Gemma, Alex and Marco, it is also the wine that was first crafted by Frank in 2000 <
4			> Name: Mitolo Savitar Year: 2014 Region: McLaren, South Australia, Australia Varietal: Shiraz Oz's Rating: 4 out 5 The colour is deep crimson with a red-brick edge. Has a complex combination of blackcurrant, black pepper and cedar aromas, on the palate it is medium-bodied and balanced with savoury tannins and a medium-long finish. Really enjoyed this wine and it will improve with patience, believe that this will be a wine with a long life. I think that this was named after Savitar a deity from Hindu mythology who was beneficent god who acts as protector of all beings, who are provident and guard the world of spirits. <
5			> Name: Mitolo Serpico Year: 2013 Region: McLaren, South Australia, Australia Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon Oz's Rating: 4 out 5 The colour is vivid with deep crimson and tawny hues. Complex mixture of blackberry, plum, fig and spice aromas. The palate is well structured and medium / full - bodied, with rich, savoury, evolving tannins and lovely long finish. This wine is crafted using the Amarone style, not as bold as most of its Italian cousins, but I am not complaining! It will also repay a LOT of patience The wine is named after the famous undercover New York Cop Frank Serpico who Frank Mitolo is a massive fan of. Mitolo send Serpico bottles of the wine every release and the two Franks have also shared a bottle or two apparently. <

Oz’s Wine Reviews

Mitolo Wines Tasting Room

I enjoyed my visit to Mitolo Wines, it is not as relaxed as the tasting experienced at Mollydooker Wines , it is still a good experience, especially when Gemma Mitolo is your host. The three different tasting experiences range in price from AUD15 to AUD25 per person and I think that if you are going to pay for the tasting, go with the Flour Mill Road as all 5 wines are good quality or better (IMHO).