Mitolo '7th Son' McLaren Vale Grenache-Shiraz

Seventh Son Grenache Shiraz is quite a different wine for Mitolo and a commitment to the McLaren Vale region and its most revered varieties. The Grenache portion, sourced from old bush vines off the sands of Blewitt Springs, provides rustic, lighter, earthier flavours than the fruit forward, softer Shiraz portion sourced from the Lopresti vineyards. When blended together though these opposites provide a great foil for each other, creating a complex and intriguing wine. There is very little new oak influence in this wine, with older oak barrels chosen for the elevage. The tannins are sandy, almost gritty, helped along by the tiny dollop of Sagrantino, a little Italian twist on a classic blend from southern France and McLaren Vale. This is a wine made more in the earthy style of the wines of my European heritage, yet still speaks loudly of place, McLaren vale, with its generosity and purity.

Grenache is the dominant grape in the blend and it shows on the nose with highly fragrant and earthy characters of dried herbs and tobacco. The Shiraz complements these characters with beautiful sweeter aromatics of ripe red cherries and mint. The wine is mid-weighted with bright acidity and heart-warming earthy, savoury characters of dried herb and tar sitting perfectly alongside delicate raspberry and cherry. The tannins are prominent yet fine and mouth coating providing a wonderful framework for the juicy mid-palate.

Wine Advocate: 92Pts