Mitolo Icon ‘Marsican’ Shiraz 2019

97 POINTS - The Vintage Journal Andrew Caillard
"Deep crimson. Intense blackberry dark cherry dark chocolate aromas with vanilla marzipan notes. Well- concentrated blackberry dark chocolate marzipan flavours fine chocolaty textures superb mid-palate volume and attractive minerally fresh acidity. Finishes firm with bittersweet/liquorice notes. Very good density and torque with alcohol in balance and should last the distance."

96 POINTS - Vinous Angus Hughson
"The big brooding 2019 Marsican Shiraz delivers on every level starting with fabulous fruit concertation and focus. Liquorice bullet red wine reduction and roasted meat aromas rise up with lavish oak in solid support. Youthful and expressive it then delivers waves of bold flavour with a swathe of well-ripened tannins supporting a finish of extraordinary length. This young bronco will deliver plenty in time but needs at least five years to hit its straps.
ANGUS HUGHSON VINOUS FEBRUARY 2023"

93 POINTS - The Real Review Aaron Brasher
"Inky dark red and opaque in the glass. Heady aromas of dried herbs cedar underbrush plum mulberry and toasty nutty oak. Full bodied dark and powerfully flavoured. Plum prune earth and sweet spice flavours dominate the palate. Tannins and acidity are structured and provide plenty of shape."

93 POINTS - Wine Spectator
"Impressive with warm baking spices that mingle with savoury black olive touches of dark chocolate-covered espresso bean intensely juicy cherry flavours and notes of raspberry puree. Shows terrific intensity and focus with dense but wonderfully polished tannins. Drink now through 2034. 230 cases 100 cases imported."

STORY
Frank Mitolo’s father Bruno was born to an Italian viticulturist. He arrived in Australia aged 14 with farming in his blood to work alongside his brothers. With him he brought the ethos of his homeland the Abruzzo region – forte e gentile or strong and gentle. Bruno forged a new life in Australia that laid the foundation for his success. Marsican is named after the rare Marsican bear native to the Abruzzo region. The same bear can be seen in the night sky over Italy forming the Ursa Major a constellation that has been used as a navigational reference point for millennia. Marsican is a tribute to Bruno’s heritage and his enduring influence over the family.

TASTING NOTE
Deep crimson to dark red in colour. Immediately rich yet elegant bouquet deep dark plum and baked cherries. Nutmeg chocolate and coffee hints build with time. Layered and complex texture beginning silky smooth and highly polished. Tannin intensity climbs to provide assertive and very fine tannins offering perfect support to carry blackberry satsuma and dark plum and rich cherry through the very long palate. Subtle hints of dried fig and cocoa bean add interest to the dry spice notes from the nose. Succulent driven acidity increases intensity and lifts fruit vibrancy throughout the palate marrying with the tannins to define a firmly structured finish assuring its ageability and prowess.

WINEMAKING
Made by individually selecting the best barrels from our finest parcels of Shiraz the 2019 Marsican was selected from the Home Block and Lot 11 Vineyards. Destemmed and crushed fermented in 2 tonne open top fermenters with twice daily pump overs. Temperatures were kept cool between 20 and 24˚C to ensure the elegance and purity of the fruit was retained while 10 days on skins developed an intensely woven tannin structure to set the wine up for ageing. Matured in 100% New French Oak Hogs Head barrels for 18 months with natural malolactic fermentation occurring during this time. The final blend was clarified by racking only and bottled without fining or filtration.

VINEYARD
Lopresti Home Block and Lot 11 Vineyard – Flour Mill Road Whites Valley

Less than 2 kilometres from the coastal town of Aldinga and only 4 kilometres from the Gulf St Vincent. The Home Block at 40+ years of vine age and the Lot 11 Vineyard now fully mature and producing wines of outstanding quality and impressive power are blessed with a mix of sought after alluvial grey sandy and Black Biscay clay soils sitting over ancient Ngaltinga formation. These highly reputed soils take up winter rains and maintain soil moisture through spring supporting balanced growth to set the vine up for summer and into harvest. Sea breezes mediate day time heat while the cracking clays reduce vine vigour during the critical ripening period to direct the vine’s energy into creating fruit with concentrated flavours and highly finessed yet intense structural tannin.