Wine of the week: a delectable off-cut
2009 Mitolo, GAM Shiraz, McLaren Vale, South Australia (£28.99, Highbury Vintners, 020-7226 1347; The Sampler, 020-7225 5091; Bennetts, 01608-661409).
Next Tuesday, at Australia House, I launch the ninth edition of my annual 100 Best Australian Wines. Several hundred sommeliers, wine merchants, wine buyers and journalists will taste their way through this century of great wines. Clearly, I cannot give away any of the wines today, but I can tell you that Frank Mitolo’s wines have appeared so often in my list that they qualify for ‘Hall of Fame’ status.
You may be familiar with Mitolo’s Jester range – a cabernet and shiraz made from the ‘off-cuts’ from his more serious wines. They’re great value and very serious. However, this year I’ve pulled one of the big guns out of the rack. GAM, named after Frank’s children Gemma, Alex and Marco, is an extraordinary wine. Succulent and moreish with glossy black cherry, damson and chocolate notes, this is Frank’s most delectable wine of the vintage. Get in quick before everyone else does.
The full list of the 100 Best Australian Wines 2012, their stockists and prices, will be published on my website next Wednesday.
• Matthew Jukes is a winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition’s Communicator of the Year (www.matthew jukes.com).