Vintus

Serpico Cabernet Sauvignon, McLaren Vale

“Serpico” was a famous New York police officer who wasn’t afraid to ‘work against the grain’. With Serpico, Mitolo aims to step outside its peers and redefine the accepted style of Cabernet making.

Serpico is a 100% Cabernet made in the Amarone method to achieve intense aromas, concentrated viscous middle palate with soft and silky tannins. The Cabernet is grown on Mitolo’s own McLaren Vale vineyard, where the soils are black Biscay cracking clay. The grapes are handpicked at 12.5 baumé onto 10kg drying racks, and left to dry for 8 weeks. The fruit is then crushed and fermented on skins for two weeks and macerated for a further 3 weeks. Following a gentle basket pressing, the wine is matured for 10 months in new French oak. The wine is a vibrant purple color, with a fragrant nose of blackcurrant, cassis and mulberry aromas with a touch of cedar and spice. This opulent, rich and powerful Cabernet displays lush red and blackberry fruits complexed by chocolate, mocha and forest floor characters. The mid-palate is powerful and concentrated with ripe, silky tannins.

2004 Vintage Reviews:

“The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Serpico (aged 12 months in new American hogsheads as well as small French barrels) comes from the Willunga district in the southern sector of McLaren Vale, near the ocean. It exhibits a dense purple color in addition to an extraordinary bouquet of smoke, blueberries, black raspberries, and cassis. Superbly endowed with admirable purity, sweet tannin, a floral/fruity component, and a fabulously layered, concentrated mid-palate as well as finish, it is one of the finest Cabernet Sauvignons to ever emerge from South Australia. It should age well for 10-15 years.” 94 Wine Advocate, October 2005

Previous Vintages:

2003: 92 Wine Advocate, October 2004

2002: 93 Wine Advocate, August 2003