Expert Reviews

“A fool and his cab sav are easily parted. One of those cabs that buck the trend, you can drink it now, so we did. What heights in two years?” - 8.8/10 - Max Crus, Daily Examiner, Grafton and Northern Star, Lismore, September 2009

“There is something about McLaren Vale Cabernet that I enjoy - they get away with being rich more than other regions. Anyhow this is good.” - 90 points - Tony Keys, The Key Report, November 2009

“All joking aside, this wine may just be the feel-good hit of the season. Winemaker Ben Glaetzer sets aside a percentage of the grapes for this Cabernet and lets them air-dry for 5 weeks, concentrating their flavours. Expect lush, spicy fruit and silky texture in this crowd-pleaser. Your guests will be delighted with your sense of humour, not to mention your sense of taste.” - LCBO Vintages Magazine Canada, January 2010

Very rich and racy blueberry, black currants and piquant raspberry aromas lead into a rich, soft raspberry and blackberry delivery of flavours. On the finish, a hit of licorice plays on the palate. A truly fun red, and I am not jesting. - 90+ Gord Stimmel, Toronto Star, January 2010

“In a vastly different style is Mitolo Jester Cabernet Sauvignon 2019. One can't complain of overbearing acidity in this warm-climate red. Mitolo loves to make ripe wines. Twenty per cent of the fully ripe fruit for this one was set aside to dry in the Amarone winemaking manner to concentrate sugars and flavours. The result is a sort of turbocharged Australian style: fat, rich and crammed with berry, plum and chocolate flavours and a distinct raisin-like syrupiness. “Elegant” would not be a word I'd use, but for fruit-bomb fans, it would make satisfying cold-weather quaffing on a cold day or a decent partner for char-grilled meats.” - Beppi Crosariol, GlobeLife, January 2010

“A big wine with fruity aromas and a typically fleshy and SA lushly textured McLaren Vale palate showing super-ripe black-plum fruit, cassis and touches of mint backed by smoky oak, the palate's full-bodied and mouth- filling richness running to a smoothly persistent finish and a long, fruit-sweet aftertaste.” - Graeme Phillips, Sunday Tasmanian, January 2010

Juicy Ripe Plumy-Cherries Recommended Best Buy

“Extremely deep intense purple black colour. Intense, spicy, slightly sweet, raisiny, plummy, baked cherry nose. Intense, dry, medium bodied, very juicy, spicy. slightly sweetish, black cherry jam flavours with a long, lingering finish.” - Juicy Ripe Plumy-Cherries Recommended Best Buy - Red Table Wine, Canada - Ontario, January 2010

“The 2019 Jester 'Monarco' Cabernet Sauvignon has a very deep garnet-purple color and intense notes of warm blackberry, prunes, some dark chocolate, kirsch and creme de cassis. The palate is rich and full bodied with plenty of juicy fruit, plus high acidity and a medium level of soft tannins to lend support. The finish is long. Drinking now, it should cellar to 2014+.” erobertparker.com, Robert Parker by Lisa Perotti Brown M.W., October 2010

“The fruit and the winemaking come together spectacularly well in this quality McLaren Vale Cabernet. Ben Glaetzer is the winemaker, the Mitolo, being Frank Mitolo. The Jester aside, this is serious red drinking folks. Yes there is robust solid red berry fruit, yes there is pronounced sweet oak, but they are melded so well together. Deep, concentrated, stylish and yet idiosyncratic in its delivery. Refined rather than big, the alcohol is not sticking out at all, it delivers drink-ability in bucket loads on the palate, so much for my refinement, but seriously this is a top quality red at a very respectable price. A young wine that is thor-oughly delicious and has lines of complexity and interest running through it.” - Paul Ippolito, www.paulippolito.com.au, March 2010