G.A.M. is a reflection of passion for 'family' the Mitolo's have - G.A.M. are the initials of Frank's children's first names - G(Gemma), A(Alex), M(Marco). The Latin placed on the label translates to "in honour of our children".

Vineyard
The Shiraz grapes for G.A.M. were hand harvested in the Willunga district of McLaren Vale, South Australia.

The soil in this area is heavy grey loam over sandstone, with black cracking Biscay clays intermixed. The soil has excellent water holding capacity and requires minimal irrigation. McLaren Vale has distinct maritime climate, cool breezy nights and warm, mild days. These factors contribute to an even ripening period, allowing the development of rich fruit flavours and fully ripe tannins.

Vintage - 2000
McLaren Vale experienced a challenging vintage in 2000. Cool and overcast weather during November and December was conducive to powdery mildew development. Fruit set was marginal in some varieties and hot dry weather in January and February reduced yields of most varieties by up to 40% on the 1999 tonnage. Heavy rainfall in the latter part of February and at regular intervals after this time delayed the onset of fruit maturity and made picking scheduling tricky. Despite the challenging season, there were some excellent parcels of fruit picked from the 2000 vintage. The early picked fruit that missed the rain, and the fruit that remained sound until harvest have made good wines.

Winemaking
The Shiraz grapes for G.A.M. were hand harvested in the Willunga district of McLaren Vale, South Australia. Each parcel of fruit was fermented on skins for seven days prior to pressing and the completion of fermentation in 90% fine grained new French oak, 10% seasoned American oak. A natural malolactic fermentation was completed before the wine was racked and returned to oak where maturation for 16 months followed.

Tasting Note
This first release Mitolo wine shows a vibrant deep red colour and displays masses of ripe blackberry fruit intermingled with saddle leather and earthy spice. The palate is dense and well structured with cherries, liquorice and well rounded tannin.