Gioiello Estate was the chosen name for this family winery, in recognition of past generations of the Schiavello family who worked at a property named Gioiello (‘jewel’ in Italian), perched above a hillside town in Calabria, Italy.

This barrel selected merlot displays concentrated dark berries on the nose. Rich dark berries framed by black olive reside on the palate with well-integrated oak.

Hand-picked, destemmed and crushed, open-fermented, matured in French oak for 18 months. The relatively cool climate of the Upper Goulburn has injected an edge of frisson, not the comfortable bath robe and slippers that (at its best) the variety usually offers. Here you have bay leaf and black olive to accompany cassis and plum. Drink to: 2031; Alcohol: 13.4%; Price: $40.00; Rating: 93 Points; James Halliday Wine Companion