The 2019 vintage was our second very warm, dry vintage in a row here at Mount Mary. We had some very welcome rain around mid to late December which set us up beautifully leading into January and the véraison period of the growing season. The vines displayed moderate fruitfulness, leading to a much better shoot-to-fruit ratio and balance across our vineyard.
Our Marli Russell wines continue to show gradual improvement since our first bottling under this label in 2014. The vineyards are now 12 years old and are really starting to produce fruit of great concentration, balance and purity, with much clearer varietal expression. We continue to make adjustments in the winery where we see fit, in the pursuit of perfecting the wines we are making from these new (by Mount Mary standards) and exciting varieties.
In 2019 our RP1 is a blend of 40% Marsanne, 40% Roussanne, 20% Clairette. This wine continues in the vein of being a little leaner and tighter than what is typically expected of these varieties. What sets it apart from other Marsanne/Roussanne blends in Australia is the addition of the Clairette, a most intriguing variety both in the way it grows, and the wines it produces. This wine looks vastly different at room temperature than when it is served too cold. It should never be served straight from the fridge!
On the nose this wine displays lemongrass, honeydew melon and just-ripe pineapple. On the palate citrus flavours dominate but there are some riper, rounder flavours that develop with time in the glass and will become a lot more prominent with some ageing in the cellar. There is a light phenolic structure to the palate giving this wine some crunch and complementing the length of flavour. We expect this wine to age extremely well over the next 10-15 years. – Sam Middleton, Mount Mary