2018 Mount Mary Quintet

Mount Mary

Australia / Yarra Valley / Mount Mary

44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc, 5% Malbec and 5% Petit Verdot. Our passion and commitment toward the Bordeaux family of grapes and their suitability to the Yarra Valley remains as strong as ever. The drier half of the 2018 growing season was so perfectly suited to the Quintet varieties. We feel in time the 2018 will be considered in the top echelon of all Quintets produced since the inaugural commercial release in 1976. It has a strikingly deep, vibrant hue when poured into the glass and such an energy that runs through both the aromatics and the palate. The nose shows all the hallmark characteristics of our Quintet blend from the great vintages; cassis, cherry, chocolate and a hint of varietal Yarra Cabernet leafiness are all present in the aroma profile. The palate is medium weight but with such intensity and concentration. There is a real complexity of fruit flavours interwoven with balanced oak and coupled with that quintessential Quintet structure (soft but grainy, persistent tannin). - Sam Middleton, Mount Mary

James Halliday

Halliday Wine Companion 2021

99 points.

Stands proudly at the head of the Mount Mary portfolio. A blend of 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc and 5% each of Malbec and Petit Verdot, each variety handled according to its structure. Open/static fermenters, wood/stainless steel, 10-14 days on skins, 35% new oak from a range of coopers and forests, 16-20 months in barrel. Mesmerisingly silky, with a kaleidoscope of fruit and secondary flavours.

December, 2020

Huon Hooke

Gourmet Traveller WINE

98 points

This famous wine is in top form in 2018. An utterly seductive mix of red fruits, roses, tobacco, cedar cigar box and subtle smoked-meat/charcuterie. Gorgeous flavour of blue and red fruits, floral highlights and wonderful cleansing tannins. A stunner.

September, 2020

Gary Walsh

The Wine Front

97+ points.

Blackcurrant, cherry, raspberry, violet, an empty box of chocolates, and subtle leafy perfume. Medium-bodied, deft and delivery of intense small-berried red and black fruit, tobacco and dried flowers with a discreet seasoning of cocoa, embroidered with pure and vital acidity, fine carbon tannin, and a supremely long and fresh finish. If there were a dictionary of wine, this would be listed under the word ‘class’.

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About Mount Mary

Mount Mary is one of the great small wineries of Australia, established by Dr John Middleton in 1972. Production is tiny. Mount Mary is noted for both the character and high quality of its wines. Since the first vintage in 1976, it has established itself as one of Australia's most highly regarded producers, commanding a mythical status among wine collectors. The vineyard faces due north and captures optimum sunlight during the growing season. The purity of fruit, poise and structure of Quintet, a Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot and Petit Verdot blend, epitomises the estate. It resonates with individuality of place and Dr John’s fastidious respect for the landscape. Mount Mary has continued to take great steps forward while staying true to the vision of Dr John, whose son David oversees the business while grandson Sam Middleton has taken on the winemaking mantle with aplomb.
“It’s axiomatic that generational change can be good or bad, obvious or discreet. The changes at Mount Mary have been unambiguously good, but fittingly discreet.” – James Halliday

About

Sam Middleton is a third generation wine maker from the Mount Mary family. He holds a degree in Agricultural Science from the University of Melbourne as well as a degree in Wine Science from Charles Sturt University. His background includes employment at several significant producers including Coldstream Hills and Dominique Portet. Sam has gained experience in France working a vintage in Burgundy in 2009 and travelling extensively through other wine regions on a number of occasions since. Bordeaux is of special interest to him as a result of its role in Mount Mary's history. Growing up in the Yarra Valley alongside his father and grandfather, grapes and wine have always been a part of life. He has always demonstrated a passion for primary production and has a deep respect for this region and its unique ability to produce world-class wines.