Mount Mary Quintet 2023

Mount Mary Quintet 2023

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.

This is a crisper, more acid than tannin based vintage, or at least that’s my reading. Blueberry, blackcurrant, nutmeg, peanuts and tilled earth, pencil and violet perfume, with a smoky pipe tobacco and a dried herb top note, some liquorice richness is there too, which is kind of surprising! There’s a coolness to this wine, though it’s still all blackcurrant and black olive, very finely etched with a bright cranberry and raspberry finish of excellent length. Tight and slightly tangy, and I reckon it will do so well with bottle age. I like the graphite/pencil thing on the finish very much, and the dried violet that carries a lingering fragrance as it closes. Gee, I love the perfume that this wine has, though tannin has a little more scratchiness to it than is typical. I’m thinking about this wine more than is usual, which is a good sign. In short, one of the more aromatic releases, though lesser in tannin quality. Still, it’s a beautiful thing. 95 Points - Gary Walsh, The Wine Front

Black-fruited and perfumed, with aromas of blackcurrants, violets, licorice, cassia bark, graphite, blueberry compote, pomegranates, tobacco, mahogany, lead pencil shavings and balsamic strawberries. The palate is mid-weighted, with finely integrated tannins and balanced acidity leading into a textural, rounded and seamless mouthfeel. There’s an excellent balance of fruit, florals, earth and herbs, anchored by a mineral core. This Bordeaux blend with New World freshness is built for the ages, yet offers plenty of early drinking appeal. What a wine. Drink or hold. Date: Aug 2025; Rating: 98 Points; James Suckling

47/28/15/6/4% cabernet sauvignon/merlot/cabernet franc/petit verdot/malbec. In a hark back to cooler years, this was picked after the rain at the start of April. Brightly coloured, the result is a gorgeous wine; perfumed and beguiling with pure, blackcurrant fruit aromas, graphite, violets and subtle, oak-derived cedar and pencil shavings. The palate is classically medium bodied with lovely persistence, the fruit supported by balanced, fine-grained tannins and equally fine acidity. Like all great Mount Mary Quintets this will age gracefully over the next two decades but, given a good decant, is also balanced an approachable enough to enjoy in its youth. Date: Feb 2025; Alcohol: 13.5%; Drink by: 2040; Rating: 97 Points; James Halliday Wine Companion

Mount Mary’s quietly considered Quintet is our most eloquent rebuttal to misguided accusations that Australian wine is all bombast and bluster. Poise can be an overused term in wine, but here it’s an article of faith. A blend without a single stich or seam. Everything in its place, and that place determined by what surrounds it. Polished red and blackcurrant fruit, dried violets and rubbed rosemary, all exquisitely presented. It’s perfectly pitched and achingly graceful, its tannins a detailed tapestry only Bayeux could match. Always great, now better than ever, this 2023 is one of the best Australian wines of the century so far.  99 Points - Nick Ryan, The Weekend Australian Magazine