Mount Mary - The Breathtaking 2018s
Posted by Joe Perry on 18th Nov 2020
Well and truly cemented in the top tier of Australia wine producers, Mount Mary is one of the most adored and celebrated family-owned wineries in the country. The 2018 wines define the style of Mount Mary perfectly - elegance, longevity, and distinction.
With third generation Sam Middleton at the helm of head winemaker since 2011, his passion and respect for the Yarra Valley region continues to put their exceptional blends amongst the best in the world, along with the single varietal Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The 2018 wines are gaining soaring reviews from the top critics (as you'll see in Gary Walsh's words below) and rightly so, the hard work and dedication of the Mount Mary team in the vineyard has achieved impeccable balance. This vintage is already showing enormous potential and may sit alongside some of the best we've seen. Check out Sam's notes on the vintage below
'The start of the 2018 growing season in the Yarra Valley saw particularly high rainfall in November and December (2017). Having successfully navigated our way through a period of excessively high disease pressure in the vineyard we were optimistic about the rest of the season with such fantastic water content in our soils. What we weren’t to know was the rain we received around Christmas time would be our last major rain event for over three months! Coupled with this extremely dry and warm three months were bigger than average crops, resulting in a very busy green harvest period. In some of the heavier blocks we dropped up to 50% of the fruit on the ground. This is a critical process in such a year to return balance to the vines and ensure we produce the highest quality of wine we possibly can.' – Sam Middleton, Mount Mary
'68% Sauvignon Blanc, 24% Semillon and 8% Muscadelle. The Triolet varieties just seem to thrive in the warmer Yarra vintages. This is a Triolet for the ages that we cannot wait to revisit two decades from now. The 2018 Triolet opens with some customary reduction but quickly dissipates to reveal an extremely aromatic and complex nose. Fresh lime and other citrus notes dominate along with white grapefruit and floral nuances largely contributed by the Muscadelle, which seems to be particularly prominent in this young Triolet. There is a burst of flavour on the palate, again lime with pear, green apple, and lemongrass all play a part in the flavour profile along with a slight hint of oak (no new barrels, just some Mount Mary 2018s 3 second fills). The acid is firm and focused along with the phenolics giving the wine great length and drive.' - Sam Middleton, Mount Mary
'It’s a charming, ripe and glossy vintage of Triolet, so smooth and flavoursome, but still has grip and juicy acidity. Lime and lemon curd, some spice and lemongrass, crunch of green apple acidity, a subtle hay/grassy element in there too. Finish is long, floral/vanilla scented, and silky, with a cinch of quinine-like bitterness adding refreshment. White Bordeaux blends don’t come much better than this.' - 96 points. Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
'Often in warmer, drier seasons we tend to pick the Chardonnay earlier than we perhaps otherwise would to control the effects of a dry and warm growing season (so important in the preservation of natural acid). During ripening under such conditions, flavours develop quicker and acids degrade faster. The 2018 Chardonnay has managed to keep its all-important natural acid line, remaining fresh and focused but also full flavoured from the warmer growing season conditions. The nose shows an array of complexities opening with toasty oak characters along with a smattering of flint/struck match. But swiftly pushing these secondary characteristics to the side is intense primary fruit of lime, seared pear and grapefruit. There are some honey and crème brûlée aromas also present here. As is the case with the Triolet, it is an explosion of flavour on the palate. There are flavours of honey, ripe pear, grapefruit, toast and almond meal. There is a depth and richness to this wine that is held firmly in check by the strict acid line that runs through the core, adding freshness and length.' - Sam Middleton,
'Plenty of struck match, lime, almond, and white flowers (including vanilla, of course). It’s full of flavour, albeit set to a somewhat tangy and grapefruity expression, with plenty of grip and grainy texture, lime rind, spice and some honey water sweetness. Finish is long and intense, with a tonic-like twang, and zesty appeal. Excellent. Needs a couple of years to settle down.' - 95 points. Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
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
'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’. 97+ points.' - Gary Walsh, The Wine Front