Mount Mary Quintet Yarra Valley, Australia – 2021

Mount Mary is recognised by Australia’s prestigious “Langton’s Classification” as one of the country’s five “Grands Crus”. “Quintet” is the flagship wine of the estate. From 50 year old vines, this expressive and ethereal red is recognised as one of Australia’s greatest Cabernet styles.

The 2021 is a blend of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc, 6% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot. 2021 was truly a spectacular vintage in the Yarra Valley, which will sit comfortably alongside other great Quintet vintages such as 2019, 2015 and 1990.

The nose offers red cherry, violets, spice and some earthy undertones. The palate is driven by red fruits, intertwined with spicy French oak. However, it is really the extremely fine quality of the tannins which defines this wine on the palate, meaning that this wine has tremendous potential to age for up to 30 years in the bottle.

“Among the ten vintage flight that I was privy to, this is arguably the finest of them all, sitting pretty alongside its rival, the stunning 2015. Medium-bodied, taut and understated, as the Quintet always is. Graphite, pencil lead, blood plum and a fleck of red and black currant. The wine’s signature, a kit of gorgeous, sinous tannins that reflect the later picking windows of more recent years. This could easily be nudged up a point. Best after 2028.” 98 points James Suckling (Tasted by Ned Goodwin MW): Publication date: August 7, 2023

 “It’s no secret that the Quintet is one of my favorite Cabernet blends in Australia. I collect a few bottles for my cellar each year because of three reasons: they speak of site and place eloquently and gracefully, they age in the same manner, and despite every and any season, the dry-grown vines prevail. I love the vintage variation through the lens of house style; these are natural feeling, unforced vineyard wines and a proud statement of what is possible in the world of global Cabernet, and Australian Cabernet more specifically. So, the 2021 Quintet comprises 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc, 6 % Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec. On the nose, there is a forest of red berries -mid-weight and balanced in their flow of aromatics. It has notes of pomegranate, cassis, a hint of cocoa, graphite and tobacco, star anise and salted licorice. In the mouth, the calling card of this estate is undoubtedly the tannins, and they flow and weave through the fruit at every turn. This is a silken wine, the tannins like carded silk. If you’ve ever carded fleece or a raw substrate like that, you know the satisfaction and progress of that process. The tannins here have that open-weave, unfettered feeling – they are what they are and are not created/built/etc. There is nothing forced here. The season has yielded a balanced and fine wine, and the tannins feel like they plume through the fruit, like blood in the water. I cannot separate the fruit from the tannin. It’s chewy. Excellent. I’m looking forward to seeing this again in a decade”. 98 points Robert Parker (Tasted by Erin Larkin): Publication date: September 21 2023