Mount Mary Quintet 2022

Cherry and chocolate, blueberries, violets, tobacco, pencils, baking spice, a light mint perfume. It’s medium-bodied, so fine and ‘minerally’, with succulent graphite tannin, cool fresh acidity to balance, quite some mouth-perfume, and kind of ferrous too, and the length is superb, finishing bright and steely, redcurrant and cranberry carries in the aftertaste. Superb. Such energy and class. There’s something about (Mount) Mary

The 2022 Quintet comes from the estate vineyard planted in 1971 in Coldstream, Yarra Valley. The vineyard is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon (50%), Merlot (25%), Cabernet Franc (15%), Malbec (5%) and Petit Verdot (5%), and this more or less reflects the final cépage each year—though it is also dependent on vintage conditions, fruit set, etc. Aromatically, the wine leads with milk chocolate, cassis, tobacco and blood, with layers of dried herbs, cinnamon cassia, raspberry seed and something minty in the echelon of star anise and fennel—even delicately pushing to aniseed. As per usual, the tannins feel effortless and naturally forged, inducing movement and chew while drinking. This is a silky, seamless wine and is routinely one of my favorite Australian wines each year. Each of the varieties were picked and fermented separately and kept on the skins for about two weeks. The wine matured for 22 months in a variety of French oak: 30% new barriques, 25% in large format (1,500 liters or larger), with the balance in two- to five-year-old barriques. The wine has a firmness through the tail end of the finish, which for me puts it slightly behind the previous vintage in terms of quality but does nothing to dent the space it occupies in my heart. This is a great wine and a great producer. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under natural cork. Drink 2024 - 2052.