Mount Mary Quintet - consolidated Notes

[crusty2]

I though I would start a thread to consolidate notes on Mount Mary Quintets similar to what Jamie has done with Wendouree viewtopic.php?f=1&t=14792

These are the notes from the OLD Mount Mary site as well as the notes and links (cellartracker) from an Adelaide tasting a few years ago.

Quintet

The vineyard is planted to Cabernet sauvignon (46%), Merlot (26%), Cabernet franc (18%), Malbec (5%) and Petit verdot (5%). The percentage of each variety that goes into the final blend changes with the season as factors such as fruitfulness and fruit set. The greatest influence we have over the quality of this wine is deciding when to pick each variety, this determines not only the flavours but the quality of tannins, and the acid and alcohol levels. The fermentation regime is similar to that of the Pinot, although slightly longer fermentations are employed (up to 10 days). This is followed by 22 months on barrel maturation, with 25% of the blend in large format oak (1500L or larger), and 30% in new barriques (225L).

1990

http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?i ... a30fa5eb8d
1990 Very complex. Very long, lots of weight. Dense but ripe tannins. Drinking very well now. One of the best Quintets. (Note: there is more than usual bottle variation between the 1990 Quintets we have tasted.) (J. Middleton, Mt. Mary, Aug/2008)
1990 Mount Mary Vineyard Quintet, Yarra Valley 12.5% alc (cork): Medium to very dark crimson. Amazingly, even better again than the 1991 vintage, sweeter and chocolaty, fat and tarry with touches of cinnamon; the palates jubey, blackcurrant fruit is almost drenched in sweet spices and tobacco, with a minty-mid-palate and masses of grip on the extremely long, chalky finish. An outstanding wine to finish a brilliant tasting, one that flirts with perfection. (Ian H, Nov/2011)

1991

http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?i ... a30fa5eb8d

1991 Good structure, strong tannins, needs time. Quite persistent but atypical flavours, slightly vegetal. (J. Middleton, Mt. Mary, Aug/2008)

1991 Mount Mary Vineyard Quintet, Yarra Valley 12% alc (cork): Medium to almost dark crimson. From the first whiff this announces itself as an absolute classic, still fresh with blackcurrant and tobacco, tar and smoked meats; the palates just as fresh, bright and tangy, medium weight but full of blackcurrant, black jubes, spices and tobacco, culminating in a lovely long, fine but grippy finish. (Ian H, Nov/2011)

1992

http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?i ... a30fa5eb8d

1992 Complex aroma. Strong wine with youngish tannins, fresh flavours, needs time. (J. Middleton, Mt. Mary, Aug/2008)

1992 Crimson/purple. Blackcurrant-pastille/leafy aromas with touches of vanillin and liquorice. Sweet-fruited, almost simple, cordial flavours, but fine tannins and underlying oak. (AC, Langtons, 2000)


1992 Mount Mary Vineyard Quintet, Yarra Valley 12.5% alc (cork): Light to medium brick/red. The bouquet is a little past its best, slightly vinegary at first with sweet/nougat oak and gunpowder, then caramel and meaty/jus appear with breathing. There is still sweet/bright fruit and a citrus tang on the palate, which is lightweight with herbal/parsley characters, finishing long and grippy with some caramel on the end. (Ian H, Nov/2011)

1993

http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?i ... a30fa5eb8d

1993 More meat and ‘barnyard’ than usual. Strong tannins, quite drying, would suit fattier foods. (J. Middleton, Mt. Mary, Aug/2008)
1993 Mount Mary Vineyard Quintet, Yarra Valley 13% alc (cork): Light to almost medium brick/garnet. Fully developed and spicy, with white pepper, espresso and smoked meats, ground paprika and nutmeg, soft red currant fruit; the palate is a little simple but has a lovely, silky structure and beautiful length. Despite being one of the lesser wines in the vertical, it is drinking beautifully right now. (Ian H, Nov/2011)

1994

http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?i ... a30fa5eb8d

1994 More meat and ‘barnyard’ than usual. Strong tannins, quite drying, would suit fattier foods. (J. Middleton, Mt. Mary, Aug/2008)
1994 Mount Mary Vineyard Quintet, Yarra Valley 13% alc (cork): Light to medium garnet with a brick rim. Radically different in style to the rest of the wines in the vertical, very oaky, sweet and sour, coffee, sous bois, barnyard and a sharp/bitey whiff of menthol; the palate is chewy, rather leafy/minty with obvious vanillin oak, and a tannic/chewy finish. A polarising wine that had its supporters, but seemed rather odd to others. (Ian H, Nov/2011)

1995

http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?i ... a30fa5eb8d

1995 Very nice and clean, lighter weight palate, well balanced, not as concentrated as some but very good drinking now. (J. Middleton, Mt. Mary, Aug/2008)
1995 Crimson/purple. Light, earthy, pastille, slight leafy aromas. Classically structured palate with a core of sweet, earthy, blackcurrant fruit, fine-grained tannins, a touch of vanillin and a firm finish. Will build up. (AC, Langtons, 2000)


1996

http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?i ... a30fa5eb8d

1996 Quite aromatic. Nicely weighted palate. Fine but persistent tannins that will improve with more time. (J. Middleton, Mt. Mary, Aug/2008)
1996 Crimson/purple. Classical blackcurrant/cedar aromas with undergrowth/mushroom complexity. Finely structured palate, with fruit sweetness, cedary, earthy flavours, fine textured tannins and good length. (AC, Langtons, 2000)


1996 Mount Mary Vineyard Quintet, Yarra Valley 12.5% alc (cork): Light to almost medium garnet with a brick rim. A little more oaky than the 1998 vintage, with sweet banana and toast on the nose, followed by black liquorice and earth, the blackcurrant fruit a little sweet and sour, more minty/chocolaty with breathing. A soft entry leads into a lovely, jubey mid-palate, with soft, chewy, Burgundy-like tannins on the long, sweet finish; not quite up there with the best in the vertical, but drinking beautifully all the same. (Ian H, Nov/2011)

1998

http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?i ... a30fa5eb8d

1998 We don’t have any 750ml bottles of the ‘98 (someone forgot to put some away before they were all sold out!). We looked at a couple of the 375ml bottles but they have developed too quickly, and will not be representative of the full bottles.) (J. Middleton, Mt. Mary, Aug/2008)
1998 Mount Mary Vineyard Quintet, Yarra Valley 12.5% alc (cork): Light to medium garnet. Very close to the 2000 vintage, if anything it is a little less developed and has more potential; very complex and ever changing, blackcurrant, toast, coffee, sous bois, cedar, slightly vegetal characters, liquorice, pepper and parsley. The palate is tangy and sweet, smoky and chalky, with loads of grip and massive length, just a little bitter on the finish; needs at least another five years to show its best, possibly more. (Ian H, Nov/2011)

1999

http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?i ... a30fa5eb8d

1999 Very complex and clean aroma. Good flavours and richness, lots of good ripe tannins, medium bodied, nice balance, needs more time. (J. Middleton, Mt. Mary, Aug/2008)
1999 Mount Mary Vineyard Quintet, Yarra Valley 12.5% alc (cork): Light to medium garnet. Sweet leather and cedar, blackcurrants and smoked meats, some coffee & sous bois with breathing; the palate is slightly more advanced than the 2000, tangy and minty with a rather green but soft, grippy finish. Not quite in the same class, but a very good follow up all the same. (Ian H, Nov/2011)

2000

http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?i ... a30fa5eb8d

2000 Lovely palate weight and structure. Good balance. Strong but pleasant tannins. Very good drinking. One of the best Quintets. (J. Middleton, Mt. Mary, Aug/2008)
2000 Mount Mary Vineyard Quintet, Yarra Valley 12.2% alc (cork): Medium to almost dark crimson. From the first whiff and sip this was obviously a major step up in the vertical, beautiful and constantly changing with fresh coffee beans, sweet cherries and jubes, sous bois, sweet/smoked meats, river stones, musk, cedar and green tobacco. A soft entry is followed by a slow build up of tangy blackcurrants and earth, hints of pepper and beetroot, very soft and very long and velvety. A brilliant wine, but not even the second best vintage in the vertical tonight. (Ian H, Nov/2011)

2001

http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?i ... a30fa5eb8d

2001 Strong tannins, typical of a dry year, but a very good wine. Needs time. Good richness and length, lovely flavours, great balance. Very slight alcohol lift on finish. (J. Middleton, Mt. Mary, Aug/2008)
2001 Mount Mary Vineyard Quintet, Yarra Valley 12.5% alc (cork): Medium to dark crimson. Sweet cedar and cherries, some clove, mushroom and smoked deli meats with breathing; the palate is very earthy (eg. taste the dirt) with ripe, tangy fruit underneath, and a rather odd, tangy/metallic finish. It seems caught a little in between phases in such a strong line up. (Ian H, Nov/2011)

2002

http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?i ... a30fa5eb8d

2002 Good weight and flavour if a little herbaceous. Strong tannins, too young and needs time. Good acidity and structure. (J. Middleton, Mt. Mary, Aug/2008)
2002 Mount Mary Vineyard Quintet, Yarra Valley 12.5% alc (cork): Light to medium crimson. Toasty and fruity, a bit like a poptart, with cooler paprika, tomato, cedar and menthol characters, becoming beautifully perfumed like a tea rose with breathing; a soft, sweet berry entry leads to a light to medium weight, velvety palate with very grippy tannins on the finish. Some questioned if this it was a slightly forward bottle, but it was still very good to say the least. (Ian H, Nov/2011)

2003

http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?i ... a30fa5eb8d

2003 Quite a big Quintet with too much dry tannin at this stage. Could end up like the 1997. Otherwise typical flavours and persistence. (J. Middleton, Mt. Mary, Aug/2008)
2003 Mount Mary Vineyard Quintet, Yarra Valley 13% alc (cork): Medium to very dark crimson with a bare hint of purple. Darker and earthier than the 2004 & 2005 vintages, it seems to be riper with bigger, raspberry fruit up front, touches of scorched earth, cocoa/powdered chocolate, and a slightly leaner finish. It seems to be an earlier drinker than the other two, but is still very true to the house style. (Ian H, Nov/2011)

2004

http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?i ... a30fa5eb8d

2004 Lots of bright fruit, complex. Well balanced, lots of persistent flavour. Firm tannins but very much in balance. One of the best Quintets, needs more time. (J. Middleton, Mt. Mary, Aug/2008)
2004 Mount Mary Vineyard Quintet, Yarra Valley 13% alc (DIAM): Medium to dark crimson/purple. Very similar to the 2005 vintage, a little tarry and more inky, but still minty with touches of cloves and cedar with deep, currant fruit. The palate is bright and tangy, slightly bigger than the 2005 and not quite as earthy, but the impressive chalky structure and peppery finish are near identical; likewise its best is yet to come. (Ian H, Nov/2011)

2005

http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?i ... a30fa5eb8d

2005 Mount Mary Vineyard Quintet, Yarra Valley 13% alc (DIAM): Medium to dark crimson/purple. Much sweeter than the 2008 vintage, minty with some cloves, cedar and nutmeg adding to a core of sweet currant fruit, some ozone & eucalyptus with breathing. A soft entry with touches of cocoa and sous bois is followed by jubes/jellies and mint, the tight, spicy palate fattening with breathing, the long finish dry, mineraly and peppery. Gorgeous now, but its best is at least a decade away. (Ian H, Nov/2011)

2008

http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?i ... a30fa5eb8d

2008 Mount Mary Vineyard Quintet, Yarra Valley 12.8% alc (DIAM): Medium to almost dark red/purple. Quite toasty and earthy, currants and fruit pastilles, hints of tomato skin/sauce, a little EA and malty oak with air; a tart entry leads to a tarry, chalky palate with jubey fruit, tightly knit, medium-weight with excellent length. Lots of promise right from the very beginning. (Ian H, Nov/2011)

Please add your experiences and include decanting times (where applicable/known) and wine source (cellar/auction/etc)

cheers
Phill

[michel]

2013 Mt Mary Quintets
From the cellar
Pure fresh fruit with a core of acid
There is a lot to like in the gentle expressive perfumed nose
I love the Dr Jim moderate alcohol
Palate drops as it closed even after a couple of hours
Leave for at least 5 years before retrying

[Hunter]

Has anyone tryed the 14's yet ? Purchased a few given the tuff year ..