The Auswine Forum

Hi all,

As topic, I am considering to buy their wines this year due to 2 reasons:

1. Purchase of 6 bottles or more will get me into members table to enjoy 10% discount.
2. The newsletter mentioned that if I do not make purchase or respond to this year's newsletter, I will be struck off the mailing list.

Any thought from fellow members?

Michael

Hi again,

Just checking, no one here interested in getting the Mount Mary wines from 2012 vintage?

Michael

I'm considering it (trying to talk myself out of it). It's a beautiful newsletter and I'd like to get it again next year. Great vintage too.

My problem is the price. $110 a bottle and it has been such a hit and miss for me. Some bottles are wonderful others you'd be hard pressed to justify a $40 price tag.

The 1986 I had on Friday was just so green is wasn't funny. viewtopic.php?f=1&t=14225

The tasting we had of them a while back viewtopic.php?f=1&t=13393 didn't really inspire me that they were worth over $100 a bottle.

I was able to get the 2006 Triolets for about $35 a bottle on the secondary market which in my opinion is a better indication of the value of a wine.

Dave I agree with you, $120 each is getting beyond the pail.
I have 1994 to 2002 and a couple of late 2000's vintages, 06 and 08.
I would really like 6 Quintet and 2012 might be the last hurrah.
I understand that MM is a business that needs to make money, however I feel a little pressured.

I wish in a way since it has been 4 years since purchase that I was never sent the mailer...I probably would have never noticed.


Cheers
Craig

Based on this tasting
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=12344&p=98417&hilit=mount+mary+vertical#p98417
i will be a buyer this time around

cheers

mse wrote:Hi again,

Just checking, no one here interested in getting the Mount Mary wines from 2012 vintage?

Michael

I have ordered a dozen on the 2012 release 4x Qt,4x Chdy, 4x Pnt. Been on their list since early 90's and never miss a beat until 2007. This is my first order since then, am punting on the good vintage of the 2012 and curious to see how it will compare to those under the helm of the late Dr. Middleton.
Cheers
Boyeah

not a fan of MM Quintet since the doc died, very inconsistent since then. I loved the 2005 on release, but it has not delivered on this early promise and I will consume my remaining half dozen or so over the next few years.
the stand-out wine for me has always been the Pinot, those wines from the 70's and early 80's were truly a match for many a premier cru burgundy, but sadly, the more recent pinots are not up to this standard, in fact, not even remotely close.
I guess you can charge north of $100 if people are still willing to pay, good luck to you, but for me there is an ocean of wine far far better at that price point.

Pass on Mount Mary - Quintets is lovely, but you can buy Bordeaux from good vintages for cheaper, and at greater quantities (and Bordeaux is what Quintets is trying to emulate).

Their other wines are nice however are 2 times overpriced relative to quality (for me).

The only Australian wine I can be strong-armed into buying each vintage is Wendouree, with its excellent quality, solid price relative to quality, pedigree and longevity.

Other than this, there is always another wine, and there are always other vintages available. Don't really care if I get "struck off the mailing list" as Mount Mary loses the chance to promote their products for sale to me.

tarija wrote:
Other than this, there is always another wine, and there are always other vintages available. Don't really care if I get "struck off the mailing list" as Mount Mary loses the chance to promote their products for sale to me.

+1
well said.

tarija wrote:Pass on Mount Mary - Quintets is lovely, but you can buy Bordeaux from good vintages for cheaper, and at greater quantities (and Bordeaux is what Quintets is trying to emulate).

Their other wines are nice however are 2 times overpriced relative to quality (for me).

The only Australian wine I can be strong-armed into buying each vintage is Wendouree, with its excellent quality, solid price relative to quality, pedigree and longevity.

Other than this, there is always another wine, and there are always other vintages available. Don't really care if I get "struck off the mailing list" as Mount Mary loses the chance to promote their products for sale to me.

Hi tarija,

I agree that the Mount Mary wines are overpriced, but so far I have no joy in finding a bottle of Bordeaux that I really like for AUD $100 mark, especially when the prices of big ticket French imports in Australia are crazily high. When you compare Quintet with Bin707, its a "relative bargain", big time. But if I could secure Wendouree Cabernet and Cabernet blend from mailing list orders, its a "relative bargain" compared to Quintet.

Fleur de Bouard 2009 was available en-primeur in Australia for $40, and sold at release for $50. It would kill any recent vintage of MMQ you care to name.
Not sure if 2009 Taillefer is available in Australia, but for $30 in HK, you get a wine that is absolutely out-standing, and critically acclaimed, if points are your thing.
I even got a case of 2010 Beychevelle EP in Australia a couple of years ago for only $120, pretty much the same price as MMQ, and it is a wine head and shoulders above it. What a bonus it was to have an incredibly strong AUD back in 11 and 12!!!!

And, seriously, I could name over 50 wines from 09 and 10 in Bordeaux that are under $75, let alone $100, that would knock the socks off recent releases of MMQ. Admittedly, those two vintages of Bordeaux are absolute freaks for even the "lesser" wines, but never-the-less, they prove to me how non-competitive some high-end (not all high-end) Australian cabs currently are.

As for 707 v MMQ, I am firmly in the camp of 707, which, even for the $$$$, is a world-class cabernet. I would happily drink it ahead of several Cali cabs that cost three times as much, although comparing 707 to Bordeaux is difficult, as they are entirely different beasts.

felixp wrote:Fleur de Bouard 2009 was available en-primeur in Australia for $40, and sold at release for $50. It would kill any recent vintage of MMQ you care to name.
Not sure if 2009 Taillefer is available in Australia, but for $30 in HK, you get a wine that is absolutely out-standing, and critically acclaimed, if points are your thing.
I even got a case of 2010 Beychevelle EP in Australia a couple of years ago for only $120, pretty much the same price as MMQ, and it is a wine head and shoulders above it. What a bonus it was to have an incredibly strong AUD back in 11 and 12!!!!

And, seriously, I could name over 50 wines from 09 and 10 in Bordeaux that are under $75, let alone $100, that would knock the socks off recent releases of MMQ. Admittedly, those two vintages of Bordeaux are absolute freaks for even the "lesser" wines, but never-the-less, they prove to me how non-competitive some high-end (not all high-end) Australian cabs currently are.

As for 707 v MMQ, I am firmly in the camp of 707, which, even for the $$$$, is a world-class cabernet. I would happily drink it ahead of several Cali cabs that cost three times as much, although comparing 707 to Bordeaux is difficult, as they are entirely different beasts.

The topic was - anyone buying the MM 12 Vintage?
If you don't buy it for whatever the reason thats your prerogative, its little or pointless to rubbish the MM brand.
just my 2 cents.
Cheers
Boyeah

actually, I was responding to the post above mine

…. and nor am I rubbishing the brand. For $50, the MMQ is a good value bottle. Nice wine. But for $100+, as has been pointed out by numerous contributors to this thread, there are waaay too many better value Bordeaux blends out there. Hence the reason they, and me, are not buying the 2012 MMQ's.

FelixP,
Everybody entitles to their own opinion, but please don't try to impose yours onto others.
Below is your comments extract from above:

"and nor am I rubbishing the brand"
" As for 707 v MMQ, I am firmly in the camp of 707, which, even for the $$$$, is a world-class cabernet. I would happily drink it ahead of several Cali cabs that cost three times as much, although comparing 707 to Bordeaux is difficult, as they are entirely different beasts.

another example "But for $100+, as has been pointed out by numerous contributors to this thread, there are waaay too many better value Bordeaux blends out there And, seriously, I could name over 50 wines from 09 and 10 in Bordeaux that are under $75, let alone $100, that would knock the socks off recent releases of MMQ.
again all those above comments were all your opinion, please don't try to impose to others !!!!!

Cheers
Boyeah

???????

mse wrote: I agree that the Mount Mary wines are overpriced, but so far I have no joy in finding a bottle of Bordeaux that I really like for AUD $100 mark, especially when the prices of big ticket French imports in Australia are crazily high. When you compare Quintet with Bin707, its a "relative bargain", big time. But if I could secure Wendouree Cabernet and Cabernet blend from mailing list orders, its a "relative bargain" compared to Quintet.

Haha, no point comparing with Bin 707 as almost everything appears "good value" in comparison! Even so, Bin 707 is totally different to Mount Mary Quintets / Bordeaux blends.

Bordeaux for $100 or under that I've spotted in the past week:
- Batailley 2010 $70 (Pauillac)
- Haut Batailley 2008 $68
- Gloria 2010
- Duhart Milon 2008 $88
- Haut Bailly 2008 $128 (a bit over, but should be excellent and still around Mount Mary price)
- Phelan Segur 2010 $85
- Larrivet Haut Brion 2009 $86
- Montrose 2001 $145 (again this is over $100, however there is 10+ years already on it, and Montrose is one of the most venerable of Bordeaux producers)
- Reserve de la Comtesse 2010 $93

I was tempted to put a few away after reading the tasting posted by n4sir, but decided instead to go for some Wantirna 2012 Amelia Cab Merlot. Good vintages of this get great reviews (checkout the Winefront reviews) and is only $60 direct. Reg Egan is lovely to deal with also.

I keep thinking of it as expensive too (well, it is!) but then when provenance-free wannabe Barossa shirazes pop-up from nowhere asking $90+ it doesn't seem so bad.
I've got a bottle of Richard Hamilton Centurion (120yr) vines shiraz here; website price is $120. Doubt it'll be anywhere near as satisfying as a (good vintage) Quintet.
Against these, anything 'historic' around $100 - Diana Madeleine too, for that matter - looks pretty smart.
cheers,
Graeme

tarija wrote:

mse wrote: I agree that the Mount Mary wines are overpriced, but so far I have no joy in finding a bottle of Bordeaux that I really like for AUD $100 mark, especially when the prices of big ticket French imports in Australia are crazily high. When you compare Quintet with Bin707, its a "relative bargain", big time. But if I could secure Wendouree Cabernet and Cabernet blend from mailing list orders, its a "relative bargain" compared to Quintet.

Haha, no point comparing with Bin 707 as almost everything appears "good value" in comparison! Even so, Bin 707 is totally different to Mount Mary Quintets / Bordeaux blends.

Bordeaux for $100 or under that I've spotted in the past week:
- Batailley 2010 $70 (Pauillac)
- Haut Batailley 2008 $68
- Gloria 2010
- Duhart Milon 2008 $88
- Haut Bailly 2008 $128 (a bit over, but should be excellent and still around Mount Mary price)
- Phelan Segur 2010 $85
- Larrivet Haut Brion 2009 $86
- Montrose 2001 $145 (again this is over $100, however there is 10+ years already on it, and Montrose is one of the most venerable of Bordeaux producers)
- Reserve de la Comtesse 2010 $93

the 2010 Gloria is an absolutely ripping wine, it was available for $42 briefly from a victorian merchant, I snapped up three cases. Elsewhere it was widely available for around $50. Drinking delightfully now, it still has 25 years in front of it.
09 and 10 Bordeaux were the bargains of our lifetime, coming around just when the AUD had that little peak of 109 USD!!!!!!!!!!
I questioned my own sanity with the huge number of purchases I made, but now they just look ridiculously cheap.
When you get a stellar Bordeaux vintage, the lesser wines perform as good or better than the super seconds from even average years, and generally trounce the super seconds from poor years.

GraemeG wrote:I've got a bottle of Richard Hamilton Centurion (120yr) vines shiraz here; website price is $120. Doubt it'll be anywhere near as satisfying as a (good vintage) Quintet.
Against these, anything 'historic' around $100 - Diana Madeleine too, for that matter - looks pretty smart.
cheers,
Graeme

I think the flipside though is that the 100+ yr old vines shiraz don't really have many other alternatives from around the world - at least on a vine age basis. They command their high prices for this very reason, all quality and vinification considerations aside.

On the other hand, there are suitable alternatives for Quintet at the price - both local and foreign. In any case, Quintet is probably closest to being the most suitably priced wine within the MM stable...but probably not sharp enough for them to threaten to kick people off mailing lists.

felixp wrote:
the 2010 Gloria is an absolutely ripping wine, it was available for $42 briefly from a victorian merchant, I snapped up three cases. Elsewhere it was widely available for around $50. Drinking delightfully now, it still has 25 years in front of it.
09 and 10 Bordeaux were the bargains of our lifetime, coming around just when the AUD had that little peak of 109 USD!!!!!!!!!!
I questioned my own sanity with the huge number of purchases I made, but now they just look ridiculously cheap.
When you get a stellar Bordeaux vintage, the lesser wines perform as good or better than the super seconds from even average years, and generally trounce the super seconds from poor years.

$42 is really good buying for Gloria, great job on going long on this - you should have cleaned the merchant out of it!

With the AUD on the decline, I am going around and looking for "cellar defender" 2010 Bordeaux that are still around. Took a punt on Lynch Moussas' 2nd wine Chateau Haut Madrac 2010 (a Haut-Medoc vineyard just behind Pauillac, not offcuts from the Lynch Moussas) and even this is a really smart cab-dominant Bordeaux for $24. Lanessan 2010 available for $30 around the traps as well.

yea, but most have jacked up the prices considerably, which seems unfair to me.
A good example is 2009 Fleur de Bouard, a stunning wine that I cracked at dinner a few months ago with a few friends. They were stunned at the sub-$50 price tag, and three wanted to buy a case. I told them were I purchased it, but they reported back that the same merchant was now selling it for $99!!!! I reckon this is totally unfair, and reverse cherry-picking for want of a better term.
I noticed a Qld e-tailer has kept his prices unchanged for 09 and 10 Bordeaux, check wine-searcher.