This year's release
If there was one vintage to describe just how special and unique the Yarra Valley can be as a premium cool climate wine producing region, 2017 would be at the top of the list.
This vintage perfectly showcases the elegance and restraint, power and energy that wines from the Yarra can exhibit in the very best vintages. The 2017 vintage conditions, in some ways, are more akin to what we experienced through the 90’s rather than more trends. Perfect rainfall was accompanied by warm days and cool nights through most of the 2017 growing season, leading into a long Indian summer. This particular set of weather conditions were exactly what inspired John to establish Mount Mary back in 1971.
All four wines have benefited remarkably from this mild, long and drawn out growing season, where flavours were able to develop slowly and reach full ripeness while grapes maintained exceptional acid balance, vibrancy and freshness.
These new wines all exhibit such energy, purity and clarity of fruit that reflect so strongly our site, region and the 2017 season.
2017 Quintet
45% CABERNET SAUVIGNON, 30% MERLOT, 16% CABERNET FRANC, 5% MALBEC, 4% PETIT VERDOT
Our Quintet blend remains the flagship wine of our estate, representing the initial vision Dr John Middleton had when discovering the unique site that is Mount Mary. It’s hard to remember a Quintet that displayed such lifted aromatics on release as this 2017 vintage. The nose is particularly vibrant and fruit forward at this early stage, bursting with aromas of cassis, cherry, plum and chocolate. There is a hint of earth/undergrowth/cigarbox here playing second fiddle to the bright expressive fruit. The palate follows on with a similar theme with flavours of blackcurrant, plum, liquorice and chocolate. The tannins and acid profile give this wine such beautiful structure, purity and persistence through the palate which we have not seen in a young Quintet for quite some time. We are extremely excited to see how this wine will evolve over the coming 2-3 decades.
2017 Pinot noir
John planted Pinot noir at Mount Mary in 1971. The original block is 1.2 acres in size and contains over 20 different Pinot clones. The clonal diversity provides such complexity and uniqueness to this wine. Put simply, there has never been a better year in the Yarra Valley for Pinot noir than 2017. The nose opens with dominant primary fruit but reveals so many other complexities as the wine breathes in the glass. Stewed strawberries, raspberry, cherry and quince make way to beetroot, hints of marzipan, spice and dark chocolate. The palate is medium bodied but is defined by the underlying intensity and length of flavour. There is a fine grain of tannin that runs confidently through this wine, building power while also adding to the savoury characteristics. With its best years still well and truly ahead of it, this is a wine set to age beautifully in the cellar for another decade or more.
2017 Chardonnay
Chardonnay remains the premier white grape of the Yarra Valley. In seasons like 2017, we believe it can rival some of the best Chardonnays of the world. Our newest Chardonnay blocks are now approaching 10 years of age, adding an extra layer of clonal diversity to this wine when blended with our older plantings (now reaching 35-45 years of age). The nose of the 2017 Chardonnay opens with citrus characters, lemon curd, some riper melon nuances, along with struck match, toast, and almond meal. The palate is fine, elegant and pure with flavours of citrus, grapefruit, honey and some very appealing toasty oak complexities. The defining feature of this wine on release is the pristine acid line and tremendous length. While the palate shows ample generosity now, expect this wine to build concentration over the next few years as it relaxes a little in bottle.
2017 Triolet
67% SAUVIGNON BLANC, 23% SEMILLON, 10% MUSCADELLE
The 2017 Triolet speaks so clearly of Dr John Middleton’s ideals and vision for this blend. It is a tighter, more restrained example than 2016, while displaying so much underlying power and concentration. The nose shows a vast array of fruit including lemon/lime, honeydew and just-ripe pear. These fruit characteristics are combined with secondary flavours of oyster shell, seashore and brine elements which all add complexity. The palate is medium bodied and displays a beautiful natural acid profile that is matched with an appealing, juicy fruit expression of lychee, melon and red apple. There are phenolics present, as is always the case with our white wines at Mount Mary, but they are so fine grained and well integrated.