Description / Reviews
// 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot, 4% Malbec.
"Our vineyard is planted to Cabernet sauvignon (50%), Merlot (25%), Cabernet franc (15%), 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 vary. 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, the acid and alcohol levels. These varieties ferment on skins for around 12-14 days. This is followed by 22 months of barrel maturation, with 25% of the blend in large format oak (1500L or larger), and 30% in new barriques (225L). The remaining wine is matured in 2-5 year old barriques. Minimal fining and filtration is carried out prior to bottling." - Mount Mary
"47/28/15/6/4% cabernet sauvignon/merlot/cabernet franc/petit verdot/malbec. In a hark back to cooler years, this was picked after the rain at the start of April. Brightly coloured, the result is a gorgeous wine; perfumed and beguiling with pure, blackcurrant fruit aromas, graphite, violets and subtle, oak-derived cedar and pencil shavings. The palate is classically medium bodied with lovely persistence, the fruit supported by balanced, fine-grained tannins and equally fine acidity. Like all great Mount Mary Quintets this will age gracefully over the next two decades but, given a good decant, is also balanced an approachable enough to enjoy in its youth." - 97 points, Philip Rich
"On the nose, the wine displays the signature hallmarks of our flagship blend: cherries, plums, violets, rosehip, and subtle hints of cedar wood and clove-spiced oak. The palate is medium-bodied, poised, and refreshingly long, a rare quality that defines many of the great Cabernet-based blends. Flavours unfold in layers of cherry, ripe raspberry, blackcurrant, and a savoury note of bay leaf. The tannin profile is firm yet beautifully integrated, offering structure and depth without weight. This is a wine built for the long haul. While we would encourage you to cellar this wine for at least 5-10 years, it will continue to improve for up to 30 years or more." - Distributor's Note
"This is a crisper, more acid than tannin based vintage, or at least that’s my reading. Blueberry, blackcurrant, nutmeg, peanuts and tilled earth, pencil and violet perfume, with a smoky pipe tobacco and a dried herb top note, some liquorice richness is there too, which is kind of surprising! There’s a coolness to this wine, though it’s still all blackcurrant and black olive, very finely etched with a bright cranberry and raspberry finish of excellent length. Tight and slightly tangy, and I reckon it will do so well with bottle age. I like the graphite/pencil thing on the finish very much, and the dried violet that carries a lingering fragrance as it closes. Gee, I love the perfume that this wine has, though tannin has a little more scratchiness to it than is typical. I’m thinking about this wine more than is usual, which is a good sign. In short, one of the more aromatic releases, though lesser in tannin quality. Still, it’s a beautiful thing." - 95 points, Gary Walsh
