1999 Mount Mary Quintet

JancisRobinson.com

• By Jancis Robinson, MW
  5/16/2004, (See more on JancisRobinson.com...)

  (Mount Mary, Quintet Cabernet Sauvignon Yarra Valley Red) Subscribe to see review text.

• By Jeremy Oliver
  July/August 2002, IWC Issue #103, (See more on Vinous...)

  (Mount Mary Vineyard Quintet Yarra Valley) Login and sign up and see review text.

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  10/26/2007, (See more on Garagiste...)

  (QUINTET Mount Mary) Mount Mary Quintet Dear Friends, We continue with the classic wines of Australia and today we bring you what many Down Under would consider to be their very best expression - Mount Mary Quintet. This is the early 1970s Heitz Martha’s or mid-eighties Montelena of Oz. If you purchase First Growth Bordeaux or the most elegant Cabernet based wine of the world, this is for you. I sound like a broken record lately but Mount Mary is another in a line of top performers that gets little if any recognition in the US. This is probably because the wine can be austere, angular and acidic in youth - it needs at least 10-15 years to sort itself out (this is not an excuse, its true). Anyone that has tasted older versions of Quintet will tell you the wait is more than worth it. Instead of getting into a mudslinging contest over critical reviews on this wine, I will tell it like it is - Mount Mary Quintet is an inspirational wine that can stand toe-to-toe with anything produced from anywhere but it must be given time to show itself. Mount Mary Quintet is the Harlan auction performer on the Australian circuit with as much as 600-800% increases in price in less than a decade. The winery claims only 600-1000 bottles are produced each year (that’s as little as 50 cases and as much as 85) but one thing is for sure, it is as desirable a wine as exists to Australians and they really don’t care what anyone else believes. Like old vintages of 389, Wendouree or the Peppermint Patty, they’ve been following this wine for decades and they are more than willing to keep everything for themselves. When I went around the US on the Classic Wines of Australia tour 3-4 years ago, Mount Mary proved its worth. This was an event I organized myself to showcase the true genius of the best wines from that continent and Mount Mary was one of the wines showcased. We tried the 1982, 1984, 1985 and 1986 at multiple venues and I think most will agree they were startling in their complexity - although most will remember the original bottling of 1981 Leeuwin Chardonnay from that tasting series, tasted blind, as one on the single greatest bottles of white wine ever produced in the world - better than most grand cru white Burgundies of the same era, including bottles of Montrachet. I was lucky enough to have it four times on that tour and each bottle was the same - or maybe everyone will remember the 1962 Grange or 1966 Grange or 1966 Bin 389 or 1976 Wendouree or 1986 St. Hallet or 1968 Bests or...sorry, just daydreaming a bit. The point is - Mount Mary Quintet, when given the time it deserves, is worth the price. In truth, I don’t think any vintage from 1988 on is drinking at peak yet so I would urge you to abstain from any vintage in the mid 1990’s and especially vintages post-2000 until at least their 15th birthday (except the 1996, which for some reason has come out of its shell slightly earlier than the norm - the 1996 seems to be similar to the 2000 in its ageing curve). Both of the vintages below merit very high interest and both are priced at the lowest levels I can muster. Trying to prove a point instead of making a profit? Maybe. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED – ONE SHIPMENT ONLY WITH PERFECT PROVENANCE – these have been stored under ideal conditions and have never moved since arrival - they have never seen a store shelf or other. These are 750ml not splits: 1999 Mount Mary “Quintet” (Cabernets) 2000 Mount Mary “Quintet” (Cabernets) Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Aus7770 Aus7780