Mount Mary 'Quintet' 2021

A blend of 45/30/17/6/2% cabernet sauvignon/merlot/cabernet franc/malbec/petit verdot. Fermented with whole berries and at different temperatures, depending on the variety. All varieties are matured in both barriques and 1600L foudres for 12 months then racked into barriques (35% new) for another 10 months before blending and bottling. A saturated purple-red. This is a special Quintet (and I don't say this lightly) from the first. Aromas of blackberries, blackcurrants, dark cherry skins and crushed violets. A whisper of pencil-shaving oak. An elegant, concentrated, pure and structured wine that will become even more special with time. As I was tasting it, Radiohead's opening track from Kid A came to mind. Everything in Its Right Place, indeed. 98 points, drink 2023-2040, Philip Rich, Halliday Wine Companion.

45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc, 6% Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot. All the good things. I tasted a 2021 Coleraine the other day, and in many ways, this wine echoes that one. And last year I opened an 18 MM alongside an 18 Coleraine, and it was the same kind of thing. Obviously they are different, and yet, they have a kinship. I think it’s to do with this restrained intensity, acid and tannin balance, and quintessential Cabernet blend perfume. Just an observation really. If you’re feeling flush, you should try it yourself some day. I can pretty much guarantee you won’t have a bad time.

The pencils and the perfume, crushed small berries, essence-like in a way, with tobacco and a little crushed leaf. It’s medium-bodied, tense and so controlled, firm graphite tannin, a clean cranberry crunch to acidity etches it so finely, and the finish is floral, stony and supremely long. Frisson and finesse. It’s a magnificent wine, and one for the ages. 97+ points, drink 2026-2047+, Gary Walsh, Winefront.