James Halliday 97 Points — ‘The Ultimate Bordeaux Blend, Both in Theory and Reality’

My Wine Man on Mount Mary

Mount Mary is one of Australia's most revered and historically significant wine estates — founded in 1971 by Dr John Middleton in the Yarra Valley of Victoria, a physician and perfectionist whose uncompromising pursuit of quality made Mount Mary a benchmark for Australian fine wine long before the country's reputation on the world stage was fully established. The estate produces tiny quantities of wine from its own meticulously farmed vineyards, and demand has always far exceeded supply. Quintet is Mount Mary's flagship red — a five-variety Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot, separately vinified and matured in French oak for 18 to 22 months before blending and bottling. It is, in James Halliday's words, the ultimate Bordeaux blend — both in theory and in reality. The 2016 vintage, with 9 years of bottle age, is drinking at a magnificent point in its evolution.

Tasting Notes

The 2016 Mount Mary Quintet is a wine of extraordinary refinement and quiet authority. Almost butterfly wing transparency in the glass — yet the intensity and length are compelling and unmistakable. The flavours span the full spectrum of the Bordeaux varieties: cassis to blueberry to plum and blackcurrant, all woven together with a textured, silky backing that speaks to the precision of the winemaking and the quality of the fruit. This is not a wine that announces itself with power — it seduces with elegance, complexity, and a finish that seems to go on indefinitely. James Halliday 97 Points.

Style & Drinking Window

Medium to full-bodied with extraordinary refinement, transparency, and length — a cooler-climate Yarra Valley expression of the Bordeaux blend that prioritises elegance and complexity over power. Decant for one to two hours. Drinking magnificently now with 9 years of bottle age, and will continue to evolve and reward through 2035–2045. One of the great long-haul cellaring propositions in the store.

Why This Is a Smart Buy

At HK$888, the 2016 Mount Mary Quintet delivers 97-point icon Australian Bordeaux blend from one of the country's most revered and sought-after estates — a wine that is genuinely difficult to source outside of the estate's own allocation list. With 9 years of bottle age and a drinking window extending to 2045, this is one of the most compelling and age-worthy fine wine propositions in the store.

Looking for a Different Style?

- 2020 Yarra Yering Dry Red 1 — another iconic Yarra Valley Bordeaux-style blend from a different founding estate, for those who want to explore the region's Cabernet tradition further
- 2018 Henschke Cyril Eden Valley Cabernet Sauvignon — a benchmark South Australian Cabernet from one of Australia's most celebrated multi-generational estates
- 2010 Vasse Felix Heytesbury Cabernet Blend — a 96-point Margaret River Cabernet icon with 16 years of bottle age, for those seeking peak maturity at a different price point

Life's too short for bad wine.