MOUNT MARY WINEMAKER SAM MIDDLETON ON THEIR GRENACHE BLEND

“We are surprised how elegant and restrained, yet full-flavoured it is, with fantastic length and beautiful spice characters.”

Mount Mary Quintet is a cabernet-dominant wine that has enjoyed its status as one of Australia’s great reds for some four decades.

That’s reason enough for winemaker

Sam Middleton to allow change to unfurl at a slow, methodical pace.

Sam took over full winemaking duties in 2011 while respecting the foundation laid by his late grandparents, Dr John Middleton and Marli Russell, who established Mount Mary in 1971. It is unequivocally a benchmark producer.

But remaining at the top requires an ability to adapt and adjust. And Sam, together with his father David, couldn’t deny the impact of climate change.

“It was time to think about other varieties well-suited to our site with a view to the next 20, 30 and 50 years. We’d like to think we’re looking after the next generation, and next, with a bit of experimentation and pushing our site to see what it is capable of growing.”

Enter the Rhone Project. “In keeping with our French theme, as they were the varieties my grandfather was passionate about, and the cornerstone of Mount Mary, we looked to the southern Rhone with its warmer climate,” Sam says.

In 2008, they started planting white grapes marsanne, roussanne and clairette, plus grenache, shiraz, mourvedre and cinsault in the reds. The white blend RP1 and red blend RP2 debuted with the 2014 vintage. “In terms of making a pinot-esque style of wine, grenache stands out,” Sam says. “We are surprised how elegant and restrained, yet full flavoured it is with fantastic length and beautiful spice characters.”

While the focus remains on their flagship wines, Sam says they want to be progressive. “We think the past is a really important part of what we do, and we never want to take that for granted. But we want to improve and try new things too; to push boundaries and stay relevant.

It’s a fine balance.”