Mount Mary produces premium quality table wines from a single vineyard estate in the heart of the Yarra Valley. Established in 1971, three generations of the Middleton family have dedicated themselves to wines of elegance, longevity, and distinction. All our wines are made entirely from estate-grown fruit and are produced and bottled on-site at Mount Mary.
Mount Mary aims to make a Chardonnay with great length, which reaches a balance between richness and elegance. While some techniques are borrowed from the Burgundians, there are some departures from traditional practice in response to local factors, which ensures a unique wine. The most notable of these is that their Chardonnay does not undergo malolactic fermentation, as our local climate leaves the fruit with ideal acidity when it is picked. The Chardonnay is matured in 30% new French oak barriques with the remainder in older barrels and large casks (1500L). The entire production is barrel fermented. Relatively hard pressing is employed to give the wine texture and lees stirring is carried out to add complexity and body. The Chardonnay is matured in barrel for 11 months prior to bottling.
The best Chardonnay wines, at least for me, combine flavour with lightness, and nothing too overt happens in the wine-making process, and if these criteria are important to others too, then this release romps it home. There’s a flicker of struck match, peach and citrus, with a subtle overlay of vanilla and spiced oak. It’s glossy, but tight and chalky too, with almond paste and a crunch of limey acidity, with a touch of savoury complexity. It’s almost juicy in its delivery of flavour but never steps over the line. The finish is very long, all nougat and ripe Chardonnay flavour, and leaves you wanting more. What more could you want?