About
In 2008, in response to changing environmental conditions and our desire to evaluate new varieties, we began to establish additional vineyard areas at Mount Mary. We chose seven varieties that have been traditionally grown in the Rhone Valley of France with the vision to continue to explore the potential of our unique site, creating some new and exciting wines.
2022 Vintage Release
The 2022 vintage in the Yarra Valley was an all too familiar tale of ‘quality over quantity’. The 2022 vintage in the Yarra Valley was an all too familiar tale of 'quality over quantity’. The weather in November 2021 was cold, wet and windy which affected the extremely critical flowering/ fruit set period of the growing season. The weather that followed was nothing short of outstanding....warm, dry conditions through January, February and March (even stretching into April) were ideal for ripening our later season Marli Russell varieties which simply thrive in these warm and dry conditions.
Grenache and Shiraz continue to be the star performers of the 7 southern Rhone Valley varieties we have planted in our vineyard. They are set to become more prominent players in the Marli Russell range over the coming years.
2022 Marli Russell RP1
40% Marsanne, 40% Roussanne, 20% Clairette
The 2022 rendition of our RP1 blend encompasses all the attributes that we have been hoping to bring together for a number of years now. Whilst delicious drinking now, it will age gracefully for another decade or so.
The nose opens with a little toasty oak and some struck match complexity that quickly subsides and makes way for the powerful fruit to take charge. Pear, melon and a hint of pineapple are all easily detected. On the palate, there is more concentration than previous vintages and a slightly more pronounced viscosity/oily texture. The extra concentration does not detract from the freshness and therein lies the balance we have been in pursuit of since the first release of this wine in 2014.
Winemaking Details
Processing: Destemmed/Crushed to press
Primary Fermentation: 100% Barrel
Malolactic fermentation: No
Ageing: 11 months in Barrique, 20% new, 80% second and third fill
Batonnage: Minimal
Filtration: Yes (due no malo)
Winefront Review by Gary Walsh
Posted on 22 May 2024
'A 40/40/20 blend of Marsanne, Roussanne and Clairette.
A little struck match, green melon, lime and lime rind, jasmine perfume, some cinnamon pastry. It’s bright and quite juicy, even a little bit tropical, but there’s that lime rind thing again, which offers a lovely counterpoint. There’s a fine chalky grip to texture, bright acidity, and kind of glossy too, with a finish of excellent length and nutty/spicy complexity. Lovely wine. It could even be better again with a few more years in bottle.'
94 Points
2022 Marli Russell RP2
55% Grenache, 30% Shiraz, 10% Mourvedre, 5% Cinsault
The 2022 RP2 is quite simply a delicious wine. One of the hallmarks of all 2022 red wines is impressive colour intensity, and this wine is no exception. It has a brilliant deep red, purple hue. The progression of these Rhone red varieties, grown in our vineyard for 15 years now has been extremely pleasing.
The nose is dominated by beautiful, pure ripe Grenache/Shiraz aromas of ripe raspberries, stewed strawberry and plum, with nuances of liquorice and spice. The palate is perfectly weighted with luscious, dense fruit and a clean cut of tannin lending a savouriness to the ripe, bright fruit profile. This wine has impressive length and persistence on the palate.
Winemaking Details
Processing: Destemmed, 100% whole berries
Primary fermentation: Grenache, Mourvedre, Cinsault – 100% destemmed, whole berries
Shiraz – 30% whole bunches, 70% destemmed, whole berries
Ageing: (14-16 months)
Grenache -lLarge format oak (1600L)
Shiraz - 2-4 year old barrique
Mourvedre and Cinsault - older barrique
Fining and filtration: No fining, coarse filtration
Winefront Review by Gary Walsh
Posted on 14 May 2024
'Grenache 55%, Shiraz 30%, Cinsault 10%, Mataro 5%. A Rhone blend with Mount Mary sensibility.
This is fresh, spicy, red fruits with an exotic musky and rosy perfume. Medium-bodied, rosehip, redcurrant and raspberry, a fine crunch to it, juicy but controlled, with a lick of kitten’s tongue tannin, almond, biscuit spice, dried herbs and orange zest, and a clean finish of excellent length. It’s a Pinot Noir drinkers Rhone blend, for sure, and it’s such a delightful wine. I’d say it’s likely the best release to date.'
95 Points
2023 Marli Russell Rosé
90% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre
We are excited to offer our very first Marli Russell by Mount Mary Rosé. A blend of 90% Grenache and 10% Mourvedre from our ‘Rhone Project’ vineyard plantings, our Rosé is made in the direct press method. Half the fruit is whole bunch pressed and the remaining half destemmed prior to pressing. Fermented in stainless steel to retain freshness and fruit purity, with some lees work to add subtle complexity.
Delicate and aromatic, this wine expresses flavour characteristics of crunchy white peach, pomegranate and orchard blossom. Inspired by the pale, savoury rosé style of Bandol, this wine is crisp and dry, with zippy acidity to keep it fine and focussed on the finish. The 2023 season was characterised by cool and damp conditions from mid Autumn. Later ripening varieties like Grenache and Mourvedre retained their natural acidity and vibrant primary fruit characteristics making a perfect base for Rosé.