Got Somme : Master Sommelier's Wine Podcast · SESSION in PROGRESS

VALUE in EXPENSIVE wines - In Conversation with Mount Mary

·26 min·2 clips

Sam Middleton explains how his grandfather's vision created Mount Mary's flagship Quintet wine over 50 years.

This episode is a conversation with Sam Middleton, the third-generation owner and chief winegrower of the renowned Australian winery Mount Mary. Hosts from the Got Somme podcast explore the value and philosophy behind Mount Mary's flagship wine, the Quintet. The discussion centers on a vertical tasting of four vintages selected by Sam to demonstrate the wine's consistency. Sam explains that his grandfather created the Quintet to be an age-worthy, climate-restrained style not being made in Australia at the time. He brought vintages from both cooler and warmer years to showcase how the wine maintains its character. The 2012 vintage, which was Sam's first vintage making the Quintet, is the first wine tasted in the vertical. The hosts taste and describe the wines, with one exclaiming over a pronounced rose aroma on the nose of a particular wine. The episode includes a promotional segment for the wine retailer Graze.com, with hosts listing specific wines they purchased from the site. They mention buying a 2022 Surat Shiraz Viognier for $55 and a 2014 Bourgogne from Maison Leroy for under $300. The hosts promise to reveal their best value purchase from Graze.com at the end of the episode. Sam Middleton expresses a competitive desire to be the last major grower of Viognier in the Yarra Valley region. An interesting insight is that the Quintet has been the consistent flagship wine of Mount Mary for over fifty years. Sam Middleton considers it the most stylistically and qualitatively consistent wine the estate produces. The hosts' genuine enthusiasm is evident in their immediate sensory reactions during the tasting. The episode also touches on vineyard practices, with a mention of new plantings on specific rootstock. The tone is conversational and educational, blending an interview format with a guided tasting experience. The style is insider-focused, featuring detailed wine descriptions and industry perspectives. This episode would greatly appeal to wine enthusiasts interested in Australian fine wine, particularly the legacy and craftsmanship of Mount Mary. Listeners seeking broad wine education or those uninterested in a deep dive on a single producer might choose to skip it.

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Got Somme : Master Sommelier's Wine Podcast