Mount Mary's Quintet represents the pinnacle of Australian Bordeaux-style blending, crafted in the cool-climate Yarra Valley since the 1970s. This 1996 vintage showcases the estate's mastery of traditional French winemaking techniques adapted to Australian terroir, earning dual 95-point ratings from respected critics. The wine's legendary status stems from its ability to age gracefully for decades while maintaining both power and elegance, making it one of Australia's most sought-after collector wines.

After 27 years, this Quintet has transformed from a youthful powerhouse into a complex, mature wine displaying secondary and tertiary characteristics. The primary fruit flavours of plum have evolved into more nuanced notes of leather, earth, game, and sweet smoke, while maintaining remarkable intensity. This evolution demonstrates the wine's exceptional structure and balance, allowing it to develop the intricate layers that only come with proper long-term cellaring in ideal conditions.

The wine's full-bodied nature and developed flavour profile make it perfect for rich, savoury dishes that can match its intensity and complexity. Consider pairing with aged beef like dry-aged ribeye, game meats such as venison or duck, or mature hard cheeses that echo the wine's earthy, leathery notes. The herbaceous qualities also complement dishes with rosemary, thyme, or other Mediterranean herbs, while the wine's structure can handle rich, slow-cooked braises or cassoulets.

The Yarra Valley's cool climate and diverse soil types create perfect conditions for Cabernet Sauvignon and its traditional blending partners to ripen slowly while retaining natural acidity. The region's elevation, aspect variations, and maritime influence from Port Phillip Bay provide the temperature fluctuations necessary for complex flavour development. Mount Mary's specific site benefits from north-facing slopes and well-draining soils that stress the vines appropriately, concentrating flavours while maintaining the elegance that defines great Bordeaux-style wines.

This 1996 Quintet is drinking beautifully now, having reached its optimal maturity window where primary fruit, secondary development, and tertiary complexity are in perfect harmony. While the wine could potentially age further, it's currently expressing the full spectrum of its character development that makes aged Bordeaux-style wines so compelling. Given its rarity and the fact that it's already 27 years old, now is an ideal time to experience this wine at its peak rather than risk further decline.