Mount Mary Vineyards 3 Items

Mount Mary Vineyard is a family owned, single vineyard estate located in the heart of the Yarra Valley which lies in the south-eastern corner of Australia. Established in 1971 by Dr. John and Marli Middleton, Mount Mary was one of the first vineyards planted in the resurgence of the Yarra Valley as a premium grape growing region. The inspiration for planting vines in this area came from the local history of the Yarra Valley and in particular from the wines being made by the Swiss settlers in the 1850’s. These Swiss immigrants had been greatly influenced by the French wine producers and they recognised the climatic parallels the Yarra Valley shared with both Bordeaux and Burgundy.

After extensive visits to the wine growing areas of the world in the late 1960’s and in particular those of Bordeaux and Burgundy, John and Marli had become totally fascinated by French premium wine. They then decided to start looking for a suitable place to establish a commercial vineyard planted entirely with French grape varieties. And so it was in 1971 that John and Marli stumbled upon the property known as "Mount Mary". The site had, surprisingly, never been planted with vines yet they immediately recognised the gentle north facing slope and soil as being ideal for their purpose. The first vines were planted in 1972 and today we have some 30 acres under vine, all of varying age and varieties.