Mortar mix looked fine spring, now it's crumbling by October

Honestly, I checked a retaining wall I laid back in April and the joints are turning to sand already. Same bags of Portland, same sand source, same water ratio I've used for a decade. The only difference I can pin down is the weather pattern this summer, we had those three weeks of brutal heat followed by heavy rain storms back to back. I think the mortar cured too fast in the sun, then the water got trapped behind the face and did the damage from the inside. My buddy in Austin says he's seen the same thing on his last two jobs, so it's not just me being sloppy. Has anyone else noticed their spring work failing earlier than usual this year, or did I get a bad batch of cement without catching the date code?

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