Join us on Sunday September 1st for
Moss Wood - Pre-Release Lunch, Masterclass and Dinner with the Winemakers!
Moss Wood release their 2023 Chardonnay & 2022 Pinot Noir …
13 Wine and 5 Course Lunch or Dinner …and at a 13 Wine with nibbles Masterclass.
… hosted by …
Moss Wood Winemakers
Experience Moss Wood Pre-Release Tastings of the Chardonnay 2023 & Pinot Noir 2022 … each against the prior vintage!
Lunch: 12-3pm, 13 Wines & 5 Courses, $175
Masterclass: 4-6pm, 13 Wines with Nibbles, $75 - Sold Out
Dinner: 6.30pm, 13 Wines & 5 Courses, $175 - Sold Out
Sunday September 1st
The Moss Wood
Pinot Noir Context:
Despite the mountains of theory against, Moss Wood’s Margaret River Pinot Noirs have aged extraordinarily well since the earliest vintages. The 1981 was famous. I have had 14- and 15-year-old Moss Wood Pinot Noirs with Bill & Sandra Pannell – over lunches - with similarly aged Premier Cru Red Burgundies … and the Moss Wood Pinots lost nothing. Can you say that about many Australian 15-year-old Pinot Noirs? I have had dozens of aged Moss Wood Pinot Noirs over the years – and they sing. Extraordinary really.
Some years ago Keith & Clare wanted to take a Moss Wood museum Pinot Noir travelling show to the Eastern states, starting at about 10 years of age, to show Australia’s wine writers & wine buyers what these wines were capable of. I supported this fully - because almost nobody knows. In the last 24 months I have had masked 1986 & 1988 Pinot Noirs that were the wines of the night against up to a dozen wines of serious quality from around the world. In each instance, the wine loving attendees were as shocked as I was when the wines were unmasked. These were seriously good wines – but in fairness, from under cork, and I have had other bottlings of Moss Wood Pinot Noirs from that era that have not held
up as well. Moss Wood alone proves that Margaret River can produce marvellous aging Pinot Noirs that will reward and overpay on opening. This 2021 came from a quite cool year with significant early February rains. So the resulting Pinot Noir is more like the 1985, the 1990 and the 2000 … although a better wine …
In short: “Good, soft, friendly and pretty.”
“Consistency and quality have underpinned our existence. Over the last 40+ years of making Moss Wood Pinot Noir, we have always believed in the quality of our wine and have been very happy to keep producing it. We can now point to vintages that have aged beautifully for more than 35 years.”
Moss Wood Pinot Noir:
2017 - 95 points Bob Campbell
2016 - 94 points James Halliday
2015 - 93 points Cameron Douglas
2014 - 92 points Josh Raynolds
2013 - 16 points Jancis Robinson
2012 - 92 points Josh Raynolds
The Moss Wood Chardonnay Context:
Until 2015 or 2016, and despite some very laudatory national reviews on their other varieties, Moss Wood’s reputation was built solely on Cabernet Sauvignon. The Chardonnay styles appear to have changed significantly since about the 2017 vintage – James Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion Chardonnay of the Year – and that wine and the vintages since have been leaner, longer and with more finely crafted texturing than in the past. And more delicious – both in the short and long terms. Margaret River is clearly the greatest Chardonnay producing region in the country – having won 19 of the 30 capital city Best Chardonnay Trophies (masked and with the west providing less than 8% of the wine writers and wine maker judging panels) since the first show of 2016 - and Moss Wood now is clearly entrenched in the very finest in the region and thus the nation. The 2019 Chardonnay, 19.1 or 19.2 points on my card, is a great wine and Keith Mugford has added that whilst more similar to the 2018 in style, that if I liked the 2019, I would love the 2020. I have not tried the 2022 yet. Keith Mugford says that the 2022 Chardonnay was typical of recent years - a touch on the low side? Certainly not high. Other key Margaret River Chardonnay players are VERY excited by their 2022 coming releases. Keith adds that they are “thrilled” with this wine and that “the fruit definition is sensational.” 2022 was a warmer year producing fully ripe fruit of real intensity and with phenolics that add some structuring. He is very happy with the results – as you will have gathered. Based on the most recent four vintages, I take it for granted that this will be another one of Margaret River’s finest … and most undervalued premium Chardonnays of the vintage.
John Jens
Duke’s Vineyard is an award-winning vineyard in the cool-climate. Great Southern wine region of Western Australia producing dry Rieslings, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. Duke himself planted the vines in 1999, starting on his 60th birthday, and in 2019, he received 99 points and the James Halliday Wine of the Year Award for his 2017 Riesling, a first for an Australian Riesling. The vineyard is a unique site that sits at the feet of the ancient granite Porongurup peaks with warm ripening days and cooler nights tempered with maritime breezes. Winemaker Ben Cane and his film/media/special events producer partner, Sarah Date, took over the property and brand in April 2022 when Duke retired at 82. They are guiding the existing premium wines to exciting new heights and will also add Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer to the
portfolio by way of invitational WA vineyards.
Winery Note, Dukesvineyard.com
“Moss Wood focuses on the quality of its wines. It's part of everything that we do from the vineyard, through to the winery through to bottling wine.”
Moss Wood Chardonnay:
2018 - 97 points James Halliday, 17+/20 Jancis Robinson
2017 - 99 points James Halliday
2016 - 95 points James Halliday
2015 - 95 points Jane Faulkner
2014 - 93 points Josh Raynolds
2013 - 16.5/20 Jancis Robinson
2012 - 95 points, Bob Campbell
The Wine List
Semillon 2023, Our Price $39
Remains one of my favourite Moss Wood wines, and certainly one of my favourite semillons. And this one from the great '23 vintage is right up there with anything. It seems a more pungent and intense semillon than previous years and probably a result of the vintage which produced such beautiful fruit intensity. Pure and driven with a lip-smacking acidity on the finish.
95 Points Ray Jordan, rayjordanwine.com
This is exceptional semillon, made with a stylistic nod to white Grave as much as fealty to Margaret River's oath of immaculate ripeness, melded to a saline pop of freshness. Full-weighted, yet light on its feet. Some unresolved CO2 is as effective as the drag of acidity in promoting freshness. Accents of cut grass, lemon pastille, nettle and mirabelle, with the oak nicely pliant across the long, buttressed finish.
94 Points Ned Godwin MW, jamessuckling.com
A very pale gold. The nose is refined, elegant and restrained. This is fresh with notes of lemons, dry herbs, pears and a hint of honey. There is alluring texture, soft and seductive, and the wine is clean and with serious length backed by bright acidity. Nothing like the fine Sems we see from the Hunter, but utterly delicious, nonetheless. Enjoy over the next six to ten years.
93 Points Ken Gargett, Winepilot
Bright lime and lemon colours shine through the glass. Grapefruit, melon and chopped green herb aromatics. The palate has a tension and drive that instantly draws you in. Citrus fruit and hints of leafy greens add complexity whilst that driving acidity ensures it carries very long and crisp to the end. As it lingers, a saline note appears, hastening you back for repeat visits
93 Points Stuart Knox, The Real Review
Ribbon Vale Elsa 2023, Our Price $63
This intriguing interpretation of a sauvignon blanc dominant wine was introduced just a few years ago. I have loved it from the start. Has about 10 per cent semillon in it, but it is the savvy which really dominates. There are the usual tropical, guava and slightly passionfruit lemony characters of sauvignon blanc but then other secondary characters of spices and ginger emerge. Gets a little oak treatment which contributes to its slightly steely linear frame. This is one of the best yet.
96 Points Ray Jordan, rayjordanwine.com
This is a wine which takes us into a different realm of Sauvignon Blanc, with whole bunch pressing, fermentation in stainless steel tanks before transfer to oak. 225 litre French oak barriques, 7% new, with nine months maturation. The nose offers florals and seabreeze notes, a real oyster shell character to be found here. A minerally backing with notes of white peaches and grapefruits, there is also a seductive and yet slightly crunchy texture with very good length and good complexity. Fine balance and some real energy right through the length of the wine. A good future ahead, at least four to six years.
93 Points Ken Gargett, Winepilot
Ribbon Vale Chardonnay 2023, Our Price $79 Max 3 Bottles ea.
A recent addition to the Moss Wood portfolio showing the great strides that have been taken in managing the Ribbon Vale vineyard. This is probably the best release yet. It was a superb season and its shows in a wine of elegance and refinement, yet with layered complexity and sophistication. Nice lemon scents yield to more lemon zest flavours with a chalky acidity sustaining the finish. Oak has been beautifully integrated. Mighty impressive wine.
95 Points Ray Jordan, rayjordanwine.com
This is the third release of the Ribbon Vale Chardonnay, which hails from Wilyabrup, a cooler location than the MW Chardonnay. Fermentation and maturation was in French oak barriques, 23% new. This is a fine Margaret River Chardonnay. The nose exhibits notes of peaches, apricots and some tropical characters with hints of mango and a touch of cashew. There is good intensity on the palate and excellent length with fine balance, good concentration and a persistent finish. Will provide pleasure over the next six to ten years.
94 Points Ken Gargett, Winepilot
Chardonnay 2022 Our Price $89
Another cracking good chardonnay from Moss Wood. The aroma is immediately engaging with a floral lemon scent and a slight vanilla bean essence. Subtle cut lime and pear edge into add some further complexity. The palate is a powerful statement with a deeply intense creamy stone fruit and edgy lemon rind combination working together. Gathers momentum towards a long finish.
95 Points Ray Jordan, rayjordanwine.com
This is a large-framed chardonnay, trying its best to burst from a mid-weighted corset of tension. The oak is lustrous, while the creamy core is generous, indelibly stamped with nougatine and toasted nuts, as one would expect from a more bumptious expression. Yet the tension remains. The belt of cedar across the mid-palate screams the need to cellar. For the mid-term. Aromas of green fig, yellow plum, cantaloupe and oatmeal, all attractive. I look forward to tasting this in eight years time.
94 Points Ned Goodwin MW, jamessuckling.com
Pale yellow gold hue, the nose offers florals, figs, citrus, a hint of pear and a touch of honey with peaches and an early note of nougat. There is quality oak, giving the character of grilled cashews, but the integration proceeds apace. It seems to me that this vintage of the MW Chardonnay is a little more elegant than is usual. A really impressive, refined wine, exhibiting early complexity with a fine line of acidity and excellent length, balance and an appealing texture. There is room to improve further over the next six to eight years.
94 Points Ken Gargett, Winepilot
Chardonnay 2023 Our Price $TBC
A Pre-release Tasting
Pinot Noir 2021, Our Price $75
This cooler vintage was ideal for pinot from this part of Margaret River. Perfumed and highly scented aromas of strawberry and sour cherry with a slightly truffly influence. The velvety palate captures that iron fist in a velvet varietal character. Smooth and seamless with a gossamer like sheen. Beautiful.
96 Points Ray Jordan, rayjordanwine.com
Pinot Noir 2022, Our Price $75
A Pre-release Tasting
Amy’s 2021, 375ml Our Price $TBC
A 68/20/7/5% blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, malbec and petit verdot. Given that the grapes for this wine have the Moss Wood brand and were estate grown, hand-picked and hand-sorted, the price of the wine is extraordinary. And it doesn't stop there. Once fermented in tank it's pressed to used French barriques for mlf, and racked to tank for blending, then returned to that oak for 18 months maturation. Its colour is bright, fresh crimson, the bouquet fragrant, and the palate is already complete and balanced. It's purpose-built for consumption over the next three or four years, but if for any reason it's left unopened for 10 years it will still be fresh.
94 Points James Halliday, Wine Companion
Fresh and juicy on the palate, there's a joyous vibrancy to the wine that keeps you entertained on repeat visits. The tannins are almost playful in their fine-grained persistence, and a hint of freshening acidity as it lingers long adds to that sense of life.
93 Points Stuart Knox, The Real Review
If you're looking at an entry point into the wonderful wines of Moss Wood then this classy wine is just perfect. It's a blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, malbec and petit verdot. Firm dark fruit delivered with typical grace and style. Has a beautiful lift and vibrance which carries effortlessly to a long finish.
92 Points Ray Jordan, rayjordanwine.com
Amy’s 2022, Our Price $37
Ribbon Vale Cabernet Sauvignon 2020, Our Price $67
Another stunner from the 2020 vintage. This vintage shows slightly more sweet fruit than some previously, yet the firm tannin core remains a structural feature that is part vineyard and part season. Plenty of dark fruits woven with a trace of black olives, bay leaf and oyster shell minerality. So balanced and expressive with an effortlessly long finish.
96 Points Ray Jordan, rayjordanwine.com
Sumptuous wine that is a pleasure to taste and will, I suggest, get even better as it ages. It has a wonderful texture and impressive underlying power.
95 points Bob Campbell, The Real Review
Medium bodied but with a sense of intensity to its black fruit that demands your attention. Hints of black spices and curing meat add to the attraction and firm tannins are well poised to carry the entire package long and lingering. Still youthful, it will reward further cellaring if you have the patience.
95 points Stuart Knox, The Real Review
Ribbon Vale Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, Our Price $67
The classic red variety from Margaret River, this wine is a deep, shining red. The nose is blackberries, delicatessen meats, spices, tobacco leaves and an ever-so-slight oaky note, but it is well integrated and merely adds to the complexity evident here. Attractive dark cherry touches. Fine tannins, a hint gravelly. There is balance and texture here and great length. The palate sees the emergence of more cassis notes and cigar box characters. This is a classy Margaret River Cabernet with ten to fifteen years.
95 Points Ken Gargett, Winepilot
Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 2020, Our Price $143
The latest Moss Wood cabernet has been released. And yet again it will it snuggly in the top echelon of new release Aussie cabernets. It is a great wine from this great Margaret River estate. But it also a wine with a difference from recent releases, although it is still unmistakably Moss Wood. The most striking thing is that this is one of the prettiest and perfumed of any Moss Wood I can recall. And that’s saying something because Moss Wood is known for its perfumes and aromatics as much as it is for its soft palate profile. This one is also somewhat closed and restrained on the palate now with its firm thread of chalky tannin holding things tightly, to the point where I suspect it will be at least 20 years before it starts to reveal its true potential.
99 Points, Ray Jordan Wine Reviews, Business News 2023
Another simply sublime edition of this great wine. The volume of fruit was down almost 60% but the small berry influence has added even more intensity and depth, if that is possible with this wine. Interesting point of difference is that the combination is slightly different from previous vintages with 90% cabernet sauvignon, 3% cabernet franc and 7% petit verdot. The petit verdot certainly brings a darker berry influence with slightly firmer tannins. The aromas are a seductive combination of violet and redcurrant with a subtle black olive and mulberry. But the palate, oh the palate, is simply a joy. Smooth graceful lines with fine chalky tannins supply essential definition and support and harmoniously played oak. It is a wine destined for even greater things. Extraordinary.
99 Points, Ray Jordan, The Western Australian Wine Review
The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon is a child of the 2020 season, which was warm, early and low yielding, and the wines from the area have been decidedly structural, lushly fruited and powerful. All in all, they are excellent quality across the board, and this wine here is no exception. Dense tannins, layered with pink peppercorn, nori, blood, brine and bay leaf, were quite firm in this vintage, but with knowledge of how this wine ages, this is not a problem in the least. I've given it a conservative drinking window by decades, if stored well. Sealed under screw cap.
97 Points Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate
Classical Margert River Cabernet with fresh blackcurrant, panforte flavours, fine grainy/ cedary tannins, underlying roasted chestnut oak notes and linear fresh acidity. Finishes firm and tight with a fine plume of tannin. This has lovely weight and balance with the perfect structure for aging. Drink 2026 – 2040+
98 Points Andrew Caillard – The Vintage Journal
The nose immediately suggests that this is a wine of finesse and class. Even at this young stage, we see signs of the complexity that will surely follow. A fragrant, balanced Cab of excellent focus, exceptional length, and serious grip. The tannins are abundant, but fine. Easily approachable, even at this stage, it will age deceptively well, for at least 15 to 20 years. A cracking Marg River Cab.
97 Points Ken Gargett, Winepilot
It’s medium-bodied, kind of svelte and evenly weighted, just a little toasty oak, with some black olive and nori savoury elements. The tannin is quiet, and kind of latent, but swish it about in your mouth a bit, and their quality is revealed, especially on the long finish. I think this is going to be a beautiful wine with requisite bottle age and is likely to rate (even) higher in time. 2027 – 2043+
95 Points Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
This is a spectacular wine. The redcurrant and blueberry fruit are the main feature, flooding the palate with ripe fruit. The very fine oak adds depth and contributes to the impressive texture though ultimately, the tannins (which are really fine) close down the fruit on the finish. This is a wine that is destined to have a very long future, yet it can be drunk with absolute joy now (try with a fine steak perhaps)
96 – 97 Points Barry Weinman, finewineclub.com.au
A legend of the Australian fine wine scene, with an enviable track record of ageable grandeur. Full-weighted, to be sure, yet far from obvious as the pummel of classy mocha oak and impeccably gleaned grape tannins expand and recoil with air. All class. Detailed, fine boned and juicy. Currant, bay leaf, graphite, and hedgerow, evidencing Australia's propensity to promote a controlled lilt of greenness for lift and freshness, over the American tendency to massage it out. I far prefer the former approach.
This will make fine old bones.
95 Points James Suckling, jaemessuckling.com
Elegant red that is a benchmark for the variety with red rose petal, cassis, blackberry, cedar wood, cacao nib flavours and a backbone of spicy French oak that adds extra complexity. Accessible but it's almost a shame to drink it before 2030.
96 Points Bob Campbell, The Real Review
Wonderfully complex and incredibly evocative. Powerful on the palate, lashings of blackcurrant, mulberry, blackberry, and cedar. This is quintessential Margaret River cabernet, not too heavy or angular, just the right amount of sinewy, shapely tannin working superbly with a very pure drive of fruit and delivering fabulous length.
Destined for a long and glorious life.
97 Points Aaron Brasher, The Real Review
Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, Our Price $143
One of Australia’s great cabernets. This from a cooler season highlights and accentuates the typical bright red fruits and blue fruit mix, especially on the nose. It’s aromatic and perfumed with an African violet scent. The palate as always is so exquisitely balanced and refined. Since 1989 the cabernet has been augmented with the floral bright fruit of cabernet franc and the darker robust black fruits of petit verdot. The palate delivers with a gentle restraint yet there is power deep within. The chalky tannins define a long and focussed finish. A deceptive medium bodied wine that will cellar for many years.
98 Points Ray Jordan, rayjordanwine.com
High expectations accompany iconic labels such as Moss Wood, especially following on from the powerful 2020. This elegantly styled 21 vintage steps up and delivers, even in its youth. This is a wine built for cellaring and, as such, it was day two when the full gamut of flavours and textures opened up, in all their magisterial glory. Think boysenberry, blueberry essence and blackberries with nuances of nori, black olive, cedar and oak toast. There’s boundless flavour intensity and a nervy freshness and silkiness to the mouthfeel. Quite the feat of engineering to craft something so substantial yet with such lightness of touch. Stunning.
98 Points, Paul Edwards, The West Australian
The Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon is always one of Margaret River’s best and this latest release is no exception. From the sub-region of Wilyabrup, the blend is 95% Cabernet, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. Not the easiest vintage in the region, the team overcame any and all obstacles. Maturation was in 228 litre French oak barrels, 16% of which were new. Deep garnet, this is an immaculate and classic Margaret River Cabernet. Aromas weave through florals, cassis, soy, aniseed, black fruits, beef stock and graphite. An elegant style, with good energy, serious focus and an immaculate balance, as well as a lovely lingering finish which sees more chocolate and cherry notes emerging. With silky tannins and very good length, drink over the next ten to twenty years.
97 Points Ken Gargett, Winepilot
A wine of stunning presence, the engaging bouquet shows dark berry, thyme, star anise, rich floral and cedar characters. The palate is both concentrated and seamless with outstanding weight and depth, wonderfully framed by finely infused chalky tannins. This is symphonic with grace and style, promising to evolve magnificently. At its best: 2029 to 2046.
97 Points, Sam Kim, Wine Orbit
Deep garnet red in the glass, very youthful, inky and opaque. Lovely lifted aromas of cassis, bramble, dried herbs, pencil shavings and nutty oak, wonderfully complex and incredibly evocative. Powerful on the palate, lashings of blackcurrant, mulberry, blackberry and cedar. This is quintessential Margaret River cabernet, not too heavy or angular, just the right amount of sinewy, shapely tannin working superbly with a very pure drive of fruit and delivering fabulous length. Destined for a long and glorious life.
97 Points, Aaron Brasher, The Real Review