News

The 2009 vintage is now complete and we can report that things look very positive. Weather conditions worked in our favour with good rainfall and no wind and hail damage during the Spring although the cool, moist weather did produce a curious event. Occasionally we have seen small “Looper” caterpillars, so called because of the unusual way they curl up as they move. Their appearance in the vineyard is rare and they normally do very little damage, however Spring 2008 in Margaret River was ideal for them and they appeared in numbers not seen before. Some producers in the region reported very serious losses, with some estimates running at over 50%. We experienced small infestations, limited to vines growing near eucalypt trees and estimate the yield reduction to have been less than 1%, so we were lucky.

Our regular and resident pests, birds and kangaroos, have also been kind to us. The Red Gum flowering was the best we’ve had for some time, so the Silvereyes spent most of their time chasing nectar from the blossoms rather than grapes. We applied our nets because as the flowering waned the birds began to do some harm in the vineyard but this was minimal. We also have a mob of kangaroos that have taken up near-permanent residence in our rehabilitated bush land, which is all very cute. However, they are also developing a taste for grapes and find it quite convenient to hop over into the vineyard and help themselves to some Cabernet Sauvignon takeaway! The losses are only small but if this keeps up some improved fencing will be necessary!

Our temperatures have been very mild, with virtually no extreme heat during the growing season, with the weather station recording only 4 hours above 33C. This is unusual because in the very cool seasons of 2002 and 2006 we recorded 21 hours and 45 hours, respectively. On the other hand, we have experienced significantly more hours in the 18-28C range, where grapevines are doing their best work, so the ripening has been steady, if slightly slow. In the end, the harvest date for all varieties is average, or slightly later.

Yields have varied, with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc slightly above average but all the red varieties and Semillon are slightly down.

Quality is very pleasing indeed. The whites have benefited from the mild season and retained lifted, fresh fruit aromas in all varieties and they also exhibit terrific acidity on the palate. It’s much the same situation for the reds, with clear varietal characters and good colour and tannins. The Cabernet Sauvignon is very exciting, displaying the deep, complex fruit notes we saw in 1995 and 1975. Let’s hope we can turn this potential into good wine!

We’re not sure but perhaps there’s something in the water here? Both Kristiina Silvestri and Angie Bussell leave us shortly to go on maternity leave. Kristiina and her husband Mick are expecting their first baby and we wish them all the best with their new family at this exciting time.

Angie Bussell and Jarod Bawden are old hands, expecting their second baby, a sibling for the adorable Pia. Somebody wise once said that every child is born into a different family and we wish Angie and Jarod well with their growing family and the challenges of an expanding brood.

Those that remember longstanding Moss Wood employee, Jane Beard, will be pleased to hear that she and her partner Lawson Armstrong are getting married. It hasn’t been a rushed decision because they’ve been engaged now for some three years! They are still in Broke, New South Wales, where Lawson manages the Krinklewood vineyard and Jane is busy raising Sholto (3 years old) and Phoebe (8 months old). Well done and congratulations Jane and Lawson, and they have even decided to have some Moss Wood wine at their wedding.

This fine British institution, which dates back to 1829, had something of a Moss Wood connection this year. In the number two seat for Cambridge, in the famous Blue Boat, was a student from St. Edmund’s college, Henry Pelly. Henry is the son of Clare’s cousin Diana and her husband George and he’s quite an oarsman – this was his second Boat Race and he was also this year’s President.

It is the tradition that the President’s parents host the “Eve of Boat Race Dinner” for the family and friends of the Cambridge University Boat Club and this year, we are proud to say, Diana and George Pelly chose to serve Moss Wood wine. Spare a thought for the poor competitiors because it’s a tough life if you’re a rower. The commitment to winning means they don’t attend this function and even though they had their own dinner earlier in the week, where Moss Wood was also offered, they had to abstain from drinking wine, or any other alcohol for that matter.

Unfortunately, Henry was in the losing boat for the second year in a row. For those curious to know the margin, the Dark Blues crossed the line in exactly 17 minutes, three and a half boat lengths, or 12 seconds in front of Cambridge. However, we know at least one person who isn’t disappointed. Our original English importer, Peter Diplock, is an Oxford man who revelled in the victory. Apart from a win in an Ashes series, there is only one thing that makes him more proud – victory in the annual rugby match at “Twickers”.

After a near all-Aussie team last year, this year’s Vintage Crew is something of a United Nations.

Tristan Mugford wasn’t deterred by his taste of Vintage last year and is back again. The family connection is even greater this year with Tristan’s cousin, Sam Mugford, coming from Adelaide, fresh from completing Year 12.

Jeremy Britton who is originally from Tasmania and has most recently been living and working in Queensland is helping in the vineyard with all our existing vineyard crew. He is a hard working fellow with a heavy vehicle licence and therefore plays an important role in helping transport grapes from Ribbon Vale vineyard for processing at Moss Wood.

They are joined by two French visitors, known as the “Fromages” by Vineyard Manager Steve Clarke. Thomas Michon, a Viticulture and Winemaking graduate from the Lysee Viticole de Beaune in Burgundy, has been working for three years at the highly esteemed producer, Meo Camuzet. He is from the village of Cluny near Dijon. Thomas’s father and sister have taken the opportunity to visit Australia for a holiday while he is here.

His compatriot, Audrey Tremeau hails from Mareau Aux Tres, a small village near Orleans. Audrey brings a background slightly apart from our usual collection of winemakers. She holds a Bachelor of Science (Traditional French Products of the Terrior) from the Technology Institute of Aurillac and is travelling Australia accumulating culinary production experience in preparation for returning to France to complete her Masters in world food production and business. We are not sure that her exposure to the cooking styles of the Moss Wood Staff, who are particularly adept at Mee Goreng from plastic packets, will be a positive experience to assist in her future studies. Her mother and father are apiarists and bee keeping is the family business. Audrey worked for three months on Kangaroo Island helping apiarist Brenton Davis to produce the famous honey for which the island is known.

Next on the list is Richard Vuletich, a Kiwi from Hawke’s Bay and holder of the Bachelor of Wine Science and Viticulture from Charles Sturt University at Wagga Wagga. He has a Croatian background and his grandparents started Continental Wines in 1969, by coincidence the same year that Bill and Sandra Pannell started Moss Wood. Richard’s father took over the business ten years later. In 1999 the business was renamed Long View Wine Estate and it processes 100 tonnes of fruit annually.

We also have an Italian connection this year. Jacopo Dalli Cani, otherwise known as “Japo” has been helping us in the vineyard and winery since October. He is a native of the Soave region of Italy and holds a Bachelor Viticulture and Oenology from the University of Padua, with many years work experience at Cantina di Soave. He’s an affable fellow and keen student of wine and very much enjoys working in Australia. He’s also very popular with the female visitors and competes with Alex Coultas for the title of Moss Wood’s cutest guy. Jarod and Josh seem to be getting too old!

While we recognise that a small changeover of staff can be a good thing for keeping an organisation fresh, we are very proud that our staff turnover at Moss Wood has been very low.

However, nothing is forever and in the last year we have seen several of our long-serving people resign.

Perhaps the most notable departure was Aileen Dickhart, who was at that point our longest-serving staff member. Aileen joined Clare and Keith in 1989 when the company office was the spare bedroom at their house in Busselton, everything was written, not typed on a keyboard and our most sophisticated office machine was a fax. It’s curious to share this information with the younger crew at Moss Wood because their bemused response suggests they think the story must be made up. How could businesses run without computers or mobile phones? Readers will understand Aileen saw significant change in the organisation and the Mugford family over that time but took it all in her stride. The move of the office to Wilyabrup in 1991 meant that she drove an 80 kilometre round trip to work each day and to her credit, she kept this up for 17 years! We were all sad to see her leave but all at Moss Wood wish her well in her future.

Jane Patterson, formerly with Alcoa and a red hot West Coast Eagles supporter, has now come on board in Aileen’s role. She’s extremely thorough and doing a great job.

Anyone who has visited or telephoned Moss Wood since 1996 will almost certainly have talked to Amy Sobol. Her friendly manner meant she built numerous friendships with our customers. Her varied role meant she assisted us in all office activities and was a key player with the operation of our computers and use of the internet. However, she will be remembered most for her phenomenal attention to detail and her ability to proof read every document and identify the smallest error! We all thank her very much and wish her well in her current role managing the very prestigious Constellation Apartments in Margaret River. If any readers are looking for a quality place to stay during a Margaret River visit please give Amy a call.

In our Perth office, Jeanette Gee, who joined us in 2006, has decided to move from part-time to full-time studies, in the hope of completing her second degree before her children commence tertiary education. Naturally enough this will leave her with little time for helping with Moss Wood administration work and so she has resigned and we wish her all the best.

In her place we now have Megan Healy. Megan grew up in Busselton and has known the Mugford family for many years. Luckily that hasn’t put her off! She is working part-time because her real job is to be a first year Law/Arts student at the University of Western Australia.

Last but not least, Toby Koch joined us in November to continue on the great horticultural work Mike and Michelle Rossi have been doing for us since 2000. Like Michelle, Toby trained at Kings Park in Perth and is a walking encyclopedia of plants and he continues, amongst other things, our revegetation work and maintenance of the olive grove and all the Moss Wood and Ribbon Vale amenity gardens.

Toby Koch joined Mike and Michelle because there have been big changes in the Rossi household. A very handsome boy, Kota John Rossi, was born 5th December 2008. Everyone is going well and Kota is such a clever boy for choosing such a fine family!

On the subject of the olives, this year we are looking forward to a bumper crop. In fact we look like having more than our family and close friends can consume and may even have a commercial quantity. Planted in 1999 as three year old trees, our varietal mix is Leccino, Pendolino, Frantoio, Manzinillo, New Norcia and Kalamata. These combined produce a flavoursome and aromatic oil, which we have found is very agreeable for “dipping”.

The update of the Moss Wood labels is now almost complete. The 2007 Ribbon Vale Vineyard Cabernet Merlot and Merlot now carry the new livery, with the Semillon Sauvignon Blanc to complete the process when the 2009 vintage is released later this year. We trust you like the changes and hope that each wine in our portfolio is clearly identified and the information is easily understood. Please give us your opinions on the changes.

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