MOSS WOOD WINES
Keith Mugford introduces the Moss Wood wines, and describes the process of tasting at the winery.
"When you visit Moss Wood, we’ll encourage you to sample all our wines, even if you have a preference for red or white. We often find people get a pleasant surprise when they enjoy a variety they don’t usually drink.
Whites
We begin with the Ribbon Vale Sauvignon Blanc Semillon. A wine with lifted, grassy, lemon and fig aromatics and a crisp, fresh taste, it presents as the epitome of freshness. We then move on to Moss Wood Semillon, with aromas of lemon sherbet, figs, green pea and apples, with a full-bodied and richly textured palate.
Next up is the Moss Wood Ribbon Vale Elsa. This is a new wine from Ribbon Vale that we introduced in 2019. With the 2019 Ribbon Vale Sauvignon Blanc we went back to the drawing board and reassessed our approach to create a complex white wine with long flavours of lychee, lemon peel, Star Anise, and a generous finish of crème brulee, Japanese mushroom with a touch of toasty oak.
Last is the Moss Wood Chardonnay. Our Chardonnay was planted over forty years ago, meaning we are lucky to be one of the very few wineries in Australia with vines of this age. On the nose you’ll pick up aromas of limes and blossom over the riper characters of peaches and nuts and the palate is rich and complex. James Halliday rated our 2017 Chardonnay 99/100 points in his Top 100 2018 and wrote that “it was truly beautiful” and that “It is liquid gold”
Reds
Next, we will introduce you to the Moss Wood reds. We start with Moss Wood Pinot Noir, which is dominated by berry fruits of strawberry, cherry and plum but has interesting, earthy complexity. We benchmark our Pinot Noir – first produced in 1977 – against the great Burgundies from France, and invite you to do the same.
Following the Pinot Noir, you will taste the Merlot from our Ribbon Vale vineyard. Made with a nod to the Right Bank wines from Bordeaux in France, this wine will reveal strong blackberry fruits, combined with tarry complexity and a firm tannin on the palate. James Halliday included this wine in his Top 100 wines, 2018 and declared it to be “The best Australia merlot I’ve tasted” – you can be the judge.
Lastly we will introduce you to our Cabernet Sauvignons, Moss Wood’s flagship wines. Our tour of this variety has three wines. You’ll start with Amy’s, a wine where we buy the grapes from the Glenmore Vineyard at Yallingup and is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Merlot. This is the entry level of the Moss Wood reds and is meant to be enjoyed as a youngster. You’ll notice the lifted dark fruit aromas of mulberries and blackberries, with complex cedar and tarry notes in the background. Amy’s is a youthful, joyful wine, and as writer Rod Properjohn says, “it puts a smile on your face, whoever or whatever you drink it with.”
Cabernet Sauvignon
Next we move on to the Cabernet Sauvignons from our Ribbon Vale and Moss Wood vineyards. I like to talk about these two together, highlighting that the wines are produced with the same technique, but they taste quite different. We bought Ribbon Vale in 2000, also in Wilyabrup. The two vineyards are only 1,600 strides apart, but have different aspects – north-east at Moss Wood and south-west at Ribbon Vale and this difference results in different style outcomes.
When you taste Ribbon Vale Cabernet Sauvignon, you’ll notice redcurrant, and blackcurrant aromas. Its complexity comes from deeper leather, tar and black olive notes. Wine writer Bob Campbell MW has described the wine as “ethereal cabernet sauvignon in an elegant rather than blockbuster style”
In 1973, Cabernet Sauvignon was the first wine made from our Moss Wood vineyard and is the one we’re most famous for so we save this for last. When you taste Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon, you’ll notice a full range of Cabernet aromas – blackberries, red currants and blueberries, plus lifted perfumes of violets and pomegranate, supported underneath by complex leather, cedar and tar notes.
Ray Jordan rated our 2014 vintage Cabernet Sauvignon a 99 out of 100, describing it:
“as close to perfect as any Margaret River has produced – and it gets my highest-ever score.” Matthew Jukes said of the 2015 vintage “this is a work of art”.
Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon has proven it ages beautifully and we confidently recommend it for cellaring beyond thirty years.
In the words of Will Lyons of the Wall Street Journal:
“quite simply one of the best Australian Cabernet Sauvignons I have tasted”.
It gives us a great thrill when people enjoy our wines. Next time you’re down in Margaret River, please book in for a visit and tasting. We’d be delighted to see you."
Keith Mugford