Over the last five years Moss Wood’s Ribbon Vale Cabernet Sauvignon has been slowly but surely climbing the quality ladder, and it’s got some big shoes to fill at this famous estate. Ribbon Vale traditionally provides a more elegant and fragrant take on the Moss Wood style – pretty wines but still with backbone – Moss Wood meets Margaux for Bordeaux fans.

This wine is 96% cabernet sauvignon with a sprinkling of merlot and cabernet franc and again it has good but not massive colour showing the trademark lighter touch at Moss Wood. It is quite big and ripe for this label – lashings of mulberry and blackcurrant fruits with attractive leather and cedar, but it is the sweet fruit here that really stands out. The palate is then fleshy and open knit with those dark fruits now matched by gravelly complexity plus well balanced moderate tannins helping to drive a very long finish. It is a crowd pleasing Ribbon Vale for sure that is hard not to love and also has good cellaring potential, although why bother when it is drinking so well right now.

Drink: 2020 – 2030

December, 2020