Reviews
Moss Wood 2018 Amy’s – Ray Jordan, “Top 100 Reds” The West Australian
This is a blend of cabemet sauvignon merlot malbec and petit verdot from the Glenmore Vineyard just north of Yallingup. This a cracker and as good as any under this label. Seamless tannin, and oak integration with some exceptional powerful yet refined fruit.
Read MoreMoss Wood 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon – Mike Bennie & Tyson Stelzer, Wine Business Magazine
Moss Wood is in a very confident place right now, and its flagship is singing. lt’s at once ethereally fragrant, eminently fine-boned, unashamedly medium-bodied, and simultaneously deep and rich in its exemplary black fruit expression. I have not always adored Moss Wood, but, by goodness, I do now. This is one of the greats.
Read MoreMoss Wood 2018 Amy’s – Nick Stock, JamesSuckling.com
Moss Wood 2017 Amy’s – Christine Pickard, The Wine Enthusiast
This crimson-hued, Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated Bordeaux blend is an excellent and affordable intro to the wines of one of Margaret River’s founding wineries. It’s sappy and mineral, with brambly berries laced with herbs and graphite; charred meat and vanilla make an appearance, too. In the mouth, there’s a lovely juxtaposition between luscious texture and raspy, herbflecked tannins. A big wine, but one with precision, even elegance. Drink now–2030.
Read MoreMoss Wood 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon – Ray Jordan, The West Australian
The 2017 vintage was one of the milder vintages in WA. The latest Moss Wood captures this vintage perfectly and is without doubt one of the more restrained and tightly framed Moss Woods of recent years. Not the opulence of 2014 or the firm power of the 2016. Yet it retains the elegance, perfume and soft approachability that is Moss Wood. And hidden within is a wine that I suspect will still be drinking beautifully in 30 years.
Make sure you decant it even now before drinking.
Published 25th April, 2020
Read MoreMoss Wood 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon – “Western Australia’s greatest vintage ever?” Nick Stock, JamesSuckling.com
Very attractive aromas of blue fruit, as well as red cherries and redcurrants with cedary, savory nuances, stones, flowers and woody spices. This is both pristine and full of interest. The palate has elegant style with a fine brand of elegant, long tannin and fresh red-berry flavors. Up there with the finest releases, this is beautifully balanced and very drinkable already, though cellaring will bring further rewards.
Western Australia’s greatest vintage ever?
Australia is such a rugged, diverse and exciting part of the Australian wine landscape. I recently tasted almost 500 latest releases from across the state just ahead of the COVID-19 lockdown. I found a captivating refinement of the wines from the state’s vinous crown jewel, Margaret River, as well as a rise in quality in the bottle across the vast region of Great Southern.
The Western Australian wine scene continues to power along strongly, helped by the turbo-charged impact of the 2018 harvest, which delivered such impressive stylish and deep wines across much of the state. The 2018 vintage is one to celebrate and collect as wines come out on the market.
Published April 28, 2020
Read MoreMoss Wood Ribbon Vale 2018 Botrytis Semillon – Bob Campbell, The Real Review
Delicious, creamy, botrytised semillon with bush honey, dried apricot, liquorice, musk and caramel. Quite Sauternes-like – sweet but certainly not cloying. Perfect with foie gras.
Read MoreMoss Wood Ribbon Vale 2019 Sauvignon Blanc Semillon – Bob Campbell, The Real Review
Weighty, textural wine with lemon zest, crushed herb, ginger and a hint of freshly-baked baguette crust supported by lively acidity. Sauvignon dominates the aromatics while semillon expresses itself through the wine’s waxy texture.
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Moss Wood Ribbon Vale 2019 Elsa – “Savvy with Sav Blanc” Ray Jordan, The West Australian
This is a first for Moss Wood and comes from the Ribbon Vale property. It’s sauvignon blanc made in a very modern style. There’s multiple yeast use in the fermentation and a little oak adding complexity and compelling interest on the palate. It has about 10 months in oak before bottling with just a light fining. If someone said this was Old World, I wouldn’t challenge. It bas a lightly
creamy texture with a lift of faint tropical fruit, balanced with a savoury rninerality. Damn fine.
Moss Wood. It’s a name synonymous with cabernet sauvignon, right?
OK, you toss in a chardonnay, semillon, pinot noir and a few others. and you get a suite of impressive wines. But a straight sauvignon blanc. Whoa. Where did that come from? And why am I getting so excited about it?Part of the genesis of the Moss Wood Elsa sauvignon blanc lay in an article winemaker Keith Mugford read in The New York Times that talked of the popularity of wines from Sancerre in France. It led to lively discussion with his young winemaking team of Alex Coultas, and Tristan and Hugh Mugford.
“Sauvignon blanc in Australia and to a lesser extent, the world, has been dominated by New Zealand for the last 20 years.” Keith Mugford said.”In the background, there are producers around the world who’ve been applying the ·everything in moderation principle’ and coming up with excellent results, overlooked by all but the most serious consumers. “Combining youthful exuberance and the wisdom of years, we’ve been keen to explore the potential of sauvignon blanc from Ribbon Vale. We went back to the drawing board to see what we might do, with the advantage of having made a few complex chardonnays over the years, so we had something of a head start in what techniques might work.”
The Elsa is one of the most exciting sauvignon blancs yet released. Even after I had tasted it, I couldn’t put it down.
Published April 25th, 2020
Read MoreMoss Wood 2019 Semillon – Bob Campbell, The Real Review
Rich, concentrated semillon with lemon zest, ginger, green apple and nutty yeast lees flavours. Youthful wine with plenty of cellaring potential. A serious semillon.
Published 4th April, 2020
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