Reviews Archives - Moss Wood

Moss Wood 2024 Chardonnay – Ray Jordan, Ray Jordan Wine

One of Margaret River’s benchmark chardonnays, and this release from a warm vintage is exceptional. It’s fine and delicately poised, yet with regional DNA driving it through to a powerful, sustained finish. Aromas of lemon meringue, brioche and light florals lead into a palate of chalky, savoury elements alongside vanillin and lemony notes. Fine, precise acidity lifts the flavours through to the long finish. An outstanding wine.

October, 2025

97 Points

Rating: Stars

Moss Wood 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon – Aaron Brasher

Moss Wood sets the bar at the highest level when it comes to Australian cabernet sauvignon. This latest release continues a lineage of superb cabernet sauvignon that began in 1973. This is a wine that can undoubtedly be classed as an Australian ‘First Growth’ and deserves its place as one of Australia’s supreme exponents of the variety.

Youthful, bright red and dark in the glass. Complex aromas of blackberry, graphite, bramble, wet gravel, cedar, violets, dried herbs and dark cherry. Poised, fine and precise in flavour. Lively and textured, with a core of briary black fruits, grainy, chalky tannins, a touch of ferrous earth and punchy, snappy acidity. There’s lovely complexity, sophistication and class here.

97 Points

Rating: Stars

Moss Wood Ribbon Vale 2024 Elsa – James Suckling

An opulent Bordeaux-style white blend, giving notes of white peaches, nectarines, preserved lemons, cookies, apple blossoms and lanolin. The palate is textural and rounded with a creamy midweight feel, showing fresh ginger, quince, baking spices and a touch of fine oak. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

92 Points

Rating: Stars

Moss Wood Ribbon Vale 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon – James Suckling

Deep aromas of blackberries, blueberries, dark chocolate, potpourri, baking spices, mulberries and rhubarb tart. The midweight palate has finely tuned, mouthwatering tannins and generous texture. Soft, mineral finish with plenty of flesh underneath. Excellent lift. Drinking well but has aging potential. Delicious. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

94 Points

Rating: Stars

Moss Wood Ribbon Vale 2022 Merlot – James Suckling

Moss Wood Ribbon Vale 2022 Merlot Creative Image

Perfumed aromas of plums, violets, black cherries, red apples, blueberry bush and potpourri. The midweight palate has firmly framed tannins and balanced acidity, leading into a tactile, structured finish with a really mouthwatering and mineral-edged close. Bright, lifted and built to age with a touch of freshness. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

93 Points

Rating: Stars

Moss Wood Ribbon Vale 2022 Elsa – James Suckling

A bottle of Ribbon Vale wine laying on a table

This is a richly flavored, leesy chardonnay. Oatmeal, quince paste, bitter almond and nectarine. Mid-weighted and expansive. The lees handling is a bit overdone. The finish is peaty, blown out and oaky. Drink or hold.

88 Points

Rating: Stars

Moss Wood Ribbon Vale 2022 Chardonnay -James Suckling

This is a contrarian approach to chardonnay, distinctively forward and fruity, reminiscent of older school Australiana. Attractively so, at least for those seeking respite from the linear, mineral pungency of more contemporary expressions. Mid-weighted. A blast of creamed cashew, nougatine, white peach and dried hay, melds with vanillin oak. Salacious, in the best way. Drink or hold.

90 Points

Rating: 5 Stars

Moss Wood Ribbon Vale 2024 Chardonnay – James Suckling

Moss Wood Ribbon Vale 2024 Chardonnay Creative image

Quite bold and generous with aromas of yellow apples, preserved lemons, struck match, baking spices and pastry. The midweight palate has a creamy texture and balanced acidity that leads into a rather traditional, albeit tasty, style. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

92 Points

Rating: Stars

Moss Wood 2022 Pinot Noir – James Suckling

Moss Wood Pinot Noir bottle image with atmospheric background.

Perfumed with high-toned aromas of blood oranges, cranberries, potpourri, autumn leaves and dried herbs. The midweight palate has firmly framed yet finely tuned tannins and lovely notes of dried strawberries, rose hips, citrus peel and hibiscus. Atypical for Margaret River but classic pinot. From vines planted in 1976. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

93 Points

Rating: Stars

Moss Wood 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon – James Suckling

Plush, perfumed aromas of red and black currants, black cherries, spices, graphite, purple flowers, crushed blackberries and violets. Finely tuned tannins and bright acidity lead into a midweight, fruit-driven palate with almost silky texture and no heaviness. Tightly wound with some early-drinking generosity and plenty of polish. 92% cabernet sauvignon, 4% petit verdot and 4% cabernet franc. Excellent. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

96 Points

Rating: Stars