Reviews Archives - Moss Wood

Moss Wood 2023 Semillon – James Suckling

This is exceptional semillon, made with a stylistic nod to white Grave as much as fealty to Margaret River’s oath of immaculate ripeness, melded to a saline pop of freshness. Full-weighted, yet light on its feet. Some unresolved CO2 is as effective as the drag of acidity in promoting freshness. Accents of cut grass, lemon pastille, nettle and mirabelle, with the oak nicely pliant across the long, buttressed finish. Drinkable now, but best from 2026. Screw cap.

93 Points

Rating: Stars

Moss Wood 2023 Amy’s – James Suckling

Perfumed, deeply brooding and floral aromas of crushed blackberries, raspberries, dark cherries and potpourri with blueberry compote, baking spices, bitter chocolate and violets. The medium-bodied palate has a silky texture, finely tuned tannins and real depth of fruit with mineral notes and a vibrant finish. A blend of 75% cabernet sauvignon with equal parts merlot, petit verdot and malbec. Delicious. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

95 Points

Rating: Stars

Moss Wood 2024 Chardonnay – James Suckling

Generous, rounded aromas of lemon confit, honeysuckle, beeswax, lanolin, pastry, grapefruit and salted nuts. The palate is medium- to full-bodied, but don’t be turned off by the ripeness. There’s great tension and purity with a mineral drive underneath the textural, creamy and very giving finish. Typical of the vintage, balancing freshness and power, but in an old-school style. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

95 Points

Rating: Stars

Moss Wood 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon – Ciao Magazine, Winsor Dobbin

If you have a special occasion to celebrate, or someone who deserves a treat then this excellent Bordeaux-style blend would be an excellent choice if you have cash to splash. From one of the best producers in Margaret River this is a complex and rewarding wine that would grace any dinner party. Think complexity, intensity, and balance, with quality French oak playing a key supporting role. The breakdown is 94% cabernet sauvignon, 4% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot. Sold out at the winery, but there is still some in retail land.

Rating: Stars

Moss Wood 2023 Chardonnay – Rob Geddes MW

Moss Wood 2023 Chardonnay Creative Image

This wine was included in the 2025 Masters of Wine exam which means it is regarded by them as a classic example of the regional varietal style, so I was excited having the chance to taste it among a wide array of Margaret River Chardonnay with both the “classic” concept in mind. Does it fit in the Margaret River varietal style? Absolutely, it does, albeit at the slightly richer end of the spectrum, which has always been part of the Mosswood signature. It is “classic Marg’s” with segmented, finer details and potential to develop further, which illuminates Margaret River chardonnay style in comparison to USA Chardonnay, although the alcohols are similar levels. My note is not in the exam style, rather a standup trade tasting where the wine was poured by owner winemaker Keith Mugford’s son Hugh, once I had got over the shock of how he looked, startlingly like his dad did when I met him in the mid-1970’s. The wine has a top quality green gold colour, which leads to a rich, creamy aroma with complex white peach and nectarine stone fruits, a whiff of struck match Burgundian whole bunch press cloudy juice ferment notes, subtle vanilla oak and lees, Belgian white butter malolactic notes which like an ascending staircase boldly draws you in.

The palate is a solid, well-weighted platform of stone fruit and subtle oak texture, to acidity starting generously endowed with a creamy, rich texture of complex stone fruit and runs long, finishes layered and integrated. All the components are “lined up and tied up.” Balancing authoritative technical mastery with a sense of harmony. I could almost do the exam again to taste this.

95 Points

Rating: Stars

Moss Wood Ribbon Vale 2024 Elsa – Huon Hooke, The Real Review

Bright light yellow colour; complex toasty, nutty bouquet, evidencing barrel fermentation, the palate following on with this theme with savoury dryness, super-intense flavour and a very dry, energetic and lingering finish. The oak is very well handled. A superb wine in the white Bordeaux style.

95 Points

Rating: Stars

Moss Wood 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon – The Wine Advocate, Erin Larkin

I taste in batches of six, pouring each glass, gassing the bottles and working my way through the flight. Today, this 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon was poured in glass number five, and so it has had some time to breathe. Upon pouring, the nose was so abundantly, luxuriatingly steeped in graphite, fresh lead pencil (a smell so potent and specific and good), forest floor and pure, summer raspberry. After 20 minutes or so in the glass, the oak has begun to recede, and the fruit is swelling up. The 2022 season in Margaret River was warm, dry and early, and the quality of the Cabernets (particularly) was stellar. While the oak is a feature at this stage, the fruit is so sensationally poised and powerful that this will be a super superstar in the decades to come. We know that the old Moss Woods prevail even now—corks willing—and so aided and abetted by modern screw caps, these wines will patiently plod through the coming decades with ease. This is one of Australia’s most collected/cellared premium wines for a reason. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

97 Points

Rating: Stars

Moss Wood Ribbon Vale 2024 Chardonnay – The Wine Advocate, Erin Larkin

Moss Wood Ribbon Vale 2024 Chardonnay Creative image

The 2024 Ribbon Vale Chardonnay leads with pineapple lumps and freshly cut pineapple, crushed nuts and a creamy texture on the middle palate. The pink grapefruit acidity is prodigious and works to counterbalance the exotic fruit, which in the end, makes for a balanced and powerful wine. This is a lot of wine for the money—there is so much flavor, it is positively dripping with it. This is a magnificent effort from a hot, dry vintage. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

93 Points

Rating: Stars

Moss Wood Ribbon Vale 2024 Elsa – The Wine Advocate, Erin Larkin

The 2024 Elsa leads with elderflower and lychee, lime zest and lavender soap. In the mouth, the wine is full of flavor and super intense—it feels quite exotic as compared to previous years, with a finish that moves toward waxy and floral. The season has soaked up the oak, which I find to be a most attractive attribute. This is a sophisticated wine here. It is powerful. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

94 Points

Rating: Stars

Moss Wood 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon – Cassandra Charlick, Decanter

Still a baby of a wine, tightly bundled, but goodness: the presence is there. Toasty oak wraps the fruit, yet it’s well matched to the power of 2022. Red fruit laced with aniseed, a graphite through line and warm spice – just a pinch of vanilla. The palate is like lifting the gate to a dam – the flavour and shape swooshes through and it’s heart stopping. Tannins are incredibly fine and silken, so much so that they are almost indistinguishable, and acidity just trips along lightly. This has impeccable structure behind the intensity of fruit. A true sum of its parts, juicy and structured, fluid and effortless. An energetic Cabernet that displays an honest exuberance in its youth, yet will age with serious intention.

97 Points

Rating: Stars