Cherry, plum, olive leaf and oregano, cedar and tobacco, a nutmeg and lemon zest top note. It’s medium-bodied, quite savoury, nutty and earthy, a mix of red and black fruit, plenty of tightly-knit tannin, balanced acidity, with a firm black olive laced finish of excellent length. Quite compact at present with more to come. Nice wine. Drink : 2027 – 2037+
April, 2025
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Pinot Noir from Karridale. 2025 was a very good vintage for Margaret River. I served this to my partner and asked what it might be. “Is it Grenache or maybe Nebbiolo? It’s not Pinot Noir is it?” And there you have an astute summary of the wine. Cherry, strawberry, orange peel, liquorice root and dusty spice, a little cedar oak. It’s medium-bodied, tannin has a light stony grip and there’s a freshness and vivacity too, a juiciness to red fruits tempered with some amaro character, a little brown spice, closes with good length and powdery tannin grip. It’s not particularly varietal, but gee, it has interest and drinking appeal. I really like it. Fascinating. Excellent. Drink : 2026 – 2035+
April, 2025
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Yet another example of how an intense and rigorous concentration on the vineyard is producing such wonderful results these days for Moss Wood. And this is such an elegant and stylish cabernet sauvignon that reflects both that vineyard and the wonderful ’23 vintage. Bright red, energetic fruits on the nose, and then a palate that is so exquisitely pretty and poised. So well-integrated with fine chalky tannins, fine-grained oak, and that thoroughly beautiful fruit intensity. Everything just comes together so perfectly.
Cellar: 20 years
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This vineyard has been producing some of Australia’s best merlots in recent years. This one is perhaps the most refined and elegantly poised of any I can recall. The vintage has clearly played an important part. The nose shows all of those black fruit, spicy, slightly mocha-like characters. While the seamlessly integrated medium to full-bodied palate delivers with such exquisite elegance. Restrained and poised it might be, but there is an intensity here that delivers with a sustained finish. A thoroughly exquisite merlot.
Cellar: 15 years
So this is a wine that’s been sourced from further south at Karridale, a region that is far cooler than the Wilyabrup sub-region of Moss Wood. Outremont is French for “another way”, and that explains Moss Wood’s sourcing of pinot from another region. There’s a beautiful perfumed red fruit aroma, cherry, and subtle red fruits. The palate is vibrant with high energy, driving those intense red berry characters. Tannins are quite fine and slightly chalky. The oak is neatly integrated, and the fruit intensity builds and then gathers momentum through to a very long finish. This is quite an exciting development for Moss Wood.
Cellar: 10 years
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This vineyard has really been turning out some quite marvellous wines in recent years. It took a bit of work, but the results are in the bottle. This is a beautiful, vibrant, lively chardonnay with that subtle degree of complexity complementing the natural fruit characters. Nutty lemon curd and deeper stone fruit characters on the nose. And yet on the palate it presents with such poise and restraint, though with a deep palate intensity that extends effortlessly to a very long finish. That lovely refreshing acidity and its slightly savoury characters complete what is a very good wine.
Cellar: 10 years
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I’ve been a fan of this wine since it was introduced just a few years ago, and I have to say, this one from what was an excellent season stacks up with any that have yet been released. It’s a largely sauvignon blanc with a small percentage of semillon, varieties which have always done well in this vineyard. But this is no ordinary SBS. c, a variety that has always done well in this vineyard. Aromas of complex nutty citrus with a slightly savoury character. And yet for me, it’s the palate where this wine really hits its straps. It’s textured, it’s delicate, and yet it has a deep flavour intensity with such lingering persistence. A marvellous example of this style.
Cellar: 10 years
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I’ve not given it much thought to date, because Moss Wood has been a part of my wine life for many decades, but it just occurred to me that it’s quite an unusual and evocative name for a winery. Anyway, if I stretch my memory back, this maybe puts me in mind of the 2005 vintage. I guess that’s one of the good things about having old people review wines, though, admittedly, I still feel quite young. I’m prone to saying “That 2004 is a good wine eh?” to my partner, and she says “I think you mean 2024!”. Oh hell.
Blueberry, mulberry, hazelnut and nutmeg, assorted spice, some aniseed and cedar, a floral and tea-like perfume. It’s a quieter release of this wine, less thunder, more finesse, a juicy and nutty character, praline and even a suggestion of red fruits. There’s a fine ferrous grip to tannin, a supple feel to it, all in balance, and the finish is so long and fine. Lovely. It’ll be worth the wait.
Drink : 2029 – 2048+
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I’ve been waiting for this wine to be released for some time. I had great expectation that this wonderful vineyard from this exceptional vintage would produce something equally exceptional. Well, guess what? It has. This is such a beautiful example of what Moss Wood cabernet is all about. There’s nothing big and brutish here. This is elegance. This is precision. This is brilliance. High-end florals on the nose with traces of violet, red currant, and then on the palate, that beautiful, restrained suppleness that deceived so many people in the early years of Moss Wood reveals itself, and yet as always, there’s a deep and lingering intensity that persists through to an exceptionally long finish. This is simply stunning. I do not believe there has been a better Moss Wood.
Cellar: 30 years
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This is right up there with the best in recent memory. Wonderfully complex on the nose. Blackberries, cassis, raspberry, violets, cedar, tobacco, graphite and pencil shaving, something exotic there too, rummy and clove. Medium-full on the palate, superb detail and elegance. The fruit and spice complexity seems effortless yet intense. Juicy cassis, violet, pencil graphite and cigar box. Excellent acidity and balance. This’ll age like a gem. This is a beautiful wine.
Drink – 2028–2045+
March, 2026
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