Reviews Archives - Moss Wood

Moss Wood 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon – Ken Gargett, The Wine Pilot

No doubt many winelovers have been eagerly awaiting this wine, one of the last of Margaret River’s big guns from the stunning 2023 vintage. This brilliant Cabernet saw all parcels harvested fermented separately in small open fermenters. Maturation was in French oak barriques, 15% new. The final blend included 4% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. Deep maroon with a magenta edge, there is such power and finesse in this wine. Balance, length and structure are all world class. A take-me-now-Lord wine if ever there was one. The great 2023 vintage strikes again. Is this the best wine Moss Wood has ever made? It certainly must come very close. The nose reveals aromas of cassis, mulberries, plums, charcuterie, cigar boxes and blackberries. The structure is seamless through to the silkiest of tannins. There is great length and persistence here and the balance is knife-edge. If you doubt me as to the brilliant quality of this wine, please see if you can find a wine from Bordeaux at this price which comes close to this quality. Then we’ll talk. This is just a cracker. Thirty years standing on its head.

99 Points

Rating: Stars

Moss Wood Ribbon Vale 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon – Ken Gargett, Wine Pilot

Cabernet Sauvignon this Margaret River wine from the Ribbon Vale Vineyard may be, but it is very much the traditional Bordeaux blend, with 2.5% of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot included in the mix. From the 2023 vintage, which continues grow in reputation with every wine released, this must surely be the best Cab under the Ribbon Vale label yet made. Maturation was for twenty-eight months in French oak barriques, 17% of them new. Dark mauve/crimson with a purple rim, this is both elegant and yet intense. There is incredible length and immaculate balance with serious persistence. The nose offers notes of chocolate, kirsch, tobacco leaves, dried herbs, cocoa beans, aniseed, mulberries and blackberries. Tannins are amix of silk and gravel, and we see cassis emerging towards the finish. A wine which will provide immense pleasure for at least the next fifteen to twenty years, though winelovers will be raving over well-cellared bottles long after that. Love it.

96 Points

Rating: Stars

Moss Wood Ribbon Vale 2023 Merlot – Ken Gargett, Wine Pilot

Moss Wood Ribbon Vale 2023 Merlot Creative Image

This Margaret River Merlot from the Ribbon Vale Vineyard also enjoys the presence of 7% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Cabernet Franc. Maturation was in French oak barriques, 18% new, for twenty-eight months. The colour is a gleaming maroon, while the nose reveals aromas of plum pudding, blackcurrants, plums, cloves, beefstock, dried herbs and chocolate. There is focus and direction here. Quite an elegant style with good length and very fine tannins, it will probably be at its peak in around six to eight years, but will certainly provide pleasure before and after.

93 Points

Rating: Stars

Moss Wood 2025 Autrement Pinot Noir – Ken Gargett, Wine Pilot

Every year, one hears the same question. Why are they bothering with Pinot Noir in Margaret River? The answer is that they have customers who love the wine and buy it every year. Also, one suspects, that they enjoy making it (they have been doing so since 1977, so if they don’t, that would raise even more questions). Their vineyard was planted in 1973, making it one of the oldest Pinot vineyards in the country. Do we need any other reasons? Besides, while the wine may not rival a great vintage of la Tache, it is always well crafted and thoroughly enjoyable. The name, ‘Autrement’, means ‘in another way’, which one also suspects is their way of poking some gentle fun at the naysayers. After hand sorting, 30% of the fruit, sourced from the Karridale sub-region, is fermented as whole bunches, the remainder destemmed. Maturation is in barrel for fifteen months, 18% new oak. Pale russet with a crimson edge, this is a savoury and rather earthy style of Pinot Noir with notes of animal flesh, kirsch, charcuterie, mushrooms, red fruits notably cherries, root vegetables and leaf litter. A sappy palate with juicy acidity, the wine is of medium length and exhibiting good freshness at this stage. Drinking a little earlier than some of their releases, it would be ideal anytime over the rest of this decade.

92 Points

Rating: Stars

Moss Wood Ribbon Vale 2025 Chardonnay – Wine Pilot, Ken Gargett

An impressive Margaret River Chardonnay from the Ribbon Vale Vineyard, handpicked fruit was delivered to the winery for hand sorting and whole bunch pressing. Fermentation began in stainless steel tanks under controlled temperatures before, at the halfway point, the wine was transferred to French oak barriques, 32% of which were new, to complete that fermentation, and also malolactic fermentation. The wine spent nine months in oak for maturation. Gleaming gold in colour, the nose exhibits notes of nectarines, peaches, grapefruit pith, a flick of well-integrated oak and oatmeal. A slightly riper style, the wine is richly flavoured and the texture seamless. Of medium length with a minerally backing, this will provide attractive drinking for at least the next half dozen years, longer for those with patience.

93 Points

Rating: Stars

Moss Wood Ribbon Vale 2025 Elsa – Wine Pilot, Ken Gargett

Friends in the West tell me that the final outcome of the 2025 vintage in Margaret River may rival the legendary 2023. Even to be spoken of in those terms suggests that this is another exceptional year. This wine is very much Sauvignon Blanc dominant, 90%, with the remaining 10% Semillon, all sourced from the Ribbon Vale Vineyard. Halfway through fermentation the wine was transferred into French oak barriques, 11% new. Maturation was for a further nine months. The colour is a deep straw/gold with flecks of green. The nose offers an intriguing array of aromas including stonefruits, nettles, citrus and peaches. There is a gorgeous texture here, perhaps the highlight of the wine, with balance, impressive length and persistence, all the while maintaining its intensity. A juicy style, this will drink impressively over the next decade.

94 Points

Rating: Stars

Moss Wood Ribbon Vale 2023 Merlot – Marc Malouf, Wine Worth Writing About

Deep, dark ruby with a heady nose of violets, black berries and plum, a hint of orange rind, dried thyme, black tea, tobacco, licorice, boot polish, graphite and complex spice. In the mouth it’s rich, muscular and serious with flavours of plum, black cherries, juicy red berries, fig and bay leaf and tobacco that are gripped with firm fleshy tannins and powered by punchy acidity. The fruit is deep and concentrated and soaks up the oak well. It moves along, through to a long-layered aftertaste with blackberry, raspberry licorice and a very astute descriptor that Moss Wood uses in their own description; tamarillo! A serious Margaret River Merlot that looked its best on day 3, with no signs of fading.

March, 2026

Rating: Stars

Moss Wood Ribbon Vale 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon – Marc Malouf, Wine Worth Writing About

Crimson with a ruby rim and a lifted nose of lavender, blackberries, cassis, dried currants, white pepper, bay leaf, rosemary and dried sage, cocoa, graphite, pencil shavings and woody spice. In the mouth it’s juicy and easy with ripe blackberry, plum, raspberry, blueberry and blackcurrant at its core, kissed by sweet spice, charged with fresh acidity and textured dry from a grip of sticky tannins. A little simple and lacking intensity, but it’s elegant and not heavy in any way. It holds in the middle of its arc and ends with a lift of florals and pomegranate. A lovely, drinker that looked its best with 2 days of airtime.

March, 2026

Rating: Stars

Moss Wood 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon – Marc Malouf, Wine Worth Writing About

Impenetrable dark crimson with a ruby rim and a complex and serious nose of violets, deep pitched black fruits and berries, panforte, charred meat, leather, pecan pie, tar, cedar, graphite and luxurious spices.
Textbook Marg’s Cab! In the mouth it’s full bodied, creamy and elegantly textured with the finest of tannins, wonderful depth of flavour and great balance. It echoes the nose with dark fruits and complex spice that sit comfortably together at its core, while seamlessly woven acidity carries it all with ease. It moves as one, harmoniously and with momentum, through a long arc, ending over minutes.
This looks, smells and tastes expensive, and it certainly delivers! A gorgeous Moss Wood Cabernet that’s looking great on day 2, with no signs of fading.

March, 2026

Rating: Stars

Moss Wood 2023 Chardonnay – Julia Harding, Jancis Robinson

Rich aroma of stone fruit, pear and a hint of creamy/mealy oak. Tastes almost sweet on the palate – veering to apricot – even though it is bone dry. The dry, firm and slightly chewy texture brings balance to all that sweet fruit. The oak is finely integrated, the fruit is the star.

16.5 Points

Rating: Stars