The History and Evolution of Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon: 1997 A Humbling Reminder from Mother Nature

The spring of 1996 was horrendous. Mother Nature bashed us with heavy winds and hail storms, the last of which came with a thunderstorm that passed straight over the top of Moss Wood on 12th December. It was a monster. Hail stones the size of marbles rained down for what seemed an eternity but was probably about 2 minutes. The aftermath was not something Keith had seen before and never wants to see again – smashed leaves, bunches and shoots.

Having learned our lesson 16 years earlier, we sprayed the vineyard as best we could to try and control secondary infections but it was something of a lost cause. The damage was simply too extensive and we resigned ourselves to very significant yield losses. In the end, Cabernet Sauvignon was down by 50%, which was itself an achievement, given the damage that had been wrought.

The fun and games weren’t over, as Mother Nature then switched the dial to hot and dry and we experienced warm temperatures through the remainder of December and into January until Australia Day. At that point things changed again and we cruised into beautiful autumn conditions. After all that had gone on over the preceding 5 months, we were granted gentle ripening conditions and Cabernet Sauvignon, or what was left of it, glided in for a gentle landing right on the long-term average harvest date of 27th March.

What do we make of the year? The fruit aromas were in the pretty, aromatic spectrum of red currant and violets, reflecting what were mostly cooler temperatures. Also, despite the damage and yield loss, the tannin balance was OK, although the impact of the hail could be seen with more aggressive astringency than usual.  Given all that prevailed, we’ve often felt the same parental protectiveness toward the ’97 as we did for the ’89. It may not have the absolute class of some of its older siblings, but it is deserving.