Moss Wood 2022 Pinot Noir
| Wine Facts | |
|---|---|
| Median Harvest Date | 25th February, 2022 |
| Mean Harvest Ripeness | 13.7° Be |
| Yield | 5.94 t/ha |
| Growing Season Ave Temperature | 20.67⁰C |
| Number of hours accrued between 18 and 28⁰C | 846 hours |
| Number of hours above 33⁰C | 110 hours |
| Days Elapsed between Flowering and Harvest | 99 days |
| Bottled | 30th October, 2023 |
| Released | 29th August, 2024 |
| Alcohol | 14.10 % |
Wine Facts
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Median Harvest Date
25th February, 2022
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Harvest Ripeness
13.7°Be
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Yield
5.94 t/ha
-
Weather Data
Growing season Ave Temperature - 20.67⁰C
Number of hours accrued between 18° and 28⁰C – 846 hours
Number of hours above 33⁰C – 110 hours
-
Days Elapsed between Flowering and Harvest
99 days
-
Bottled
30th October, 2023
-
Released
29th August, 2024
-
Alcohol
14.10 %
Moss Wood 2022 Pinot Noir – James Suckling
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…
Moss Wood 2022 Pinot Noir – Huon Hooke, The Real Review
Margaret River isn’t one of the great pinot noir regions, consequently there are very few made there. This is the best Moss Wood pinot noir I’ve tasted for many years. Youthful red-purple colour, bright and deep. There are cherry, ginger and iodine/peat aromas which are bright and fresh and fruit…
Moss Wood 2022 Pinot Noir – Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate
The 2022 Pinot Noir leads with cherry and wild strawberry, garden mint (or is it a faint waft of eucalypt, instead?) and caper brine. In the mouth, the wine is silky and almost oily/velvety in its texture, with sweet blood orange, pink peppercorn and raspberry in the mix. This is…
Moss Wood 2022 Pinot Noir – Ken Gargett, Wine Pilot
20% of the fruit went into fermentation as whole bunches, adding in the search for texture and complexity. Maturation was for a year and a half in French oak barrels, 18% new. A pale crimson hue, the nose exhibits a slightly savoury/near rustic style with red fruits, warm earth, aniseed,…
Moss Wood 2022 Pinot Noir – Angus Hughson, Wine Pilot
This charming 2022 Margaret River Pinot Noir is expressive and radiates with cherry pit and rolling tobacco lined with spicy undertones and a generous but well integrated serve of French oak. It then takes a wild turn, with engaging gamey, earthy complexity taking charge with a supple texture and a…
Moss Wood 2022 Pinot Noir – Huon Hooke, The Real Review
Youthful red-purple colour, bright and deep. There are cherry, ginger and iodine/peat aromas which are bright and fresh and fruit driven, while the palate is excitingly intense and bright fruited, with a core of ripe fruit sweetness and assertive but nicely balanced tannin structure. The wine fills out beautifully on…
Moss Wood 2022 Pinot Noir – Wine Worth Writing About – Quality!
Clear ruby with a purple/pink hue and a floral and spiced nose of blossoms, violets, cherries and lush red berries, blood orange and Chinotto, roasted fig leaf, sweet Darjeeling tea, dried mint, vanilla, cassia, forest underbrush and a gentle charred smokiness. In the mouth, you’re met with deliciously ripe, juicy,…
Moss Wood 2022 Pinot Noir – Fergal Gleeson, Great Wine Blog
Moss Wood Pinot Noir 2022 is a delicious and accomplished wine. Lots of ‘pinotosity’ on the nose – strawberry, cherry and florals. Those red fruits flow through on the palate in what is a well balanced wine. Balance? It’s the refreshing, bright acid and fine smooth tannins that accompany the…
Moss Wood 2022 Pinot Noir – Ray Jordan, Ray Jordan Wine
Pinot in Margaret River remains an enigma. Yet when you get good years it works well. The generosity of the ’22 vintage is captured in this pretty and powerful pinot. Wild raspberry and cherry notes with a subtle spice. The palate is deeply intense but delivers a light effortless touch….
WA Wine Review 2024
Ray Jordan “Moss Wood is a family-owned wine company and a pioneer of the Margaret River region. Planted in 1969, Moss Wood is an important founding estate of Margaret River. Clare and Keith Mugford, as viticulturalists, winemakers and proprietors, have been tending the vineyard and making wine at Moss Wood…
Vintage Notes
In 2021 we experienced an exceptionally wet year, receiving 1440mm of rain, about 40% above average. As custodians of dry-farmed vineyards, we love lots of rain but it can have downsides. Tractor operations are challenging when navigating muddy conditions, often leading to thrills and spills. However, the excellent soil moisture provides a strong start for the vines.
Flowering began on the 6th November and lasted for 27 days. The median date of 18th November was 9 days later than average, indicative of the cooler temperatures in a wet year. In an amusing and lucky twist, the rain eased and we recorded just 13.8mm, and temperatures dropped below 5°C for only 5 hours. These conditions were near-ideal for fruit set, leaving us optimistic for the season ahead.
The remainder of the growing season was characterised by warm temperatures, with an average of 20.67°C, closely matching the 2020 season (20.71°C). December brought some hot days, with maximum temperatures exceeding 35°C on the 25th through 28th. The warmest day was Boxing Day, reaching 41.2°C. Although temperatures above 35°C can stress vines and halt photosynthesis, the substantial moisture in the soil from the wet winter allowed our deep-rooted, unirrigated vines to withstand these conditions.
Ultimately, the vines experienced 846 hours of temperatures between 18-28°C and 110 hours above 33°C, providing ample ripening weather. We’re happy to add we had no disease and no bird damage, having successfully excluded the birds from the vines by using nets.
Harvest commenced with the D4 Clone coming off on 23rd February at 13.5° Baume, followed by the D5 clone on 1st March at 13.7° Baume. The average yield was 5.94 t/ha, 4% below average, reflecting the overall favourable conditions of the season.
Production Notes
The fruit was hand-picked and delivered to the winery, where 80% was de-stemmed and added to small open tanks and the remaining 20% was sorted and then added to the fermenters as whole bunches.
For those readers curious about the whole bunch addition, the explanation is as follows. This enhances quality because the presence of the bunch stems brings important components. The first is extra tannin, which adds backbone to the palate and also helps stabilise colour, something that can be lacking in Pinot Noir. The second is the lifted, spicy complexity in the aroma profile.
The must was chilled for 48 hours to enhance flavour, colour, and tannin extraction. After warming, each tank was inoculated with multiple yeast strains for primary fermentation. Extraction of colour and flavour was by hand plunging, three times daily and each batch remained on skins for two weeks. After fermentation, the wine was pressed to stainless steel for completion of both alcoholic and malolactic fermentations. The wine was then transferred to French oak barrels (18% new) for 18 months of maturation. Fining trials indicated that no fining agents improved tannin balance, so the wine remained unfined. It was sterile filtered and bottled on October 30, 2023.
Tasting Notes
Colour and condition:
Clear and bright condition, vibrant crimson red.
Nose:
Primary aromas of red fruit; strawberry, raspberry and red cherry. Floral notes of rose petal and potpourri. Background characters of cedar, mushroom and forest floor with subtle clove and charred oak on the finish.
Palate:
Bright, mouth-filling fruit notes of strawberry, cherry and plum. Pleasant spice characters of nutmeg, clove, cinnamon and dried herbs. Plenty of fruit density without being overpowering. Creamy and velvety in texture, the tannins and acid sit nicely in the background, helping give the wine power right through the middle and back palate.
Cellaring
The 2022 Moss Wood Pinot Noir is a vibrant and approachable wine, offering lively fruit flavours and a well-balanced profile that's makes it perfect for drinking now. Yet, like many of its counterparts, it has a promising future in the cellar for those willing to be patient. With a decade of aging, it will begin to show some bottle complexity, and true maturity will unfold over the next 20 or so years and more. By then, it should retain its red and dark fruit characteristics while evolving to reveal the variety’s classic earthy notes of mushroom, meat, farmyard, and freshly turned soil. A wonderfully showing, current example of a Moss Wood aged vintage is the 1992, which has consistently been a shining example, given the cork has not tainted it. We are very relived that sealing our wines with screw cap excludes this disappointment.