Moss Wood 2023 Pinot Noir
| Wine Facts | |
|---|---|
| Median Harvest Date | 27th February, 2023 |
| Mean Harvest Ripeness | 13.3° Be |
| Yield | 5.15 t/ha |
| Growing Season Ave Temperature | 19.61⁰C |
| Number of hours accrued between 18 and 28⁰C | 943 hours |
| Number of hours above 33⁰C | 44 hours |
| Days Elapsed between Flowering and Harvest | 106 days |
| Bottled | 25th October, 2024 |
| Alcohol | 14.0 % |
Wine Facts
-
Median Harvest Date
27th February, 2023
-
Harvest Ripeness
13.3°Be
-
Yield
5.15 t/ha
-
Weather Data
Growing season Ave Temperature - 19.61⁰C
Number of hours accrued between 18° and 28⁰C – 943 hours
Number of hours above 33⁰C – 44 hours
-
Days Elapsed between Flowering and Harvest
106 days
-
Bottled
25th October, 2024
-
Released
29th August, 2024
-
Alcohol
14.0 %
Moss Wood 2023 Pinot Noir – Marc Malouf, Wine Worth Writing About
Clear ruby with a blush of pink and a pretty, lifted nose of rose, lavender, spearmint and nettles, macerated red berries, white pepper, rooibos tea, green olive, marshmallow root, roasted chestnut and complex oak spice. In the mouth it bursts with transparent flavours of both fresh and candied red fruits,…
Moss Wood 2023 Pinot Noir – Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
Yes, it’s a good wine. Peppermint, strawberry, cedar, quite some baking spice and tobacco leaf, caramel, amaro twang and herbs. It’s juicy, quite fleshy, hazelnut and poached strawberry, some blood orange tang, with a gently sooty tannin finish of solid length. A pink peppercorn spice closes it out and some…
Moss Wood 2023 Pinot Noir – Ray Jordan, Ray Jordan Wine
This is one of the finest pinot noirs yet from Moss Wood, delivering a wine of subtlety and power in equal measure. The vintage contributed vibrant colour, floral, cherry and raspberry aromatics, and a sublimely textured, finely integrated palate. Fine acidity and chalkiness complement the bright red fruits, capturing what…
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…
Pinot Noir was first planted at Moss Wood in 1973, making it the oldest Pinot Noir vineyard in Margaret River. The first vintage was made in 1977, and the wine has been produced every year since - with the sole exception of 1978, when Margaret River endured its first serious bird attack. The 2023 wine is our 46th release and 45th consecutive, a continuity that has quietly grown into one of the longest-running traditions of Pinot Noir in Australia. Each vintage adds to that story, shaped by the seasons and our ongoing work in the vineyard.
Vintage Notes
The 2022/23 growing season was a reminder of how enjoyable viticulture can be when conditions fall into place. Mother Nature was in a kind mood and delivered a season that was mild, steady and free of drama - the sort of year vignerons look back on with fondness.
For the calendar year 2022, we received 1114mm of rain, around 9% above average. This ensured the vineyard entered the growing season with ample soil moisture, a key foundation for our dry-grown vines. Flowering began on 29th October and lasted for 27 days. While there were five days when temperatures dipped below 8°C, the coldest being 4.6°C, and a modest 35.8mm of rain fell during the period, conditions were generally benign. Importantly, rainfall was light and well-spaced, so fruit set was not compromised. By the end of flowering, we were confident that crop levels would be sound, if slightly below average.
Summer unfolded in similarly accommodating fashion. The average temperature across flowering to harvest was 19.61°C, close to the long-term average. A useful comparison is 2018, when the growing season average for Pinot Noir was 19.25°C - one of Margaret River’s most celebrated years. The vines enjoyed 943 hours in the ideal photosynthesis range of 18–28°C, while hot spells were brief, with only 44 hours above 33°C. This steady, temperate pattern allowed the vines to move gradually through ripening, taking 106 days from flowering to harvest - a slightly extended season by local standards, which often augurs well for flavour complexity.
Harvest commenced on 27th February, six days later than the long-term average, with fruit reaching 13.3° Baume. Yields were 5.15 t/ha, about 17% below average, reflecting the somewhat uneven set but still providing enough fruit to fill the winery with optimism. Crucially, the fruit arrived in excellent condition: no disease, no bird damage, and no sunburn, thanks to a good Marri blossom season and our usual bird nets.
Looking back, 2023 offered Pinot Noir the sort of calm, measured conditions that suit the variety’s fussy temperament. It was a year when patience, rather than intervention, was the key, and the results are wines that balance bright fruit with fine structure, capturing the elegance and finesse of the season.
Production Notes
All fruit was hand-picked and sorted before processing. Approximately 80% of the bunches were destemmed into small, open fermenters, with the remaining 20% retained as whole bunches to bring additional perfume, spice and tannin to the finished wine.
The must was chilled for a 48-hour cold soak and then allowed to warm naturally before inoculation with multiple yeast strains. Ferment temperatures were maintained below 32°C, and each batch was hand-plunged three times daily for gentle extraction. After 16 days on skins, the wine was pressed to stainless steel tanks for the completion of malolactic and primary fermentation.
Once completed, the individual batches were adjusted and transferred to French oak barriques, of which 18% were new. The wine matured in barrel for 18 months before being racked and blended in stainless steel in October 2024. Fining trials showed no improvement, so the wine remained unfined. It was then sterile filtered and bottled on 25th October 2024.
Tasting Notes
Colour and condition:
Medium ruby hue, bright and clear.
Nose:
A lifted bouquet of red fruits - strawberries, cherries and cranberries - sits alongside notes of rose petal, musk and quince. Beneath the primary fruit are the variety’s more complex nuances of earth, mushroom and subtle spice, complemented by light, toasty oak.
Palate:
The wine sits in the medium-bodied spectrum, showing generous strawberry and cherry fruit with a fine thread of plum and rhubarb. There is a lively line of acidity and firm but supple tannins that give balance and length. Subtle clove and cedar notes emerge on the finish, together with a touch of smoky oak. The overall impression is of brightness, poise and drive, without excess weight.
Cellaring
The 2023 Pinot Noir is a bright and charming youngster, and can certainly be enjoyed now for its generous fruit and perfume. However, it has the structure to reward long-term ageing. By 8–10 years it will develop classic bottle complexity, with earthy, mushroom and game notes gradually taking centre stage. Full maturity can be expected at 20 years of age and beyond, for those with the patience and cellar space.