Moss Wood 2024 Pinot Noir

More than 50 years after Pinot Noir was first planted at Moss Wood in 1973, we continue to work with the oldest Pinot Noir vines in Margaret River. The 2024 is our 48th release and marks the 47th consecutive vintage of the wine. That long history gives us a unique perspective on the variety, as we continue to learn from the vineyard and see how these old vines respond to the different conditions each season brings.

Vintage Notes

The 2023/24 growing season was an early one for Pinot Noir, characterised by warm, dry conditions and a relatively quick progression from flowering to harvest. While the season was warmer than average, it was not dominated by prolonged periods of extreme heat. Instead, consistent warmth and very low rainfall provided favourable ripening conditions and kept disease pressure to a minimum.

Rainfall for the calendar year was 910mm, around 11% below the long-term average. More significant was just how dry the growing season became. From flowering through to harvest, only 20.4mm of rain was recorded. Our dry-grown vines have deep root systems developed over many decades and are well equipped to cope with these conditions, although with so little rainfall during the growing season, we suspect they experienced some degree of water stress as the season progressed.

Conditions during flowering were generally favourable. Just 10.8mm of rain fell during this crucial period, providing good conditions for flowering and fruit set was solid. Temperatures provided more of a challenge, with eight days below 8°C and a minimum of 2.3°C recorded right in the middle of flowering. Although there was no significant frost damage, these cold conditions may have had some impact on fruit set and contributed to the eventual yield.

Once flowering was complete, the warm and dry conditions saw ripening progress quickly. Pinot Noir completed its cycle in just 94 days from flowering to harvest, compared with the long-term average of 103 days. The average temperature over this period was 20.32°C, modestly above the long-term figure of 19.7°C. The vines accumulated 910 hours between 18–28°C, comfortably within the range we consider favourable for photosynthesis and ripening.

Importantly, the season was not dominated by excessive heat. There were 56 hours above 33°C, slightly above the long-term average but well below the hottest recent seasons. The story of 2024, therefore, was more one of consistent warmth than extreme heat.

The median harvest date was 30th January, around three weeks earlier than average, with the fruit reaching 13.3° Baume. Despite the early timing, ripeness was slightly below the long-term average of 13.5° Baume, with the fruit reaching flavour maturity without excessive sugar accumulation.

Yield was 5.15 tonnes per hectare, around 16% below the long-term average of 6.1 t/ha. We believe vine age is now the major contributor to this gradual reduction in crop, with the exceptionally dry growing season and associated water stress likely providing an additional influence in 2024. The cold conditions during flowering may also have played a smaller role.

Overall, 2024 was an early, warm and dry season, but importantly not an excessively hot one. The moderate crop arrived at the winery in excellent condition, with good flavour concentration, freshness and balance.