Moss Wood Ribbon Vale 2013 Merlot
Wine Facts
| Median Harvest: | Merlot – 12/03/2013 Cabernet Franc – 04/03/013 |
| Bottled: | 01/10/2015 |
| Released: | 18/11/2015 |
| Yield: | Merlot – 5.46 t/ha Cabernet Franc – 5.79 t/ha |
| Baume: | Merlot – 12.6⁰ Be Cabernet Franc – 13.2⁰ Be |
| Alcohol: | 13.5% |
| Vintage Rating: | 10/10 |
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Tasting Notes
This wine has deep brick red colour and is in bright condition.
The nose is a bright expression of Merlot fruit, combining blackcurrant, mulberry and toffee apple. It is also quite complex, with plenty of leather and tar in the background.
A similar theme shows on the palate, with mouth-filling red and black fruits, sitting over full body and firm tannin. There is good length and the tannins are well balanced, with an astringency that gives a bituminous finish but doesn’t leave the mouth dry or gritty.
Moss Wood Ribbon Vale 2013 Merlot – Ray Jordan, The West Australian Wine Guide 2017
This vineyard has been producing some mighty fine merlot of recent years. This is medium bodied with a floral rose petal aroma that is immediately appealing and alluring. The palate is so fine and elegantly balanced with chalky tannins and fine grained oak set off against the sweet succulent fruit….
Moss Wood Ribbon Vale 2013 Merlot – Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
I noted, with some interest (…), a comment from James Halliday – “If there’s a better merlot in Australia, please get its maker to send a bottle for tasting.” and 97 points. Move over Petrus. A very nice wine it is too. Red berries, a little minted vanilla cream, tobacco…
Moss Wood Ribbon Vale 2013 Merlot – Josh Raynolds, Vinous
Vivid ruby-red. Heady dark berry and cherry compote aromas are complicated by suggestions of toasty oak and exotic Indian spices. Broad and seamless in the mouth, offering sweet, deeply concentrated blackberry and cherry flavors and mocha and vanilla notes that build on the back half. Velvety tannins come in slowly…
Moss Wood Ribbon Vale 2013 Merlot – The Wine Companion – James Halliday
If there’s a better merlot in Australia, please get its maker to send a bottle for tasting. The bouquet is perfumed, and multifaceted, red fruits, spice and French oak all competing for space, the palate an object lesson in terms of flavours (predominantly red fruits), texture (supple) and structures (superfine…
Moss Wood Ribbon Vale 2013 Merlot – James Suckling – jamessuckling.com
There’s a real purity of fruit in this red with blackberry, blueberry and mineral undertones. Medium to full body with ultra-fine tannins make this wine. Fresh finish. Elegance here. Screw cap. Drink now.
Moss Wood Ribbon Vale 2013 Merlot – Lisa Perrotti Brown MW, Robert Parker Wine Advocate
“Exuding plummy, spiced blackberry notes on the nose, with cinnamon stick and hints of violets, this medium to deep garnet-purple 2013 Merlot Ribbon Vale Vineyard is uncomplicated and medium-bodied with a soft and supple palate and a medium length finish.” 85 Points
Moss Wood Ribbon Vale 2013 Merlot – Huon Hooke – huonhooke.com
Medium to full red/purple hue. The aromas a fresh and pleasant, with red berry aromas and the faintest of mint high-notes. The wine is elegant and medium-bodied, with intensity but not heaviness. The tannins are firm and fine and nicely harmonised. This is quite a classy merlot. 30/1/2016 Drink 2016…
Moss Wood Ribbon Vale 2013 Merlot – Bob Campbell MW – bobcampbell.nz
Fresh, youthful Merlot with bright berry and plum flavours contrasting with spicy oak. Fine fruit and oak tannins give a peppery finish and yet the wine is reasonably accessible with some development potential. Slightly varnish-like oak that might benefit from bottle age. 18/1/2016 Drink 2016 to 2019
Moss Wood Ribbon Vale 2013 Merlot – Cameron Douglas – camerondouglasms.blogspot.co.nz
Takes a while for the wine to give up its bouquet (lots of glass swirls required) – when it does – wow! Quite a haunting yet calm bouquet of soft, fresh, dark and darker berry fruits and loads of plum moments; a touch of bramble, lots of clay and iron like soil…
Vintage Notes
We had a generally excellent growing season and yet we began the 2013 vintage with a degree of fear and trepidation. This was not because of any quality concerns but rather, we’d had a monumental hail storm on 30th November, 2012, the likes of which we hadn’t seen since 1996 and we were worried just how small our yields were going to be. The thing is, it is possible to see the damage but we don’t know the true extent until we actually start picking.
The first of the Ribbon Vale reds to come off was the Cabernet Franc on 4th March and its yield was down by 30%, which wasn’t as bad as expected. When we started Merlot 8 days later, we hoped for the same and yes, we were in luck. That left Cabernet Sauvignon, which started on 27th March and sadly our hopes were dashed - its yield was down by just over 50%. Such is life in agriculture. What did matter was quality and that was very encouraging.
Despite the stormy conditions outlined above, the season was warm to hot, especially at the end of December where we had one day with a maximum of 40⁰C, the hottest day for the summer. January temperatures eased but things warmed again at the beginning of February, although not quite as hot as December. March delivered typical autumn weather, so all the varieties moved gently to full maturity, especially Cabernet Sauvignon.
Production Notes
Cabernet Franc was hand-picked and destemmed into a small, open tank, seeded with a pure yeast culture and allowed to ferment at up to 30⁰C and hand plunged 3 times per day. After 13 days it was pressed to stainless steel, underwent malolactic fermentation and was finally racked to barrel on 13th April, 2013. The casks were all 228 litre French oak.
Merlot was hand-picked and destemmed into static fermenters, seeded with pure yeast culture and allowed to ferment up to 30⁰C and were pumped over 3 times per day. Skin contact time was 16 days, after which the wine was pressed to stainless steel. Malolactic fermentation was carried out by selected bacteria and after MLF the wine was racked to 228 litre French oak barrels on 23rd April, 2013.
The Merlot blend was made up on 3rd March, 2015 and consisted of 92% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc. It was then returned to barrel where it stayed until 14th September 2015 when, after 30 months aging, it was racked to stainless steel. Fining trials were carried out but none improved the wine, so it was left unfined and then sterile filtered and bottled on 1st October, 2015.
The Merlot blend was made up on 3rd March, 2015 and consisted of 92% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc. It was then returned to barrel where it stayed until 14th September 2015 when, after 30 months aging, it was racked to stainless steel. Fining trials were carried out but none improved the wine, so it was left unfined and then sterile filtered and bottled on 1st October, 2015.
Cellaring Notes
The brightness and balance mean this wine lends itself to early drinking and is really quite enjoyable now. However, it will certainly age well and we recommend it for at least 20 years cellaring. This will allow it to build its secondary notes of leather and tar, enhancing and rounding the palate with softer tannins.