Awards and Ratings
- 97 points – Ray Jordan (Ray Jordan Wine, Oct 2025)
- 91 points – Gary Walsh (The Wine Front, Oct 2025)
- Gold Medal – International Wine Challenge 2024 (95 points)
About This Wine
This release marks the 46th edition and 45th consecutive vintage of Moss Wood Pinot Noir, originally planted in 1973, the oldest Pinot Noir vineyard in Margaret River. The 2023 season offered mild, steady, and disease-free conditions, producing fruit of excellent balance and clarity. Hand-picked fruit, a mix of destemmed berries and whole bunches, long skin contact, and maturation in French oak have resulted in a Pinot Noir combining purity of fruit with fine structure and long-term cellaring potential.
Winemaking
- Hand-picked and hand-sorted fruit
- 80% destemmed, 20% whole bunch
- 48-hour cold soak
- Natural fermentation, temperature kept <32°C
- Hand-plunged 3× daily
- 16 days on skins
- Matured 18 months in French oak barriques (18% new)
- Bottled 25 October 2024, unfined and sterile-filtered
Vintage Notes
- The 2022/23 season was mild and consistent, with:
- 943 hours between 18–28°C
- Only 44 hours above 33°C
- Flowering lasted 27 days, with even fruit set
- Harvest date: 27 February 2023
- Ripeness: 13.3° Baume
- Yield: 5.15 t/ha
- Fruit arrived clean, with no disease or bird damage
These conditions produced a calm and gradual ripening period, ideal for Pinot Noir, resulting in bright fruit, fine tannins, and balance.
Tasting Notes
Colour
Medium ruby, bright and clear.
Nose
Lifted aromas of strawberry, cherry, cranberry, rose petal, musk, and quince. Subtle notes of earth, mushroom, spice, and light toasty oak.
Palate
Medium-bodied with generous red berry fruit, a fine thread of plum and rhubarb, lively acidity, and supple tannins. Finishes with clove, cedar, and a touch of smoky oak, delivering a poised, driven, and balanced expression.
Cellaring
Can be enjoyed now for its bright fruit and perfume.
Expected to develop classic bottle complexity at 8–10 years, reaching full maturity at 20 years and beyond.
Specifications
- Region: Margaret River, Western Australia
- Variety: 100% Pinot Noir
- Alcohol: 14%
- Style: Red – Light and Perfumed
- Oak: French oak barriques
- Closure: Screw cap
