I can’t recall awaiting the release of a wine as much as I have for the Moss Wood cabernet sauvignon 2023.
There have already been some truly exceptional releases from this vintage in Western Australia, in each case meeting or exceeding my expectations. But I was super keen to see the latest iteration of a wine that last year celebrated its 50th release.
So, let me cut to the chase and say that, in my opinion, the 2023 Moss Wood is the greatest cabernet this iconic vineyard has produced. And believe me, there have been some truly remarkable wines over the years, including such recent vintages as 2020, 2018 and 2014.
The history of Moss Wood is well documented. From the time Bill Pannell planted the first vines in 1969 to the time he sold it to Keith and Clare Mugford, who have continued the rigorous pursuit of excellence Mr Pannell started.
Moss Wood cabernet is instantly recognisable, with vibrant black and blue fruits, fine chalky tannins, layered aromatics and poised structure. Cabernet franc adds mineral and aromatic lift, while petit verdot contributes tannin, acidity, and musky dark berry depth. The result is a wine that is both powerful and elegant, capable of graceful ageing, yet approachable in its youth.
The Mugfords’ guiding philosophy has been simple: make the best cabernet possible, never compromise and refine rather than radically alter. Vineyard care, careful oak integration and meticulous fermentation combine to deliver wines of remarkable consistency and refinement.
Of course, when you layer that with what I consider the finest WA vintage since I started writing about wine more than 40 years ago, you know you are heading into rarefied air.
It was a season where the boxes were ticked in perfect sequence at every step of the way to picking, meeting all the criteria for contributing to a near-perfect vintage.
All fruit was hand harvested before sorting and destemming, with each parcel fermented separately in small, open fermenters and seeded with multiple yeast strains. Extraction of colour and flavour was achieved through hand plunging three times a day during fermentation and time on skins ranged between 13 and 16 days.
The wine was matured in 228-litre French oak barriques, 15 per cent of which were new. After maturation, the individual batches were blended to produce the final wine, made up of 92 per cent cabernet sauvignon, and 4 per cent each of cabernet franc and petit verdot.
If this doesn’t get you back drinking cabernet, nothing will. It should be mandatory buying for your cellar.
Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 ($180)
This is such a beautiful example of what Moss Wood cabernet is all about. There’s nothing big and brutish here. This is elegance. This is precision. This is brilliance. High-end florals on the nose with traces of violet and red currant. On the palate that beautiful, restrained suppleness reveals itself. As always, there’s a deep and lingering intensity that persists through to an exceptionally long finish. This is simply stunning. I do not believe there has been a better Moss Wood.
Score: 99/100
Cellar: 30 years
Moss Wood Ribbon Vale chardonnay 2025 ($90)
This vineyard has really been turning out some quite marvellous wines in recent years. It took a bit of work, but the results are in the bottle. This is a beautiful, vibrant, lively chardonnay with that subtle degree of complexity complementing the natural fruit characters. Nutty lemon curd and deeper stone fruit characters on the nose. On the palate it presents with poise and restraint, though with a deep palate intensity that extends effortlessly to a very long finish. A lovely refreshing acidity and its slightly savoury characters complete what is a very good wine.
Score: 96/100
Cellar: 10 years
Moss Wood Ribbon Vale merlot 2023 ($97)
This vineyard has been producing some of Australia’s best merlots in recent years. This one is perhaps the most refined and elegantly poised I can recall. The vintage has clearly played an important part. The nose shows all of those black fruit, spicy, slightly mocha-like characters. While the seamlessly integrated medium- to full-bodied palate delivers with exquisite elegance. Restrained and poised it might be, but there is an intensity here that delivers with a sustained finish. A thoroughly exquisite merlot.
Score: 97/100
Cellar: 15 years
• Ray Jordan is one of Australia’s most experienced and respected wine journalists, contributing to newspapers and magazines over more than 40 years. In 2017 he co-authored The Way it Was: The History of the early years of the Margaret River Wine Region
