Moss Wood Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon vertical tasting

[Waiters Friend]

G’day

I was fortunate to attend a vertical tasting yesterday of two Moss Wood wines – their Chardonnay followed by the iconic Cabernet Sauvignon. The tasting was hosted by Leigh Gerreyn (Behind The Glass), with the wines coming directly from Moss Wood or from Leigh’s private collection.

Moss Wood is a famous and pioneering Margaret River winery, originally established by Bill and Sandra Pannell (later of Picardy fame) and subsequently (and currently) owned by Keith and Clare Mugford. The winery is famous for its Cabernet Sauvignon and, to a lesser extent, the Chardonnay, and has been producing these for over 50 years.

Leigh is a passionate and focused collector who loves to delve into the technical details of wine production and share his considerable knowledge with his friends. He sees these tasting events as interactive and educational for all involved.

Leigh generally prefers to taste from oldest to youngest, to observe the evolution of style (especially where there have been significant winemaking changes over time) and to ensure the older wines don’t fall over too soon. However, on this occasion he chose to do the reverse, as the wines have been made in the same fashion for at least the last 20 years.

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First, we looked at 7 consecutive vintages of Moss Wood Chardonnay. The wines undergo full malolactic fermentation and see 50% new oak.

Moss Wood Chardonnay 2023: The current release. Pale yellow and bright in the glass. The nose is full of ripe yellow peach and polished oak. There’s rich ripe peaches and nectarines on the palate, with grilled nuts, and some lees-based creaminess. Oak tannins are slightly grippy, and there’s a great line of acid leading to a long finish. A great start to the tasting, and I rated this highly.

Moss Wood Chardonnay 2022: Pale yellow. The toasty oak slightly overshadows the grilled peaches on the nose. The palate is similar to the 2023, but slightly less intense, and there’s a similar lees texture. Medium to long finish.

Moss Wood Chardonnay 2021: Yellow colour. A somewhat restrained nose compared to the previous two wines, with pink peaches and nutty oak. The peaches follow through to the palate, with butterscotch, polished oak, and again that creamy texture. Medium to long finish.

Moss Wood Chardonnay 2020: Yellow colour. There’s peach and nectarine on the nose, with cedary oak. The palate is full and rich, with ripe yellow peaches and brioche. I found the acid to be a little prominent and sharp, and the wine less creamy than previous wines. Long finish.

Moss Wood Chardonnay 2019: Pale yellow, slightly lighter than the previous two vintages. The rich ripe yellow peaches and nectarines dominate the nose, with the oak sitting slightly in the background. The palate is full and rich with more ripe stone fruits, and the oak grip slightly less than previous wines. The line of acid remains, as does the lees texture, but it is all in balance. I wasn’t expecting this wine (from a cooler vintage) to be this good and a little restraint means it is showing well now.

Moss Wood Chardonnay 2018: Medium yellow in colour. The oak is slightly overshadowing the fruit on the nose and there is a sense of savoury notes rather than intense fruit. The palate is very full and rich, with ripe stone fruits. However, the oak remains dominant (one taster commented on a wet stone character) and grippy, with cleansing acid and a long finish. 2018 was a top vintage, and I was expecting big things here, but the wine is slightly out of balance (which may just be a ‘point in time’ observation).

Moss Wood Chardonnay 2017: Apparently this was James Halliday’s Chardonnay of the Year (in 2019?). The darkest yellow of the wines but not yet gold. Slightly oak dominant on the nose, with ripe stone fruits. Both the nose and the palate are showing signs of development. 2017 was a cooler vintage and this appears atypical, with full and rich fruit flavours, a strong acid line and some lees texture. A long finish and a complete wine. My pick of the chardonnays, and voted White Wine of the Day by the group.

The chardonnays were very revealing, and there were some surprises along the way. The cooler vintages 2017 and 2019 showed better than I expected, whereas some of the warmer vintages (especially 2018) did not. This could just be how they looked on the day, and may shift incoming years (and all of these wines will have a long life ahead).

The other surprise (for me) was how full and rich many of the wines were, with an abundance of peaches and nectarines. Many Margaret River chardonnays (especially those from further south) show citrus characters (perhaps earlier picking), but here, there wasn’t a lemon in sight.

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We then looked at a run of Cabernet Sauvignons. Surprisingly, these see less than 20% new oak – perhaps a deliberate decision to make them more approachable when young (25 years ago they were 100% new oak), while ensuring they keep the longevity they are known for. There’s traces of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot in these wines too. The crimson colour changes were barely noticeable over a decade’s wines, so I have not commented.

Moss Wood Ribbon Vale Cabernet Sauvignon 2022: The palate is rich with juicy primary fruits, supported by cedary oak. Tannins are moderately grippy and the wine finished medium-long.

Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 2021: A moderate nose, where the savoury oak slightly dominates the blackcurrant fruits. The palate is fuller in flavour, with fleshy dark fruits, some chocolate, a velvety texture and moderately grippy tannins.

Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 2020: Ripe blackcurrant, cassis, mulberries, Italian herbs and cedary oak on the nose. There’s fleshy fruit on the palate, with fine but noticeable tannins and a good line of acid. Long length. I rated this wine highly.

Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 2019: A shy nose with eucalypt and modest amounts of fruit initially. The dark fruits came out more on the palate, which has a velvety texture and fine-grained tannins. Good length.

Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 2018: Slightly darker than the surrounding wines. A powerful nose with savoury cedary oak, ripe blackcurrants, cassis, and a little graphite. A dense palate with plenty of dark fruits, some choc / mocha, and a thick velvety texture. Very long finish and highly rated by me (and voted Red Wine of the Day by the group).

Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 2017: This was a bit of an outlier for me. From a cooler vintage this seemed more evolved that the surrounding vintages. Developed blackberries, mulberries, and tomato leaf on the nose. The palate is soft with integrated tannins, milk chocolate and coffee grounds. I enjoyed this wine on the day, but suspect it may not have the longevity of other vintages.

Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 2016: Apparently this was James Halliday's Cabernet of the Year (in 2019?). The nose on this took some time to open up and reveal the dark berry fruits. Cedary oak. The palate also initially showed savoury oak, and it took quite a bit of swirling to find what turned out to be concentrated fruit flavours. There’s grippy tannins and this is a wine of considerable structure and length.

Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 2015: This is showing signs of development, with cedary oak and blackberries, mulberries, and dried herbs. The palate is quite fruit-forward and juicy, with some mocha, fully integrated tannins and supporting acid. Medium to long finish.

Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 2014: A similar nose to the 2018 although more developed. The palate shows juicy dark and red fruits, mocha, and violets. Tannins have integrated, and there’s good supporting acid. The wine is mouth-filling and gas excellent length. I rated this highly.

Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 2013: Dusty oak, dark and red fruits, and tomato leaf on the nose. Developed dark and red fruits on the palate as well, with integrated tannins, good supporting acid, and reasonable length.

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We finished with a mystery red. A touch of VA initially, with fully developed red fruits, Italian herbs, and savoury oak. Blackberry conserve on the palate, fine but still grippy tannins and quite a long finish. This was revealed as the Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 1994.

One of the commonly noted characteristics of cabernet sauvignon is the appearance of green capsicum, and this can be a product of slightly under-ripe fruit. There was no sign of this in any of the wines we tasted these are ripe and full-bodied wines.

Profound thanks to Leigh for hosting this event, and to those present for their enthusiasm and valuable contributions.

Cheers
Allan

[Michael McNally]

Excellent write-up, thanks Allan. Would have been a brilliant event to attend.

Cheers

Michael

[felixp21]

thanks Allan, very intertesting.
all-round, I'd say Moss Wood is my favourite Aussie winery, if you consider both red and white wines.
the chardonnay is a very smart wine, always underrated by wine critics on release because its one of the very few Aussie wines left that still requires a decade to even start to show its best. Usually a glorious experience at 15-20 years of age.
for me, the Cabernet is the best Margaret River has to offer, and also consistently the best Cabernet in Australia. Again, however, it needs at least a decade to start strutting its stuff. Just wished they still released the Cabernet under cork or diam.

[JamieAdelaide]

I’m with you Felix. Cork for me!

The whole one sided, know it all, stelvin debate in this country is one of the reasons I couldn’t take retirement here and went back to work abroad.

Open your minds folks.