Tag Archives: Moss Wood

Grosset/Mosswood Launch and Friends

15 September 2010

When I was informed that Matt Holden, the Sales Manager for Fine Wine Wholesalers decided to put on his new release wines from Grosset, Mosswood and Pierro etc, I jumped at the chance to review the wines.

The highlight was the Grosset Polish Hill. A truely great wine. There were a few other stars including the Mt Horricks 2010 riesling and the Mosswood Chardonnay.

Please note, the wines were not tasted blind, and this may have influenced my points.

Reviewed (in order tasted)

Mt Horricks – Riesling – 2009 (17.5). Floral, perfumed, round and mellow, yet with lovely lime juice acidity. The palate is long and tight to close, but this is a touch more developed than the others here.

Mt Horricks – Riesling – 2010 (18.1). Lifted fruit on the vibrant nose, with musk and lime juice. There is even a touch of granny smith apples. Lemon and lime brule on the palate. This is fine, long and quite seamless. (This is possibly the best riesling ever made by this producer.)

Grosset – Riesling – Polish Hill – 2010.(18.7). Wow, this is special. The nose is restrained and tight, yet bristling with potential. There are lovely floral notes and a touch of citrus. The palate is fine, taught, crisp and seamless. The length is outstanding and the floral notes continue on the extraordinarily fine finish. This is the best young Australian riesling that I have ever tasted!

Grosset – Riesling – Springvale – 2010 (18). Surprisingly closed by comparison to others here. Steely nose with minerals and lime juice. A touch of orange rind. Again, very long and with floral and musk on the close. Very good.

Lenton Brae – Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc – Wilyabrup – 2009 (17.5). Complex and grassy with green apple. This is clean, fresh and vibrant, yet there is a lot of intrinsic power coiled up and waiting to develop over a few years. Interesting wine.

Pierro – Chardonnay – 2008 (18.2+). Pineapple fruit, lees, barrel ferment and oak all appear on the lifted nose. Peaches and cream to the fore on the palate. This is very long and fine. It is a more forward style, yet retains its elegance and poise. Good length and excellent mouth-feel. This really opens and gets better with air.

Mosswood – Chardonnay – 2008 (18.2). Restrained and closed on the nose – this is extraordinarily fine. Yes there are some pineapple and stone fruit characters, yet these are subdued. Whilst the oak is a little forward right now, this will settle. A textural treat that needs a few years to show its best.

Mosswood – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2008 (18.6). Perfectly ripe and very dense, the fruit quality here is superb. This is ripe, with raspberry, blueberry, blackcurrant, cedar, spice and a touch of tar. The fruit is incredibly dense and fine, suggestive of a warmer year. Silky tannins and excellent length of flavours are a feature. As this opened, it displayed more of the characters typical of Margaret River cabernet.

Chapel Hill – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2008 – (18). Dense and closed initially, this has impressive fruit on the nose. The palate is dense and firm, the fruit characters are subdued and the tannins are fine if a bit chalky. Very good fruit combined with excellent winemaking guarantee a very long future. (This should also be good value).

Pierro – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2005 – (18). Cooler fruit characters with mint and some eucalypt. Perfectly ripe fruit that is starting to show the first signs of development. The palate is soft and supple, and there is good mouth-feel. Not quite as dense fruit as the others, but great drinking.

Feet First – Shiraz – 2008 (17.7). Fresh, but with dense fruit. The palate is all pepper and spice. There is cinnamon and nicely weighted fruit. The tannins are firm, but these will soften. Should be excellent value.

Chapel Hill – Shiraz – 2008 (18.3). Dense, ripe and displaying very good fruit. Super wine this, the fruit is dense and ripe, yet this is a restrained wine that will need years to show its best. Some chocolate to close. Silky tannins and Satsuma plum fruit. Textured, balanced and excellent oak.

Deepwoods – Cabernet Sauvignon – Reserve – 2008 (18.4). Intense and racy nose. The intensity of fruit on the palate is a revelation. The finish is fine, long and seamless – this is a superb wine. Excellent length and intensity of fruit.

Moss Wood Lunch with the Mugfords

7th August 2009

Lamont’s Wine Store – Cottesloe

There are not many certainties in life besides death, taxes and stock market crashes. Another that can be added to the list is that year in – year out, Moss Wood make fantastic wines that are at the forefront of their style. I was reminded of this recently when a small group sat down to lunch with Keith and Clare Mugford, the proprietors of Moos Wood, at a recent tasting at Lamont’s in Cottesloe. The idea was to try the new releases and also see how some of the wines age.

Established in the late 1960’s by Bill and Sandra Pannell, Moss Wood’s first vintage was in 1973. Keith joined the wine making team for the 1979 vintage and the Mugfords ended up taking control of the winery and vineyards in the mid 1980’s. The rest, as they say, is history.

In 2000, the Mugfords bought Ribbon Vale winery and vineyards to supplement the Moss Wood portfolio. This allowed for the expansion of the portfolio of wine in a way that complemented existing wines. I have been interested to watch the development of the Ribbon Vale wines over the last 10 years. While there is more vintage variation apparent than in the Moss Wood cabernet, in years like 2005, the wines are excellent. (I am looking forward to the 2007’s when they are released).

Consistency is a key part of why the wines from Moss Wood are so highly regarded. In years like 2001 and 2005, the wines are truly outstanding, and the equal of any cabernet based wine in the world. In lesser years, the wines retain their style and character, but perhaps loose a bit of the power. The 2006 Cabernet is a case in point. This was not the best year for reds in Margaret River, but as you will see below, the cabernet is an elegant and refined wine of real quality.

My tip: Buy the best years to cellar for the long term, and buy the lighter years to drink while waiting for the best to mature. At 5 – 10 years old, these wines will provide wonderful drinking, and allow wines like the 2005 to stay tucked away for the long haul.

NB. I attended this tasting as a guest of Lamont’s

Tasted

Moss Wood – Ribbon Vale Vineyard – Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc – 2008 (17.5). Very cold. Starts quite lean but opens with almond meal nuttiness and grassy notes. The palate is complex, grassy and long. There is more almond meal and apricot on the close.

Moss Wood – Semillon – 2008 (17.7). Really lemony to open, with lanolin. The palate is viscous, even oily, with grassy fruit and a touch of phenolics to close. This will benefit from a few years in the cellar.

Moss Wood – Chardonnay – 2007 (17.5). Complex but quite closed, pineapple fruit. The palate is complex, with some smoky oak grip. There is some peach and melon fruit, with roast cashews to close. A touch broad on the finish that detracts slightly.

Moss Wood – Chardonnay – 1993 (18.5). Developed, ripe and complex with peachy fruit. The palate is complex with nutty/mushroomy developed characters and a touch of lanolin. Lemony acid freshens the finish. Very long and seamless finish. Remarkable wine

Moss Wood – Pinot Noir – 2006 (17.3). Fragrant, perfumed and elegant. Touch of lemon too. In the mouth this is complex, with herbs and sour cherry fruit. Grippy tannins to close. These wines really don’t show that well young, but hit their straps after about ten years in the cellar.

Moss Wood – Ribbon Vale Vineyard – 2005 (18.3+). Ripe and quite linear at the moment. Lots of red fruits with raspberries and red currants. Touch of plum too. The fruit characters continue on the palate accompanied by fine, dusty tannins. Silky oak to close. This will improve for many years.

Moss Wood – Ribbon Vale Vineyard – 2007 (18.5+). Riper fruit, with lifted cherries and plums. Whilst ripe, the palate has fine chalky tannins to close. Cherries and plums build, and the palate is seamless. Very long and very good. Tight now, so give it some air, or better still, keep it for 10 years+.

Moss Wood – Cabernet Sauvignon – 1992 (18). Developed, earthy, leathery and very long. There is a touch of mint and spice too. This is a leaner style, reflected in the mint and dried herbs on the palate. A lovely mature wine.

Moss Wood – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2006 (18.5). Wow, lovely sweet ripe fruit that has real perfume. This is supple with a touch of earthiness. Cinnamon, cloves and leather add complexity. Silky tannins to close. A feminine wine.