Moss Wood Pinot Noir 2023 14% 750ml

Moss Wood Pinot Noir 2023 14% 750ml

TASTING NOTES

APPEARANCE

Medium ruby hue, bright and clear.

AROMA

A lifted bouquet of red fruits - strawberries, cherries and cranberries - sits alongside notes of rose petal, musk and quince. Beneath the primary fruit are the variety’s more complex nuances of earth, mushroom and subtle spice, complemented by light, toasty oak.

PALATE

The wine sits in the medium-bodied spectrum, showing generous strawberry and cherry fruit with a fine thread of plum and rhubarb. There is a lively line of acidity and firm but supple tannins that give balance and length. Subtle clove and cedar notes emerge on the finish, together with a touch of smoky oak. The overall impression is of brightness, poise and drive, without excess weight.

WINEMAKERS COMMENTS

Pinot Noir was first planted at Moss Wood in 1973, making it the oldest Pinot Noir vineyard in Margaret River. The first vintage was made in 1977, and the wine has been produced every year since - with the sole exception of 1978, when Margaret River endured its first serious bird attack. The 2024 wine is our 47th release and 46th consecutive, a continuity that has quietly grown into one of the longest-running traditions of Pinot Noir in Australia. Each vintage adds to that story, shaped by the seasons and our ongoing work in the vineyard.

CELLARING POTENTIAL

The 2023 Pinot Noir is a bright and charming youngster, and can certainly be enjoyed now for its generous fruit and perfume. However, it has the structure to reward long-term ageing. By 8–10 years it will develop classic bottle complexity, with earthy, mushroom and game notes gradually taking centre stage. Full maturity can be expected at 20 years of age and beyond, for those with the patience and cellar space.

VINTAGE NOTES

Looking back, 2023 offered Pinot Noir the sort of calm, measured conditions that suit the variety’s fussy temperament. It was a year when patience, rather than intervention, was the key, and the results are wines that balance bright fruit with fine structure, capturing the elegance and finesse of the season.

VINIFICATION

All fruit was hand-picked and sorted before processing. Approximately 80% of the bunches were destemmed into small, open fermenters, with the remaining 20% retained as whole bunches to bring additional perfume, spice and tannin to the finished wine. The must was chilled for a 48-hour cold soak and then allowed to warm naturally before inoculation with multiple yeast strains. Ferment temperatures were maintained below 32°C, and each batch was hand- plunged three times daily for gentle extraction. After 16 days on skins, the wine was pressed to stainless steel tanks for the completion of malolactic and primary fermentation. Once completed, the individual batches were adjusted and transferred to French oak barriques, of which 18% were new. The wine matured in barrel for 18 months before being racked and blended in stainless steel in October 2024. Fining trials showed no improvement, so the wine remained unfined. It was then sterile filtered and bottled on 25th October 2024.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCT

Country: Australia

Region: Margaret River

Vintage: 2023

Variety: Pinot Noir

alcohol volume: 14.0

closure: Screwcap

volume: 750`

weight: 1.333kg

wine style: Red (Light Medium Bodied)