Description / Reviews
// 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot
The 2023 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon marks the 50th anniversary of the first vintage, made in 1973, and is the 51st commercial release of this wine, the 1978 vintage having been released as Moss Wood Dry Red.
"The wine opens with lifted fruit aromas, showing blackberry, blackcurrant and mulberry as the dominant characters. There is also some red fruit in the background, with plum and red currant adding a little brightness. Behind this sits the usual range of secondary notes, including tobacco leaf, cedar and graphite. There are also some earthy characters, with leather and olive notes evident. Oak is present but in support, contributing light toast and spice.
The palate is full-bodied and follows the nose, with blackberry, cassis and blueberry flavours the main features, supported by darker notes of chocolate and spice, giving a generous length. The tannins are firm but fine, with the classic Moss Wood balance. The good acidity gives the wine freshness, keeping the fruit bright while oak sits comfortably in the background and doesn’t dominate. It truly shows its pedigree as one of our great Cabernet Sauvignon vintages." - Moss Wood, Winemaker
"No doubt many winelovers have been eagerly awaiting this wine, one of the last of Margaret River’s big guns from the stunning 2023 vintage. This brilliant Cabernet saw all parcels harvested fermented separately in small open fermenters. Maturation was in French oak barriques, 15% new. The final blend included 4% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. Deep maroon with a magenta edge, there is such power and finesse in this wine. Balance, length and structure are all world class. A take-me-now-Lord wine if ever there was one. The great 2023 vintage strikes again. Is this the best wine Moss Wood has ever made? It certainly must come very close. The nose reveals aromas of cassis, mulberries, plums, charcuterie, cigar boxes and blackberries. The structure is seamless through to the silkiest of tannins. There is great length and persistence here and the balance is knife-edge. If you doubt me as to the brilliant quality of this wine, please see if you can find a wine from Bordeaux at this price which comes close to this quality. Then we’ll talk. This is just a cracker. Thirty years standing on its head." - 99 Points, Ken Gargett, The Wine Pilot
"I’ve been waiting for this wine to be released for some time. I had great expectation that this wonderful vineyard from this exceptional vintage would produce something equally exceptional. Well, guess what? It has. 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, red currant, and then on the palate, that beautiful, restrained suppleness that deceived so many people in the early years of Moss Wood reveals itself, and yet 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." - 99 Points, Ray Jordan
