Moss Wood is one of the Margaret River ‘originals’ (planted 1969; first vintage 1973) and this iconic flagship wine – Langton’s Classified since 1990 – has long been Western Australia’s leading Cabernet Sauvignon.
'Moss Wood is subtle, refined, understated and almost pretty.'
Ray Jordan
This legendary Cabernet Sauvignon is intensely perfumed and finely structured with cassis-blackcurrant aromas, hints of cedar and touches of violet. The oak and fruit are neatly balanced.
With proven ageing potential the wine develops subtle earth/demi-glace briar characters on the bouquet, and complexity and suppleness on the palate. The unirrigated and widely spaced vineyard (now 14.86-hectares) is planted on gentle north-east facing slopes with sandy loams to a gravelly red/brown loams over clay.
Typically the fruit is hand-picked, de-stemmed into open tanks and hand-plunged four times a day until completion of fermentation. At the end of vinification, the wine is allowed to macerate for around 10 to 14 days prior to pressing off into barrel. The wine is matured in 30% new and seasoned French oak barriques for 24 months.
Delicious Cabernet, with an appealing core of sweet, ripe blackcurrant and blackberry with subtle spice, cedar and nutty oak characters. This is a seriously good red wine that can be enjoyed now but promises to be sensational after at least 5-6 years of bottle age. Drink to 2031.
96 points, Real Review, April 2019
Deepish red colour with a good tint of purple, and a bouquet of sweet berries, violets, mulberries and cassis. A fragrant, almost floral cabernet, the elegance of the nose reflected on the palate, which is medium to full-bodied and juicy, delicious and finely-textured. A lovely wine, already drinking well, and a lighter vintage for this maker - but gorgeous.
98 points, The Real Review (May 2019)
Includes 5% petit verdot and 4% cabernet franc, hand-picked, destemmed, open-fermented, 14 days on skins, matured in French barriques (18% new). A luscious, plush cabernet, its voluptuous palate trimmed by dry herbs and foresty notes. A great vintage maximised by the thoughtful vinification.
99 points, Wine Companion (July 2019)
Margaret River
Located three hours south of Perth, Margaret River is Western Australia’s most prestigious wine-growing region. Serious vineyard development began only in the late 1960’s following the publication of a report by John Gladstones in 1965 stating that the area had a similar climate to Pomerol or St Emilion, with low frost risk, plenty of sunshine and equable temperatures within the growing season promoting even ripening. Margaret River’s climate is warm and maritime, with some cooling influence provided by southeast trade winds. The soils derive from granitic and a gneissic rock over which laterite has formed. The region can be divided in three sub-regions: the cooler south between Yallingup and Karridale with predominantly lateritic gravelly loamy sands and sandy loams; the warm and sunnier Willyabrup in the centre with predominantly gravelly loams, but some gritty sandy loams and granitic gravels; and Margaret River in the north with similar soils, but slightly cooler temperatures. This is entirely consistent with style; the wines from Willyabrup being more generous than the highly structured wines of the north and the elegant styles of the south. Margaret River is best known for high quality Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc Semillon blends and top notch Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux blends. Over the years, the region has established an astonishing reputation illustrating a consistency in quality and a strongly focused winemaking culture.
