2024 Moss Wood Pinot Noir 750ml

Overview

A classic Margaret River Pinot Noir from some of the region’s oldest Pinot Noir vines. The 2024 Moss Wood Pinot Noir combines bright strawberry, cherry and plum fruit with floral, spice and earthy complexity, fine tannins and restrained French oak. Medium-bodied and composed, it offers immediate drinking appeal together with the structure for extended cellaring.

Vintage

The 2023/24 growing season was early, warm and dry, with very low rainfall from flowering through to harvest. Despite the warmer conditions, prolonged extreme heat was limited, allowing the dry-grown vines to achieve good flavour concentration, freshness and balance.

The median harvest date was 30 January 2024, approximately three weeks earlier than average. Fruit reached a mean ripeness of 13.3° Baumé, while yield finished at 5.15 tonnes per hectare. The growing season averaged 20.32°C and Pinot Noir completed the period from flowering to harvest in 94 days.

Winemaking

All fruit was hand picked and sorted before processing. Approximately 70% of the bunches were destemmed into small open fermenters, while the remaining 30% were retained as whole bunches. The must underwent a 48-hour cold soak before being allowed to warm naturally and was then seeded with multiple yeast strains for primary fermentation.

Fermentation temperatures were controlled to a maximum of 32°C, with each batch hand plunged three times per day. The ferments were tasted regularly to monitor extraction and tannin balance before being pressed to stainless steel for completion of malolactic fermentation.

After malolactic fermentation, the wine was transferred to 228-litre French oak barriques, of which 17% were new, and matured for approximately 18 months. Fining trials were conducted, but as none improved the wine it remained unfined. The wine was then cross-flow filtered and membrane filtered before bottling on 3 November 2025.

Producer Tasting Notes

COLOUR AND CONDITION
“Medium to deep ruby hue; bright condition.”

NOSE
“Lifted and fragrant, with bright aromas of strawberry, red cherry and plum, together with rose petal and musky notes. The whole-bunch component adds an attractive spicy lift, with hints of clove and cinnamon sitting behind the fruit. As the wine opens, more complex earthy and mushroom notes emerge, with the French oak providing a subtle, toasty background.”

PALATE
“The palate is medium-bodied, with generous strawberry and cherry fruit running through its full length. There is good concentration without heaviness, with fresh acidity providing lift and firm but well-balanced tannins giving the wine structure and length. Plum, spice and earthy notes build through the middle and back palate, while the oak remains restrained and well integrated. The finish is long and composed, with the fruit, tannin and spice combining to give the wine excellent balance.”

Cellaring

The 2024 Pinot Noir can be enjoyed young for its generous strawberry, cherry and plum fruit, but has the structure and complexity for long-term ageing. Moss Wood expects the primary fruit characters to remain prominent through the first decade, with more mature earthy, mushroom and savoury notes developing from around 10 years of age. Full maturity is expected at approximately 20 years, with well-cellared bottles capable of continuing beyond that point.

Producer

Moss Wood first planted Pinot Noir in 1973 and continues to work with some of the oldest Pinot Noir vines in Margaret River. The 2024 release marks the winery’s 48th Pinot Noir release and its 47th consecutive vintage, reflecting more than five decades of experience with the variety.

Specifications

• Vintage: 2024
• Grape: Pinot Noir
• Country: Australia
• State: Western Australia
• Region: Margaret River
• Harvest: Hand picked and sorted
• Median Harvest Date: 30 January 2024
• Mean Harvest Ripeness: 13.3° Baumé
• Yield: 5.15 t/ha
• Whole Bunch: 30%
• Cold Soak: 48 hours
• Fermentation: Small open fermenters; hand plunged three times daily
• Malolactic Fermentation: Completed in stainless steel
• Maturation: Approximately 18 months in 228L French oak barriques
• New Oak: 17%
• Fining: Unfined
• Filtration: Cross-flow and membrane filtered
• Alcohol: 14.0%
• Bottled: 3 November 2025