Product Description:
A milestone Moss Wood—pure Wilyabrup Cabernet with presence, polish and 40-year promise.
The 2022 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon marks the 50th vintage of this benchmark Margaret River wine. It’s a vintage that brings all the signature hallmarks—powerful dark fruit, sculpted structure, and extraordinary length—while also revealing the lifted aromatics and finesse gifted by a cooler-than-usual ripening window. Sourced from dry-grown vines in the renowned Wilyabrup sub-region, this release includes 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot for added fragrance and tension.
Fermented in small open vats, hand-plunged and matured in 16% new French oak for over two years, this wine is crafted with the same quiet precision that has defined Moss Wood since 1969. The result? A Cabernet with impeccable form and fine detail—bright mulberry and blackberry aromas layered with bay leaf, cigar box and warm spice. The palate flows with black cherry, currants and violet, framed by mouth-coating tannins and a wash of acidity that gives the wine energy and purpose.
Still a baby, the 2022 demands patience. Cellar confidently for decades, or decant in youth to glimpse the depth that lies ahead.
Maker
Since 1984, Clare and Keith Mugford have defined Moss Wood with a rare combination of scientific rigour and intuitive hands-on stewardship. Clare oversees the winemaking while Keith manages the vineyard, and together they’ve crafted one of Australia’s most consistent and revered estates. The Mugfords’ shared philosophy—grounded in precision, curiosity, and quiet confidence—has guided Moss Wood from its early days as a pioneering Margaret River vineyard into the top echelon of Australian wine.
Their approach is deeply personal. Every vine is hand-pruned, every block meticulously observed, and every decision—from harvesting to bottling—taken with an obsessive attention to detail. The aim is never to chase trends, but to build a legacy of wines that speak clearly of place, vintage, and variety. That commitment, decades deep, continues to yield wines of clarity, longevity, and structure—especially their flagship Cabernet Sauvignon, along with benchmark expressions of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
The Vineyard
Moss Wood and Ribbon Vale are both situated in the pioneering sub-region of Wilyabrup—arguably the beating heart of Margaret River. First planted in 1969, the Moss Wood Vineyard lies across 11.78 hectares of unirrigated, north- and east-facing slopes, with gravelly loam soils layered over clay. At Ribbon Vale, established in 1977, similar dry-grown practices prevail across its 6.36 hectares, but the site faces south and west, offering nuance and contrast within the broader Wilyabrup terrain.
Across both vineyards, viticulture is handled with a light but knowledgeable touch. Canopy management, minimum tillage, and careful soil stewardship are part of a broader strategy to ensure vine health and longevity. Pruning, trellising, and even harvest decisions are constantly reassessed in light of current research and decades of in-house observation. It’s this empirical approach—rooted in Margaret River’s young but evolving terroir—that allows Moss Wood to produce wines of quiet power and remarkable poise, year after year.
Tasting Notes
NOSE
– Fragrant and detailed
Mulberry, blackberry, plum and violet lead into cigar box, bay leaf, vanilla and cedar.
PALATE
– Structured and expressive
Black cherry, redcurrant and blueberry with spice, earth, and a fine mineral edge.
FINISH
– Long and poised
Silky, persistent tannins and subtle oak drive a clean, powerful finish with age-worthy depth.
Reviews & Accolades
Still a baby of a wine, tightly bundled, but goodness: the presence is there. Toasty oak wraps the fruit, yet it’s well matched to the power of 2022... A true sum of its parts, juicy and structured, fluid and effortless. – Cassandra Charlick, Decanter, 97 Points
Exceptional purity to the 2022 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon... Overall length and balance are exceptional. – Angus Hughson, Wine Pilot, 95 Points
Medium deep crimson... A classic Moss Wood vintage with lovely richness, definition and mineral length. Should last the distance. – Andrew Caillard, The Vintage Journal, 97 Points
Utterly seamless and seductive, there is a line of fine acidity running the full journey and the silkiest of tannins on the finish. This will easily sail through the next fifteen to twenty years... – Ken Gargett, The Wine Pilot, 98 Points
This has the refined elegance and prettiness that is the Moss Wood DNA... A wine of immense charm and appeal. I defy you to stop after the first sip. – Ray Jordan, Wine Pilot, 98 Points
Moss Wood predict full maturity at 25–40 years from now... If you haven’t tasted Moss Wood Cabernet, treat yourself, it really is as good as you’ve heard. – Fergal Gleeson, Great Wine Blog
Beautiful definition and purity on the nose... A wine that’s begging for decades in the cellar before rewarding in spades over the following 20+. Brilliant. – The Cellar Post, 97 Points
It’s a powerhouse Cabernet and classic Moss Wood in terms of intensity and regal carriage... the finish crackles, thunders and goes very long. Quite a wine. – Gary Walsh, Wine Front, 96 Points
Finer Details
Style: Red Wine
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon 94%, Cabernet Franc 4%, Petit Verdot 2%
Country: Australia
Region: Margaret River, Western Australia
Vintage: 2022
Bottle Size: 750ml
ABV: 14%
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