2023 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River

The 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon is powerful and layered, with a long finish. The tannins are firm, abundant and tightly knit, and they wrap around a core of dark fruit. As the wine sits in the glass longer, the tannins begin to soften and gain suppleness, allowing the fruit and other elements to harmonize further. As this happens, the beauty of the vintage begins to shine through, revealing freshness, energy, balance and drive in equal measure. This is a superb wine, and given all the elements here, it will age wonderfully too. It isn't dense or brooding like some of the other vintages have been; this has detail, life and energy. It is really excellent. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

97+ points Erin Larkin for The Wine Advocate

 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 for Wine Pilot

I'd be tempted to lean into the extraordinary reputation of the 2023 vintage without making an unverified claim that it is definitively "the best ever." Phrasing it as "widely regarded as one of the finest vintages" keeps it strong and credible.

Few Australian wines command the respect of Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon. Since the first release in 1973, it has become an icon of Margaret River and a benchmark for fine Cabernet around the world. Under the stewardship of Keith and Clare Mugford, the estate has remained unwavering in its pursuit of excellence, producing wines that combine power, elegance and extraordinary longevity. The 2023 vintage is already being spoken of as one of the finest in the winery's celebrated history, marrying exceptional concentration with remarkable balance and finesse.

The estate vineyards lie in the heart of Wilyabrup, where ancient gravelly loam soils and the cooling influence of the Indian Ocean provide ideal conditions for Cabernet Sauvignon. The outstanding 2023 growing season delivered near perfect ripening, allowing the fruit to develop exceptional flavour intensity while retaining freshness and beautifully refined tannins. Traditional winemaking and patient maturation in French oak have created a wine that speaks eloquently of its vineyard and vintage.

The colour is an intense deep crimson with youthful purple hues. Aromas of blackcurrant, dark plum and blackberry are layered with violet, cedar, graphite and fine tobacco leaf. The palate is concentrated yet effortlessly graceful, revealing pristine black fruits, cocoa, bay leaf and subtle spice wrapped around impeccably fine tannins. Superb balance, vibrant acidity and seamlessly integrated oak drive an exceptionally long finish that promises decades of evolution.

Magnificent with dry aged rib eye, herb crusted rack of lamb, slow braised beef cheeks, roast duck with black cherries or aged farmhouse cheddar. While captivating in its youth after careful decanting, this is a Cabernet built for the long haul and will reward patient cellaring for twenty five years or more.