2024 Moss Wood Autrement Pinot Noir, Western Australia

Sweetly fruited with savoury nuances, the fragrant bouquet shows dark plum, cured meat, warm mushroom, baking spice, and toasted almond characters, followed by a silky-smooth palate that’s succulent and beautifully weighted. It’s wonderfully structured with refreshing acidity and grainy tannins, finishing lingering and delectable. At its best: 2028 to 2036.

96 points Sam Kim wineorbit.co.nz

A rare detour from Moss Wood’s Cabernet heartland, this Pinot Noir explores how the variety behaves in Western Australia’s cooler pockets. Autrement, meaning differently, signals a deliberate stylistic shift, aiming for perfume, finesse and savoury detail rather than power. Fruit is sourced from sites where maritime influence tempers the heat, allowing Pinot to ripen slowly and hold its natural acidity. The project reflects Moss Wood’s meticulous approach applied to a more delicate grape.

Winemaking is precise and patient, designed to protect aromatics and fine tannin. Gentle extraction and careful maturation build texture without masking the vineyard voice. The result is a Pinot that feels polished yet energetic, carrying both fruit purity and earthy nuance.

Bright ruby in colour, the aromas lift with cherry, raspberry and strawberry, followed by rose petal, spice and a faint forest floor note. The palate is medium bodied and silky, with red fruit wrapped in fine tannins and bright acidity. Flavours of berry and savoury spice flow into a long, clean finish that tightens with mineral grip.

It pairs beautifully with duck, pork, mushroom dishes and herb driven cooking. Drinking impressively now with air, it will cellar comfortably for eight to ten years, developing earthy complexity.

This is Pinot seen through a Moss Wood lens, refined, savoury and quietly structured.