2025 Moss Wood Chardonnay, Margaret River

A most elegant and, at the same time, powerful chardonnay from a vintage which produced – well – elegance and power. Aromas of savoury lemon nuances with subtle butterscotch and marzipan character. The palate is texturally pleasing, with a deep and concentrated core that drives with urgency through to a very long finish. Lovely mix of stone fruit with savoury elements giving it layered complexity. Finishes with a dry, struck-match flintiness that completes an excellent wine. Drink to 2037.

96 points Ray Jordan Wine Review 2017

This is bold and opulent wine, as is usually the way with Moss Wood Chardonnay, but it’s corralled by tight grapefruit acidity and finishes with freshness and excellent length. I could probably leave it there if you know the wines, though I’ll add that there’s stone fruit, pine-lime and citrus, spicy cedar oak, a distinct aniseed perfume, something of glossy vanilla custard and cashew richness, and some flinty grip to texture. It’s a thoroughly impressive wine, flavourtown, but balanced and tight. Its best days are ahead of it.

96 points Gary Walsh for The Wine Front, September 2026

A very convincing, fuller flavoured and yet controlled chardonnay of rich qualities and yet refreshing undertow. Quite a bit of nougat, vanilla wafer on red apple, nectarine, ginger biscuit and a sense of alpine herbs. It’s a big swish of flavour and texture, palate staining in a sense. Balanced and beautiful in the bold stakes.

95 points Mike Bennie for The Wine Front, September 2026

Moss Wood was established in 1969 and is one of the oldest producers in Margaret River. Clare & Keith Mugford, as winemakers, viticulturalists and proprietors, have been making wine and tending the vineyard at Moss Wood since 1984 and 1979, respectively.

Their 2025 Chardonnay is made from Wilyabrup fruit handpicked and further sorted at the winery before the whole bunches were pressed, with the clarified juice inoculated with multiple cultivated yeast strains. Once fermentation started, the wine was transferred to French oak barriques of which 48% were new and allowed to complete both primary and malolactic fermentations within the 18-month time in barrels. The racked parcels were blended in stainless steel, with the fine cold stabilised and sterile filtered in preparation for bottling on the 5th of August 2026.