Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

Seit über 30 Jahren macht Moss Wood diesen Wein, der sie berühmt gemacht hat. Auf unserer Reise durch Margaret River begegneten wir vielen Menschen und auch Winzern, die uns fragten, wen wir denn schon besucht hätten und noch zu besuchen planten. Interessant waren dann die Reaktionen, da alle für die Top-Cabernets lobende Worte fanden, für Moss Wood dann aber quasi die Ebene wechselten: "Das ist mein Lieblings-Cabernet", hörten wir mehr als einmal.

Vermutlich liegt es wirklich daran, daß etwas hochklassig schmecken kann, ohne dabei auch "lecker" zu sein, aber der Moss Wood hat eben alles - Stil und ganz hohen Genusswert. Manche anderen Top Weine waren sehr nach Bordeaux-Vorbild, dabei aber doch übers Ziel hinausgeschossen: sehr hart, dünn und/oder bitter. Ganz anders der Moss Wood.

Beschreibung:
Fast ein identischer Zwilling des 2014ers, bis auf daß wegen der Ernte-Einbußen kaum Petit Verdot drin ist und bis auf daß der Cabernet noch reifer war, daher sind die floralen Noten etwas ausgeprägter und die Cabernetfrucht noch runder, die Tannine vielleicht einen Hauch besser integriert für dieses junge Alter. Ansonsten:
Typisches Cabernet-Bouquet, Blaubeeren, Johannesbeeren, Brombeeren, dazu ein Hauch von Veilchen und Granatapfel. Unter dieser anziehenden Frucht finden sich mehrere Lagen von Aromen, die schon jetzt große Komplexität signalisieren. Leder, Zedernholz und Teer. Dunkelviolett im Glas verströmter er Maulbeeren und Cassis, die Frucht hat dabei große Länge und Tiefe. Die Struktur ist jedoch sehr subtil unter dieser großzügigen Frucht. Die Säure gibt den Aromen Schwung und das Tannin ist konzentriert, aber im Ganzen rund, was unterm Strich einen Effekt von durchgängiger, aber fokussierter Weichheit bei enormer Länge hervorbringt. Im Abgang treten nochmals sanft Eiche, Leder und Teer hervor.

Das Weingut hält diesen Jahrgang für einen der Besten und vergibt das Vintage-Rating 10 von 10. (s. Vintage unter Winemaker´s Comment)
Ein Rivale für 2001,2005 und 2014.

Flaschengröße (Liter): 0,75
Land: Australien
Weingut: Moss Wood
Region: Australien, Western Australia, Wilabrup Margaret River
Rebsorten: 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot
Weinart: Rotwein
Weinfarbe: rot
Verschluss: Screw Cap
Alkohol % vol.: 14
Säure g/l: 6,92
Restzucker g/l: <0,2
pH: 3,57
Schwefel mg/l frei(total): 29 (115)
Haltbarkeit: For those with a cellar or wine fridge, this wine is a worthy addition and will definitely match its Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon siblings for longevity. The fruit depth and structure will ensure the 2015 will follow the classic pathway. It will need 10 to 15 years cellaring to ensure the development of some bottle complexity but will reach full maturity between 20 and 25 years of age. After that, it should give at least 2 more decades of drinking pleasure.
Allergene: Enthält Sulfite
Abfüller: Moss Wood Pty Ltd, 926 Metricup Road, Wilyabrup WA 6280, Australia
Einführer: Apell Weine, Martin Apell, Ahnatalstrasse 125, 34128 Kassel, Deutschland
Verantwortlicher Lebensmittelunternehmer: Apell Weine, Martin Apell, Ahnatalstrasse 125, 34128 Kassel, Deutschland

Oak maturation:
28 months
Harvest Dates:
Cabernet Sauvignon – 16th March, 2015
Cabernet Franc – 4th March, 2015
Petit Verdot – 21rst March, 2015
Bottling Date:
14/11/2017
Release Date
16/03/2018
Yield:
Cabernet Sauvignon – 4.31 t/ha
Cabernet Franc – 3.56 t/ha
Petit Verdot – 0.77 t/ha
Baume:
Cabernet Sauvignon – 13.1⁰ Be
Cabernet Franc – 12.4⁰ Be
Petit Verdot – 15.2⁰ Be
VINTAGE NOTES

Vintage rating
10/10

Climate Data

Growing Season Ave Temperature – 19.92⁰C
Number of hours accrued between 18 and 28⁰C – 1029
Number of hours above 33⁰C – 35

Days Elapsed Between Flowering and Harvest

Cabernet Sauvignon – 115 days
Cabernet Franc – 119 days
Petit Verdot – 108 days

Way back in the 1970’s, there were two vintages that came to define our Cabernet Sauvignon style, 1975 and 1976. As a consequence, we considered them almost like twins. They weren’t identical and each one drew attention because of their quality and style – the older sibling classically elegant and refined, the younger one plump and generous. Much debate has surrounded which was best. In his article in the West Australian, “High Five”, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the modern iteration of Margaret River, Ray Jordan noted the importance of them both but plumped for the ’75, as do we.
The idea of twins has come up again as we reflect on the style and quality of our new release 2015 vintage except this time they’re identical. We keep accurate records of vintage conditions and we have never had two seasons so alike as 2014 and 2015. The similarities between temperature, rainfall, season length and ripeness are remarkable. Down the track, it will be interesting to see who of the keen judges will be able to tell them apart in blind tastings.
Winemakers comments:

As with human twins, their parents can usually tell them apart and we have some tips about the key things in the 2015 season which may help.

Most noteworthy is 2015 had near-perfect temperatures, with 1029 hours in the ideal range of 18 to 28⁰C. There was just enough extra warmth to really push Cabernet Sauvignon to ripe fruit notes, with the mercury spending 35 hours above 33⁰C and with a maximum for the season of 37.3⁰C on 3rd February, if you’re interested.

We even got some useful rain in February, something we don’t see too often, when 18mm fell in the first 2 weeks. The Cabernet varieties can benefit from that sort of top up, which allows them to finish the last 4 weeks of the season without excessive moisture stress.

The clue here is the ’15 has a predominance of the floral and black fruit notes and a nicely ripened tannin, perhaps slightly better integrated than its older sibling.

Mother Nature never lets us have things all our own way. During Spring, while Cabernet Sauvignon was flowering we had 70mm rain and 10 nights when the temperature dropped below 8⁰C, both of which disrupt the process. The result is yield was down 41% to 4.31 tonnes/hectare. While disappointing, this was nothing compared to the Petit Verdot which was down a whopping 81% to 0.77 tonnes/ha. Which is, of course, the next clue, because the influence of this variety is barely perceivable in the finished wine, contributing only 0.92%.

Cellaring Notes:
For those with a cellar or wine fridge, this wine is a worthy addition and will definitely match its Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon siblings for longevity. The fruit depth and structure will ensure the 2015 will follow the classic pathway. It will need 10 to 15 years cellaring to ensure the development of some bottle complexity but will reach full maturity between 20 and 25 years of age. After that, it should give at least 2 more decades of drinking pleasure.

Your favourite recipe for this wine:
Grilled Beef Scotch fillet steak cooked medium rare, with crispy roast potatoes and steamed green vegetables.

Tasting Notes:

Colour and condition:
Deep, brick red, in bright condition.

Nose:
Initially there is a real impact of bright, fresh fruit aromas, dominated by the black fruits like blackberry and cherry, something we normally associate with Cabernet Franc, plus, of course, blueberry, red currant and the perfumed notes of violets. There are soft oak notes in the background that combine with some tobacco and tarry notes that Cabernet Sauvignon builds with long term barrel age.

Palate:
This theme of lively fruit notes continues on the palate, where the generosity of the red and black fruit provides fleshy mouthfeel. This layer of red currant and blackberry flavours balances what is for Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon, quite a firm structure, with bright acidity and firm tannin. On the finish there is just a suggestion of toasty oak, tar and leather, giving the wine good length and persistence.

Production Notes

Each variety was handled in the same way. The fruit was hand-picked, destemmed, sorted and placed into small, open fermenters. Fermentation was carried out by multiple yeast strains and all batches were hand-plunged three times per day and temperatures were set to a maximum of 30⁰C.

The Cabernet Sauvignon batches were pressed after 16 days on skins, the Cabernet Franc after 13 days and the Petit Verdot after 14 days. All pressings were blended in straight away.

After malolactic fermentation all batches were racked to 228 litre French oak barrels, of which 14% were new.

On 29th November, 2016, all batches were racked and blended and the completed wine was returned to barrel, where it stayed until 6th November, 2017, when the final blend was assembled for bottling. The makeup is 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot.

Fining trials were then carried out but none of the treatments improved the wine, so it was not fined. It was then sterile filtered and bottled on 14th November, 2017.

Cellaring Notes
For those with a cellar or wine fridge, this wine is a worthy addition and will definitely match its Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon siblings for longevity. The fruit depth and structure will ensure the 2015 will follow the classic pathway. It will need 10 to 15 years cellaring to ensure the development of some bottle complexity but will reach full maturity between 20 and 25 years of age. After that, it should give at least 2 more decades of drinking pleasure.

Bewertungen / Auszüge:

Moss Wood 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon – Matthew Jukes, 100 Best Australian Wines 2018/2019
The word that best sums up 2015 Moss Wood Cabernet is ‘suave’. This is an exceptionally beautiful wine with less exuberance and fruit intensity than the thrilling 2014 but, perhaps, more in the way of fine detail and restraint. Made from 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot and only utilis­ing 14% new French oak, this is a work of art and it is relatively easy to appreciate its charms already. What will dumfound collectors is that I believe that this wine will age for twenty-five or thirty years with ease. The reason for this is the calibre of the skin tannins which are the single element which has turned this very good wine into a truly great creation. 2015 is an insanely good vintage in Margaret River and when these legendary vintages come along I expect the top estates to perform at their peak. Moss Wood has done exactly this. Buy all you can.

Moss Wood 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon – Cameron Douglas MW, camdouglasms.com
Powerful, sophisticated and elegant bouquet of Cabernet. A distinctive fruit maturity is evident from the first intake of aromas. Dark forest berries with blackberry and plum pie then an abundance of oak spices – clove, vanilla and nutmeg; complex and alluring. Dry, full-bodied, rich in flavour and texture. Ripe dark berry fruits stand on a framework of carefully selected oak, plenty of tannins and acidity, brown spices, wood smoke and long finish. A great example of a fine wine from WA. Decant for service, best drinking from 2024 through 2034. Published June 10th 2018, 96 points

Moss Wood 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon – Fergal Gleeson, Margaret River Region Magazine Winter 2018
Moss Wood cabernet sauvignon is one of the region’s most famous wines. The 2014 vintage achieved stellar scores from wine critics. I think the 2015 is an even better wine.

“There’s a strong olive and black fruit presence in the 2015,” says proprietor and winemaker Keith Mugford. “It has floral notes and a nicely ripened tannin.”

Keith is in his 40th vintage at Moss Wood, having come to Margaret River after vintages with Tulloch and Orlando. He modestly refers to himself as having been a student in 1979, still working from the Roseworthy College textbook where he achieved his winemaking qualifications.

I asked him to reflect on Moss Wood’s cabernet now versus when he started at the winery in 1979.

“The fundamentals haven’t changed. The grapes are handpicked and hand plunged in open fermenters. But I’d have to say the base-line quality has improved. Things are better in the vineyard such as improvements in trellising as well as in the winery where our technique has improved at destemming and the preparation of the fruit. So you’d have to say there is an improved quality which leads to a cleaner, purer wine. We tried just as hard in 1979 but in 2018 the skills and technology are better.”

Keith doesn’t fuss too much about food and wine matching and jokes that he is dreadful at it. “When I’m in a restaurant, I will choose a dish and wine that I want to drink but rarely know if they will match!”

Some of the more novel food and wine matches he has had with Moss Wood wines have occurred in Taiwan. The Moss Wood cabernet was served with a duck’s blood soup. Their semillon was served with crunchy goose feet. Clare Mugford, co-proprietor and Keith’s wife, has noted that at Moss Wood dinners “whether with young or back vintage Moss Wood cabernet, the most complimentary match has been the last wine of the night served with the cheese plate. It goes really well with hard cheeses such as cheddar.”

Moss Wood 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon – The West Australian, Angus Hughson
A classic Moss Wood cabernet in its reserved, understated style showing ripe mulberry and blackcurrant fruits supported by gravel and cedar complexity and complimented by well integrated new oak. The palate is savoury and well structured, supported by excellent acidity with lovely balance of sweet fruit and tannins.

Moss Wood 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon – Ray Jordan, The West Australian
The word that best sums up 2015 Moss Wood Cabernet is ‘suave’. This is an exceptionally beautiful wine with less exuberance and fruit intensity than the thrilling 2014 but, perhaps, more in the way of fine detail and restraint. Made from 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot and only utilis­ing 14% new French oak, this is a work of art and it is relatively easy to appreciate its charms already. What will dumfound collectors is that I believe that this wine will age for twenty-five or thirty years with ease. The reason for this is the calibre of the skin tannins which are the single element which has turned this very good wine into a truly great creation. 2015 is an insanely good vintage in Margaret River and when these legendary vintages come along I expect the top estates to perform at their peak. Moss Wood has done exactly this. Buy all you can.

Moss Wood 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon – Fergal Gleeson, The Great Wine Blog
Magnificent Cabernet from one of the Margaret River region’s greatest wineries. Winemaker and proprietor Keith Mugford is in his 40th vintage. That’s consistency!
For me the new release is even better than the celebrated 2014. Just about perfect balance of fruit & savoury character and well integrated tannin. Drinks very well right now though many would put aside for a special occasion. Either way it’s liquid pleasure!

Moss Wood 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon – Bob Campbell, The Real Review
Serious cabernet sauvignon with intense cassis, dried berry, cedar, spice, liquorice and new leather flavours. A firm backbone of ripe tannins suggests good cellaring potential. Slightly closed right now but showing plenty of promise.
95 points, 5 stars
Published 14 April 2018 – Moss Wood 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon top rank, #1 of 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon from Margaret River.

Moss Wood 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon – Huon Hooke, The Real Review
Deep red/purple colour, with a lightly toasty bouquet featuring some smoky oak, quickly giving way to violet and blackberry aromas with a sprinkling of dried herbs; the palate intense and fresh, clean and lively, with brilliant depth of dark and red berry fruit flavours. The acidity is refreshing on the finish and the tannins are firm and upright. This seems to be a more elegant style of Moss Wood, but still concentrated, and a long-term keeper. This is a great Moss Wood cabernet.
98 points, 5 stars
Published 21 April 2018 – Moss Wood 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon top rank, #1 of 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon from Margaret River.