Moss Wood Chardonnay Margaret River, West Australia – 2023

Cabernet may well be the ‘signature grape’ at Moss Wood but Chardonnay is hot on its heels. Moss Wood 2017 was voted Australia’s best Chardonnay by James Halliday’s Wine Companion and points have been consistently high across recent vintages. This 2023 vintage Chardonnay is one of their best yet.

“I often view this wine in the context of the season it was grown. The style of Moss Wood Chardonnay is more consistent than the vintages that birth it, and so it becomes a fascinating lens through which to view the wine each year. The 2023 growing season (which, as a reminder, contains the spring and early summer at the end of 2022) was near on perfect in Margaret River, especially for the white varieties. Mild temperatures, dry conditions and everything mostly worked out—weather at flowering, yields, vine health—big generalizations perhaps, but the consistency and high quality of the year allows it. So, the 2023 Chardonnay has all the richness and tropicality that it so often does, with pineapple, peach, pink grapefruit and guava, but this year, the tension and finesse of the season are the overlay. The wine feels detailed and exciting yet is true to its own style, with nuts, pastry, creamy custard, croissants, hand-churned butter etc. … It has it all. It’s a magnificent wine from a great year, one of the best Chardonnay releases from Moss Wood. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.” 95/100 The Wine Advocate