Moss Wood Ribbon Vale Chardonnay
Product Description: A full-throttle Chardonnay with cool-climate finesse—Ribbon Vale finds its stride in 2024. Now in its fourth release, the 2024 Moss Wood Ribbon Vale Chardonnay is a benchmark expression of Wilyabrup terroir. Sourced from a higher-altitude vineyard in one of Margaret River’s driest, warmest growing seasons in decades, this single-vineyard wine captures richness and clarity in equal measure. The grapes were hand-picked early—nearly a month ahead of average—but delivered pristine, flavour-packed fruit with natural acidity and structure. Fermented in stainless steel then transferred to French oak barriques (47% new) for malolactic fermentation and nine months’ maturation, this is a Chardonnay built on balance. Bright citrus and peach are layered with white florals, toasted pastry, almond and honeyed spice. Creamy in texture but always guided by mineral drive and energetic acidity, it’s a wine that’s both immediately generous and built for evolution. Drink now for its lemon curd plushness and textural lift, or cellar for up to 20 years as it develops toast, caramel and nutty depth. Tasting Notes NOSE – Bright and layered White peach, preserved lemon and jasmine, backed by vanilla, pastry, and a hint of ginger. PALATE – Creamy and driven Honeydew, apricot and cashew wrapped in nougat, with crème caramel and crisp citrus tension. FINISH – Long and mineral Textured and persistent with toasty oak, white spice and saline lift. Reviews & Accolades There are some very impressive chardonnay releases coming out of Margaret River right now – and this is up there with best of them. There is plenty happening on the palate of this single-vineyard release, but it also has a touch of the supermodel about it; shiny without a hair out of place. From a very fine vintage this has seen aging on lees to add complexity, but it retains all the elements of a classic cooler-climate chardonnay: citrus flavours to the fore. It's full flavoured but effortlessly elegant and decidedly delicious. Pair with pork or poultry dishes. – Winsor Dobbin, Wine of the Week Ripening took place over a slightly shorter period than this region usually sees. Yields were down but quality was up. This is the fourth vintage of the Ribbon Vale Chardy and it has established itself as a fine addition to the range. The wine saw nine months maturation in French oak barriques, 47% of which was new. A deep gold colour here, this is big, bold and rich. A Chardy chockers with flavour. What is exciting is that we are already seeing the early emergence of complexity. The nose exhibits notes of white peaches, citrus, a hint of the tropicals, hazelnuts, ginger, lemongrass, spices and very good oak integration. There is a creamy texture with juicy acidity and superb length. This has at least six to eight years of providing pleasure ahead of it and it will certainly improve further over that period, although the team see it as ageing for a number of years more than that. – Ken Gargett, Wine Pilot, 94 Points Pale colour. Intense lemon curd, grapefruit, tropical fruit aromas with ginger/ hint vanilla notes. Generous and creamy with ample lemon glacé, grapefruit, rock melon flavours, fine slinky touch grippy textures, marvellous viscosity and underlying roasted almond, vanilla notes. Finishes bittersweet and minerally. Lovely regional presence and vinosity. Brilliant wine. – Andrew Caillard, The Vintage Journal, 96 Points The warmer vintage is certainly reflected immediately in the bright golden colour. This is a rich and textured chardonnay from the Ribbon Vale vineyard. Honeycomb and light cereal characters emerge on the nose and palate. There’s an underlying savouriness that sustains through to the very long finish. Beautifully balanced with a crisp acidity controlling the finish. The higher altitude vineyard contributes to more of the lively citrus, white peach, and grapefruit nuances. – Ray Jordan, Wine Pilot, 94 Points Moss Wood Ribbon Vale (RV) Chardonnay is one of 2 single vineyard Chardonnays from Wilyabrup released by the Domain. The RV vineyard is higher altitude and cooler than Moss Wood Vineyard, typically resulting in a higher acid style. 2024 was a warm, dry vintage with grapes picked in mid February, 1 month earlier than average. Grapes are handpicked and sorted, fermented in steel and oak. It’s a complex wine undergoing malolactic fermentation and ageing in 47% new French oak. RV 2024 is a full-bodied Chardonnay with white and yellow peach flavors. It’s early days for wine of this quality but its balance is already clear – fruit, integrated with high quality oak and a great acid line driving everything along. – Fergal Gleeson, Great Wine Blog Finer Details Style: White Wine Varietal: Chardonnay Country: Australia Region: Margaret River, Western Australia Vintage: 2024 Bottle Size: 750ml ABV: 14% Closure: Screw Cap
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