The 2021 Pinot Noir leads with strawberry and garden mint on the nose, which pulls through onto the palate. The wine is intense and concentrated, although light in the glass, and it shows a cavalcade of red fruits, briar, rose, cherry, pomegranate and pink peppercorns. This is a really lovely wine here. The garden mint/clove/arnica character is woven through the finish and marks the impression. The Moss Wood Pinot Noir is an interesting beast; the wines have a great history of aging with grace. It is not uncommon for a wine from the 1980s to be rolled out in a blind tasting, and at 30 and 40 years of age, they are so often impressive. Long-time followers of Moss Wood accept this as an obvious truth. So, while you could revel in the cherries and berries of their youth, it is recommended that you be a little brave and seek out some older bottles. Cellar your own, and see how they go. 14.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

The 2020 Pinot Noir is concentrated and red fruited, with berries and garden mint. The mint character feels like a vineyard characteristic to me, as I see it so often in the wines, and it sits so well within the red fruit character of the wine, which includes red cherries, pomegranate, strawberry and Pink Lady apples, with clove and tobacco. 2020 was a warm, low-yielding season in Margaret River, and the quality of the wines has been excellent. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

I tasted two different clones from barrel, so my rating is an estimate of how the blended 2019 Pinot Noir will come out. Expect a wine of small red berries, from wild strawberries to red currants and into cherries, all on a light to medium-bodied frame. Silky and pretty, it should drink well young and for another 6-7 years after release.

The 2017 Pinot Noir is a 50-50 blend of the two clones planted at Moss Wood: D4V2 and D5. Minty notes accent delicate red fruit on the nose of this light to medium-bodied offering. Silky and fine on the long finish, it should drink well for at least another five years.

Pinot Noir was one of the Pannell family's loves when they planted Moss Wood, so it is fitting that these vines soldier on. The 2015 Pinot Noir offers up notes of ripe berries and cola underscored by hints of mocha, baking spices and a silky finish. It's a supple, round, approachable wine that makes me think of inland Russian River examples.