2003 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon

100 Top New Releases in the Gourmet Traveler
Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, Margaret River. Somehow, Moss Wood captures more fleshy smoothness and suppleness than other Margaret River makers. It’s chocolatey and lush in dark-fruit cabernet flavours, while the structure is deep, dense and sumptuous.

96 Points - Jeremy Oliver
Luxuriantly smooth, this deeply fragrant, firmly structured, plush and seamless wine marries deep, ripe fruit with superb oak and tannin. Its heady bouquet of cassis, dark plums, blueberries and plain chocolate overlies assertive cedar/vanilla oak, with nuances of forest floor. Steeped in sumptuous cassis and dark cherry-like flavour, the palate has a plumpness and richness of fruit tightly interwoven with cedar/dark chocolate oak and a powdery spine of drying tannin. There's a hint of confiture about the fruit, while it finishes very slightly spirity, with lingering nuances of dark olives.

Jenny Tan – The Sunday Times (Singapore)
The 2003 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon was a pleasant surprise on first tasting. It was a smooth, firm wine that did not overwhelm the plate, but was beautiful balanced. In fact, I had two glasses at one go. I found myself wondering: Is this Australian? For to a certain extent, it reminded me of a French interpretation. I discovered later that from the 1995 vintage onwards, Mugford has also blended in small amounts of Cabernet Franc, Merlot as well as Petit Verdot – at around 55 per cent, much less than the Bordeaux producers.

This aromatic, structured wine has superb ripe fruit with cassis, dark plums, dark cherries and a rather unique “forest floor” notes. They are well integrated with silky tannins and a long, persistent finish. A worthy investment for any respectable cellar.