2024 Moss Wood Ribbon Vale Chardonnay

96 POINTS

Andrew Caillard MW - The Vintage Journal

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. Drink now – 2030 14% alc

94 POINTS

Ray Jordan - Winepilot

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.

94 POINTS

Ken Gargett - Winepilot

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.

93 POINTS

Erin Larkin - Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2024 Ribbon Vale Chardonnay leads with pineapple lumps and freshly cut pineapple, crushed nuts and a creamy texture on the middle palate. The pink grapefruit acidity is prodigious and works to counterbalance the exotic fruit, which in the end, makes for a balanced and powerful wine. This is a lot of wine for the money—there is so much flavor, it is positively dripping with it. This is a magnificent effort from a hot, dry vintage. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

93 POINTS

Cassandra Charlick - Decanter

An opulent style of Chardonnay, and always distinct in a Margaret River line-up. Frangipane and tropical florals, fringed with lightly buttered toast and fried banana laced with cinnamon. There’s a hint of lacquer, but it doesn’t detract. The palate is red fruited, ripe peach juice, orange blossom, candied apple, baking spice and toasted brioche. There’s good length and wonderful fine acidity too, phenolic firmness at its core providing scaffolding for the whipped cream voluminousness. A ginger nut note surprises on the finish, laced with vanilla bean and just-ripe mango. Plenty of enjoyment for those who lean into this style.

92 POINTS

Jane Faulkner - Halliday Wine Companion

Packed to the rafters with flavour, richness and lots of winemaking artefact, though It all works in its riper vein. Mid-gold and bright with layers of stone fruit, lemon curd, ginger spice cake, nougat, butterscotch and sweet, cedary oak. All that adds up to a full-bodied palate. It's a tad developed yet there's plenty of complexity. Fans of big, brassy chardonnays will love this.

92 POINTS

James Suckling

Quite bold and generous with aromas of yellow apples, preserved lemons, struck match, baking spices and pastry. The midweight palate has a creamy texture and balanced acidity that leads into a rather traditional, albeit tasty, style.

92 POINTS

Angus Hughson - Vinous

The typically full-throttle Two thousand twenty-four Margaret River Chardonnay delivers lashings of peach, nectarine essence and mango skin, with warm butter and toasty oak providing strong support. Punchy and strong in style, with powerful oak and fruit delivering a long, mouth-filling finish. Big and beautiful.