Moss Wood Autrement Pinot Noir 2025
- 92
- $70
- Drink by: 2026-2036
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Every year, one hears the same question. Why are they bothering with Pinot Noir in Margaret River? The answer is that they have customers who love the wine and buy it every year. Also, one suspects that they enjoy making it (they have been doing so since 1977, so if they don’t, that would raise even more questions). Their vineyard was planted in 1973, making it one of the oldest Pinot vineyards in the country. Do we need any other reasons? Besides, while the wine may not rival a great vintage of la Tache, it is always well crafted and thoroughly enjoyable. The name, ‘Autrement’, means ‘in another way’, which one also suspects is their way of poking some gentle fun at the naysayers. After hand sorting, 30% of the fruit, sourced from the Karridale sub-region, is fermented as whole bunches, the remainder destemmed. Maturation is in barrel for fifteen months, 18% new oak. Pale russet with a crimson edge, this is a savoury and rather earthy style of Pinot Noir with notes of animal flesh, kirsch, charcuterie, mushrooms, red fruits notably cherries, root vegetables and leaf litter. A sappy palate with juicy acidity, the wine is of medium length and exhibiting good freshness at this stage. Drinking a little earlier than some of their releases, it would be ideal anytime over the rest of this decade.
Ken was born and bred in Brisbane, Queensland. He had a non-trendy, perfectly happy childhood, in a family convinced alcohol meant instant condemnation to Hades. But a break fishing on the Great Barrier Reef, and some good wine, started a serious obsession that eventually took over. It did not stop Ken being chastised later for drinking Pol champagne, disgusted he’d drink anything made by a Cambodian dictator. Now, Ken mostly writes on wine, champagne and spirits for various newspapers, magazines and books, but is perhaps best known for his work in The Courier Mail. He also has a little sideline writing on cigars, fishing, travel and food. When not writing, fly-fishing for trout in NZ or bonefish on the flats of Cuba, travelling or smoking cigars, he is no doubt following a variety of sporting teams – the occasionally glorious Queensland Reds rugby, the dysfunctional Washington Redskins, the dodgy Arsenal and especially revels in the world restored to its proper axis with the return of the Ashes to their rightful home.
