Margaret River hinterland, chose the Moss Wood site for its soils and aspect.

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ABOUT MOSS WOOD In 1984 Clare and Keith Mugford married, leased and became managing partners of Moss Wood Vineyard and Winery followed by ownership in 1985.

3 ABOUT MOSS WOOD In 1984 Clare and Keith Mugford married, leased and became managing partners of Moss Wood Vineyard and Winery followed by ownership in This was the beginning of a journey of great excitement and adventure working with one of the finest vineyards in Australia. This land was previously farmed, from 1868, firstly by an American Whaler, John Adams and his new young Wife Mary, who as Mary Smith had travelled to Ellensbrook with Ellen Bussell, from Busselton to help her with her family. Adams had jumped ship from one of the passing Whalers, apparently a not so infrequent occurrence and had been welcomed with open arms by the Bussell family who had been struggling in the absence of their patriarch who was away droving cattle. Mary and John farmed the Moss Wood property, which they had named Marylands in honour of his homeland, until it was taken up by the Kisella family who in turn farmed it until The land remained vacant for some years until a German immigrant Ernie Rapts took it up. He was interned during the Second World War but returned to his farm until his death at which time the land was sold to the Guthrie family from whom Bill and Sandra Pannell, purchased it in Bill had a passion to grow the great grape varieties of France and was determined to access the best possible site. His search was informed, like that of other pioneers of the Margaret River area, by the work of Perth agronomist Dr John Gladstones (completed 1966) who favoured the region for its consistent and suitable climate for growing grapes and a visit to Western Australia by Professor Harold Olmo, from the University of California at Davis in Olmo also identified other Western Australian regions as climatically similar to the great European vineyard areas but noted that Margaret River had a more reliable rainfall. Bill Pannell, after digging many holes around the Margaret River hinterland, chose the Moss Wood site for its soils and aspect. In 1979 Keith arrived fresh from graduating with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Oenology from Roseworthy College, having done vintages at Tullochs and Orlando. Clare started her working life in banking and then as a Registered Nurse at Royal Perth Hospital, Western Australia. In 1984, the newly married Mugfords leased the Moss Wood vineyard and winery and became managing partners of the then 20 acre vineyard (on 80 acres of land) and small winery producing 3,000 cases of wine annually. During this year the sale of the property was negotiated and in July 1985 the Mugfords assumed full ownership. It has been, and continues to be, an interesting and challenging journey for both of them. Many newly trialled viticultural improvements were instituted producing better grape exposure for ripening and production grew to 6000 cases by the year During this period Petit Verdot, Merlot and Cabernet Franc were planted to add to the traditional Bordeaux blend plus small quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay were also planted. The 1996 vintage saw a positive change to the Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon, the flagship wine. Already a sought after, rich style, it was concluded that the whole production of this wine could greatly benefit from an additional 12 months in oak. This had been trialled for many years previously with a barrel of the very best years held back in oak for a further twelve months and released as the Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon Special Reserve. This wine was always well received but created great angst for the proprietors while they tried to eek it out fairly to all their enthusiastic customers. Deciding to give all Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon this treatment created a further business problem. The Cabernet Sauvignon provided a major component of the winery s cash flow and would be sorely missed when one whole release year was skipped. As luck would Clare & Keith Mugford. have it, Ian Bell, a long time employee of Moss Wood, offered to sell the Mugfords some Cabernet Sauvignon to make a stopgap wine from the vineyard he planted in 1990 on his grandmother, Amy Beers s farm. This wine was named the Moss Wood Glenmore Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, after the farm it was grown on. History reveals that it was anything but a stop-gap wine, continuing to be successful for Moss Wood until 2001 when it was decided to change the name to Amy s. By the commencement of the 2000 vintage a new winery building was added to process the expanded production. The year 2000 also saw the purchase of the Ribbon Vale vineyard which is located 1.2kms south of the Moss Wood vineyard within the Wilyabrup region. The Ribbon Vale vines were planted between 1977 and The addition of the new vineyard introduced Moss Wood to Sauvignon Blanc and led to the first blended Semillon Sauvignon Blanc wine being made. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc completed the new stable. Over the year s new skills have been required and with a firm belief in continual improvement, both Clare and Keith have furthered their studies. Clare holds a Graduate Diploma in Wine Business from Adelaide University, graduating in 2002 and has completed studies towards a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Economics and Politics at The University of Western Australia. 1

School s top prize for Executive MBA graduates, the Integritas Award. The Mugfords have four children, Eloise, Tristan, Hugh and Imogen.

4 Aerial of Moss Wood Vineyard taken from the East. Keith completed a Master of Business Administration from the Australian Graduate School of Management (a joint school of the Universities of NSW and Sydney), graduating in 2006 and achieving the School s top prize for Executive MBA graduates, the Integritas Award. The Mugfords have four children, Eloise, Tristan, Hugh and Imogen. The emphasis at Moss Wood in the vineyard and winery is on the highest quality hand production and continuing reference to viticultural and winemaking technical advances. The land that Moss Wood holds that is not suitable for grape production is being steadily re-vegetated from pasture to the natural vegetation of the region. Recent developments with Pinot Noir. In 2007 the Mugford s spawned the germ of an idea to enter into a new Pinot Noir project with their first vintage being From 1977, the Moss Wood vineyard has proven itself capable of producing Pinot Noir wines that cellar for at least 20 years, exhibit power, spice and dark fruit notes and develop a fine and complex bottle bouquet, something of which we are immensely proud. Given our knowledge and experience of this variety, we ve always had a yearning to try our skills on Pinot Noir wines from more highly regarded regions. Indeed, during the 1990 s we produced wines from the Pemberton region in Western Australia and this gave us confidence to look even further afield for sources of good fruit. In Australia, the most likely locations are found in southern Victoria and Tasmania, where regions like Geelong, Macedon, Gippsland, Yarra Valley, Coal River Valley and Tamar Valley have numerous outstanding producers. Each of these places has regional characteristics that allow the production of Pinot Noir styles of high quality. However, we have been consistently impressed with the wines from the Mornington Peninsula and it is from there we chose to source grapes. Of course, it is not possible to give a brief summary of the benefits the region offers but there are some important reasons behind our choice. Curiously the area has much in common with Margaret River and perhaps this shows some inherent bias in our choice. Both regions share a maritime climate but instead of being surrounded on three sides by the Indian Ocean, Mornington is moderated by Port Phillip and Westernport Bays and Bass Strait. Similarly, both regions have rolling hills and therefore a topography that produces subtle but significant changes in aspect and soil type. These result in interesting variations in wine style. There is, however, a key difference - the temperature. Moss Wood at around 34 degrees south latitude is consistently warm enough to ripen Cabernet Sauvignon, whereas Mornington, at around 38 degrees south latitude is only consistently warm enough to ripen Pinot Noir. Within the region, quite a broad range of wine styles are produced depending on where the vineyards are situated but importantly, all the Mornington Peninsula wines display fruit aromas that can be described as classical Pinot Noir, with perhaps a leaning to its finer, spicier spectrum. Our grapes are sourced from a location near the town of Dromana on the lower slopes below Red Hill. The vineyard is managed according to our Moss Wood, Margaret River, specifications, although we modified some of the techniques to meet the requirements of the different region. Although disease controls are similar, the canopy management system is slightly different. The vines have lower vigour and are trained using simple vertical shoot positioning, rather than the Scott Henry system we use at Margaret River. We also use more aggressive leaf removal at Margaret River because the risk of sunburn is greater in Mornington. Winemaking is also carried out in Mornington, so the wine is grown, vintage and bottled in the region. Production is carefully specified and is virtually identical to the technique we use for Moss Wood Margaret River Pinot Noir. Clare and Keith visit the region on a regular basis to review progress and are always on hand to oversee the key stages. 2

WINEMAKING AND WINE STYLE CABERNET SAUVIGNON There are three styles of Cabernet Sauvignon made at Moss Wood: Moss Wood includes up to a combined total 4% of Cabernet Franc for its cherry like fruit

5 WINEMAKING AND WINE STYLE CABERNET SAUVIGNON There are three styles of Cabernet Sauvignon made at Moss Wood: Moss Wood includes up to a combined total 4% of Cabernet Franc for its cherry like fruit aromas and 8% of Petit Verdot for its berry aromas and firmer structure. Ribbon Vale can include up to 30% of Merlot, for its intense red and dark fruit characters on both nose and palate, and 10% of Cabernet Franc for its dark berry aromas. Amy s is blended with Petit Verdot, Malbec and Merlot. Longer skin contact time during fermentation for Moss Wood and Ribbon Vale. For the Amy s shorter times are used to retain fresher primary fruit aromas. All Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon sees extended oak ageing of at least 24 months in French barriques, while Ribbon Vale ages for 22 months. For the Amy s wine, ageing is for 12 months only, which is once again a technique for retaining fresher fruit characters. Extraction is by hand plunging in open fermenters. MERLOT As with the Cabernet-based wines, the Merlot is fermented in open fermenters and hand plunged. Skin contact is for about ten days and each batch is tasted every day to monitor tannin balance and once achieved, the wine is pressed. Ageing is in French barriques, one-third of which are new, for twenty-two months. Although we continue to evaluate different barrel types for all the wines we make, currently our preference is for the characters produced by Tonnellerie Remond. It exhibits lifted aromatics of red currant, tamarillo, marzipan, olives - soft oak characters - medium to full body with fresh acidity and firm tannins. PINOT NOIR Burgundian influences are seen in the form of techniques such as the addition of whole bunches, longer skin contact time and hand plunging. Fermentation is in open tanks and skin contact time is varied with each batch tasted and then pressed when tannin balance is best. The wine is aged in French oak barriques, 33% of which are new, for 18 months. The wine is then bottled and has one year further ageing before release. Rich fruit characters of bright strawberries, dark cherry and plum - aromas of roses, with a background of mushroom, charry oak and cinnamon spice - depth of flavour, complexity and length - the satiny, velvety structure of the classic Pinot Noir. CHARDONNAY Burgundian influences apply here too, with ageing on lees for at least 18 months in French barriques, without stirring, with a significant proportion undergoing malolactic fermentation. All chardonnay batches are barrel fermented in French oak barriques. The wine displays rich Chardonnay fruit flavours - complexity - a blending of the flavours of Chardonnay fruit, yeast characters from the fermentation process, smoky, spicy characters of new oak. SEMILLON The fruit is destemmed before pressing and then the juice is cold settled for 48 hours. The clear juice is then seeded with pure yeast. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks held at 18 C, this technique emphasises the wine s primary fruit notes. It should display fresh primary fruit aromas of lemons, green apples and figs, while the palate should have lifted acidity, rich texture and a touch of tannin for good cellaring. SAUVIGNON BLANC This variety is harvested early to maximise its potential in the Semillon blend. The fruit is destemmed into the press, in a similar fashion to the Semillon, drained and pressed and then settled in stainless steel tanks. It is then racked and fermented in stainless steel at 15 C It should retain its freshest, most lifted aromas of leaf, grass and lychee. The lively fruit aromas of sauvignon blanc - herbaceous and tropical notes like guava and loquat combine with semillon s apple and fig characters, to create a medium to full body wine with fresh acidity, soft tannins and a clean finish. 3

6 THE MOSS WOOD VINEYARDS The Moss Wood wines are sourced primarily from three vineyards within a ten kilometre radius of the original estate site at Wilyabrup. MOSS WOOD V INEYARDS N MOSS WOOD VINEYARD THE ORIGINAL ESTATE IN WILYABRUP 12 hectares, planted on gentle north-east facing slopes. O c e a n GLENMORE MOSS WOOD RIBBON VALE MONTGOMERY DUNSBOROUGH YALLINGUP R d C a v e s B u s se l l Wilyabrup H w y COWARAMUP MARGARET RIVER Soils ranging from sandy loam to a gravelly red/brown loam over clay. I n d i a n PERTH Unirrigated. First planted Wide spaced with 3 metres between rows and 1.8 metres between vines. 0km 10km 20km MOSS WOOD VINEYA RDS FRUIT GROWN EXCLUSIVELY FOR MOSS WOOD WESTERN AUSTRALIA AUSTRALIA MARGARET RIVER WINE REGION RIBBON VALE VINEYARD WILYABRUP 1 KILOMETRE SOUTH OF THE MOSS WOOD VINEYARD 6.36 hectares, planted on southwest facing slopes. Soils are gravelly loams over clay sub-soil. Unirrigated. First planted in AMY S Sourced from two locations: 1. Glenmore Vineyard Owned by Ian Bell who for many years worked at Moss Wood. Amy s is named after Ian s grandmother. Located 10km north of Moss Wood s Wilyabrup location. Planted in Montgomery Vineyard Located approximately 10km south of Moss Wood s Wilyabrup location. Planted THE MARGARET RIVER WINE REGION The Moss Wood and Ribbon Vale Vineyards are located in the sub-region of Wilyabrup, in the very heart of the Margaret River wine region. The Margaret River region covers an area which measures 90km north to south, and 45km west to east. Being flanked on three sides by ocean, the climate is strongly maritime, benefiting from cooling sea breezes and mild summer and winter temperatures. Geographically, the region is marked by a ridge which runs vertically north to south, and it is around the creeks and valleys along this ridge where the prime vineyard sites have been identified. THE REGION AT A GLANCE ALTITUDE 90 m (295 feet) HEAT DEGREE DAYS, OCT-APR 1601 (estimated by Dr John Gladstones and adjusted for vine sites) SUNSHINE HOURS, OCT-APR 1661 ANNUAL RAINFALL 1138 mm (44.8 inches) GROWING SEASON RAINFALL 253 mm (10 inches) MEAN JANUARY TEMPERATURE 20.2ºC (68.5ºF) RELATIVE HUMIDITY, OCT-APR, 3PM Average 57% HARVEST End Feb - Late Apr 4

8 926 Metricup Road, Wilyabrup, Western Australia 6284 Postal Address: PO Box 225, Cowaramup, Western Australia 6284 AUSTRALIA Tel: Fax: CONTACTS CLARE MUGFORD Executive Director clare@mosswood.com.au Mobile: +61 (0) KEITH MUGFORD Executive Director & Chief Winemaker keith@mosswood.com.au Mobile: +61 (0) BONNIE TOLLAFIELD Export Director bonnie@mosswood.com.au Mobile: +61 (0)

Geographical Indications Guidelines

Geographical Indications Guidelines A GUIDE TO LABELLING WITH GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS Wine Australia 2010 1 Introduction This guide has been developed to outline the rules of use governing country names