Nose
This is a clean crisp, lively wine which abounds in all the fruit characters that we’ve come to expect from Margaret River Semillon: grapefruit, apple and apricot. It has some restrained herbaceous characters and even a touch of leafiness.
Palate
This wine is a fresh, fragrant Margaret River Semillon with good balance, a pleasing mouthfeel and good length which will give much joy for its youthful characters over the next eighteen months to two years. After that time, the wine should begin its transformation towards a toasty, figgy, honeyed wine of mature years.
Growing Conditions
The growing season for the 1992 Semillon was excellent with minimal rainfall during the mild summer and perfect weather in the two weeks prior to vintage to ripen the grapes quickly. The Semillon was picked in three stages: one third of the crop was picked in early March, and the second third was picked after a wait of one week. Two inches of rain followed in two weeks and so there was a wait of three weeks while the grapes recovered from the rain. In the second week in April, the final third of the crop was picked. Some of this had been infected by botrytis which improved its concentration.
Bottling
04/8/1992
Winemaking
For the first time, the Moss Wood Semillon was given eight weeks lees contact during fermentation as we wanted to fill out the bouquet and enhance the wine’s mouthfeel. We blended in all pressings to give this wine greater fullness of body and a good tannin structure.
