Moss Wood : Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. Winemaker Keith Mugford. 52-year-old vineyard, on own rootstock. Sand and gravel loams over clay. Dry farmed. Minimal tillage and mulching to preserve soil structure. Predominantly north- and east-facing slopes. 1,518 vines/ha. All Houghton clone Cabernet Sauvignon. Picked 6–9 April. A mild season, 1.3 °C lower than average, with a long hang time of 134 days. Fermented in open-top steel tanks, no whole bunch. Hand-plunged 4 times per day, on skins for 14 days. 29 months in 228-litre French oak, 16% new. Filtered. Rather extraordinarily much more transparent than the 2001! There's something a little formulaic on the palate – the oak perhaps? Rather drying finish. Just a tad stringy – I wouldn’t mind more fruit. (JR)