A traditionally wet winter, mild spring and excellent fruit set provided a great start to the 2015 vintage after four vintages with below average yields. Spring was dry and led into a very mild, dry summer with no disease, resulting in fruit with higher natural acidity, and incredible flavour and colour concentration. A dry, warm and windy start to January, however, resulted in one of the worst bushfires in the Adelaide Hills in living memory, though well away from our Lenswood vineyards. By the end of the first week, relief came with 60-75mm of rain and a record-breaking coolest January in 11 years. With the onset of veraison at the end of January, the rain was perfectly timed for the old dry-grown vineyards, and the mild weather that followed from February through to April provided for a fairytale vintage.

Lifted aromas of pear skin, nectarine and ginger spice with underlying notes of pink grapefruit, musk and rose petal florals.

Concentrated flavours of nashi pear and stone-fruit follow through on the palate, with creamy nuances of chestnut and crème brûlée, balanced elegantly with silky minerality and fine acidity, for a beautifully long and textural finish.

Pale straw in colour.

SPAGHETTI VONGOLE |

***Ingredients***:

- 500g spaghetti
- extra virgin olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 4 large red chillies, deseeded and finely sliced
- 1kg cockles
- 1 cup white wine (use some of the Innes Vineyard Pinot Gris if you can spare some!)
- 1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
- sea salt
- black pepper

***Method***:

1. Place about 5 litres of water on the boil and add 1 tablespoon salt into the water.
2. Add the pasta to the water and cook until al dente.
3. While the pasta is cooking, heat up a large frying pan with deep sides on high heat for about 2 minutes.
4. Add a splash of olive oil.
5. Add the garlic and chilli and sauté for about 1 minute on high heat or until fragrant.
6. Add the white wine, closely followed by the cockles then place a lid on the pan and cook for about 2 minutes or until the cockles open up.
7. Take the lid off, make sure the cockles have had enough time to open up, then strain the pasta and add to the frying pan.
8. Season with salt and pepper.
9. Divide into bowls and garnish with chopped parsley.

***Serves 4.***

Fermented in tank and held on lees for 6 months with regular stirring to build complexity.

Most of our white varieties were in before Easter, moving on to the Adelaide Hills red varieties soon after, and eventually winding down at the end of April as the rain and cooler temperatures set in. The 2015 vintage has provided classic Adelaide Hills expressions of riesling, chardonnay and pinot noir that show extraordinary flavour, purity of fruit and acid balance with the potential for excellent ageing.

***Two Day Harvest***: 18-19 February 2015