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. It was a dry, warm and windy start to January, with some welcome rain at the end of the month coinciding with the onset of veraison; perfectly timed for the old dry-grown vineyards. Mild weather followed from February through to April providing a fairytale vintage, with most of our white varieties and some Eden Valley shiraz in the winery before Easter. Barossa Valley growers red varieties, together with our estate Eden Valley and Adelaide Hills fruit followed soon after, eventually winding down at the end of April as the rain and cooler temperatures set in.

Intense and alluring aromas of fresh raspberries, dark plums and cumquat are complemented beautifully by savoury nuances of mace, nutmeg, cracked black pepper, anise and Dutch licorice.

The palate is pure and concentrated with ripe raspberry and dark plum flavours balanced by hints of chicory, candied orange and black pepper; complex layers of texture, minerality and fine-grained velvety tannins with an exceptionally long finish.

Vibrant crimson with garnet hues.

RAG PASTA WITH FOREST MUSHROOMS AND BROCCOLINI |

***Ingredients***:

- 300g lasagne pasta sheets
- 100g butter
- 2 shallots, peeled and sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced/crushed
- 1 large red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
- 60g dried forest mushrooms, reconstituted in boiling water and strained
- 100g button mushrooms, sliced 1mm thick
- 100g fresh (or frozen) peas
- 120g fresh broad beans, blanched and peeled
- 2 bunches of broccolini
- 120g goats curd
- 30g almonds, roughly chopped and toasted
- 100g Pecorino cheese
- extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt
- black pepper

***Method***:

1. Put a large pot of water on to boil with 1 tablespoon of salt. Once boiling, place the pasta sheets into the water. Cook until al dente.
2. In the meantime, heat up a large pan and add a little olive oil and all of the butter on medium high heat.
3. Add the chillies and shallots and cook until the shallots turn slightly clear.
4. Add the garlic and stir through, cooking for a further minute.
5. Add all of the mushrooms to the pan and sauté for 2 minutes, continually stirring.
6. Just before straining the pasta, place the peas, broad beans and broccolini in the same pot as the pasta and cook for about 30 seconds.
7. Strain the pasta, peas, broad beans and broccolini. Tear the pasta into smaller strips.
8. Once drained, add the pasta and vegetables to the pan. Toss the pasta through the mushrooms. Once mixed through, turn off the heat and season with sea salt and cracked black pepper.
9. Using a fine grater or microplane, grate the pecorino into the pasta. Stir through.
10. Divide the pasta into four bowls and dollop goats curd on top with a sprinkling of toasted, chopped almonds.

***Serves 4.***

Matured in seasoned French hogsheads for 9 months prior to blending and bottling.

The 2015 vintage has provided stunning signature regional varieties that show extraordinary flavour, purity of fruit and acid balance with the potential for excellent ageing.