The 2014 vintage began with the winery coming alive to the fragrant aromas of fermentation. But what a year we had! The moon cycles put Easter quite late in the season, so the expectation of a late harvest prevailed...until South Australia experienced its record number of heat days over 40C in January, culminating in the worst bushfire in Eden Valley in living memory. This taste of hell ended in the wettest February in 44 years - all in 48 hours, when we received between 115 and 150mm of rain. Fortunately, Eden Valley and the Adelaide Hills were still in veraison, which allowed the quenching rain to rebalance the fruit, particularly in the older dry-grown vineyards. The yields appeared depressingly minuscule, due to a severe black frost in spring and cold windy weather during flowering in early December. Early picks of semillon and shiraz after the heat wave were in response to vine stress. The change to mild autumnal weather in late February after the rains allowed for a focus on other early vintage varieties, riesling in Eden Valley and pinot noir at Lenswood. Mild weather with cold dewy mornings and windy days prevailed. Disease pressure increased as March became colder and wetter, which seemed to change to a winter pattern after the solstice.

Complex aromas of lemon and lime zest, freshly cut grass, green apple and fragrant clover and almond blossom are enhanced with hints of anise and toasted hazelnut.

Rich and textural, the palate shows flavours of citrus, stone-fruit and green apples; with finely poised acidity and supporting mineral backbone, the incredibly restrained power and intensity provide both length and longevity.

Vibrant pale straw with green hues.

BLUE SWIMMER CRAB WITH ZUCCHINI AND SEAWEED BUTTER |

***Ingredients***:

- 4 Blue Swimmer crabs (whole cooked fresh)
- 4 medium zucchinis
- 2 tbsp dried wakame, in fine strips
- 125g soft butter
- ½ lime, juice of and zest finely grated
- 1 tbsp basil leaves, shredded
- pinch black pepper
- ½ tsp fish sauce
- 1 spring onion, white only, finely chopped
- ½ clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp Seto Fumi Furikake (Japanese rice seasoning – optional)
- 1 punnet baby basil leaves

***Method***:

1. Use a vegetable peeler to slice ribbons off of zucchini leaving the core of seeds behind to be discarded. Slice the ribbons into long strips resembling tagliatelle and sprinkle lightly with salt, cover and leave for a couple of hours.
2. Place the salted zucchini in a colander, rinse well and allow to drain. While the zucchini is draining pick over the cooked crab, removing all the white meat and keeping the brown meat (or mustard) separate and discard the shells (there are YouTube clips to view for this process if unsure). Set the two meats aside separately in the fridge, covered.
3. Cover half the wakame with boiling water and leave to one side to rehydrate. Powder the remaining dried wakame in a mortar and pestle then mix with a third of the butter. Put in a warm place to slowly melt. Do not use the microwave or place over a direct heat, simply allow the liquid butter to infuse with the powdered wakame for at least 20 minutes.
4. Strain liquid butter mixture through a coffee filter extracting as much colour as possible so you end up with a small amount of green seaweed flavoured liquid butter. Combine with the brown crab meat and press this mixture through a fine sieve. Set aside (do not refrigerate) while you prepare the next step.
5. Lightly cream the remaining butter, stir in the lime juice then add the zest, shredded basil, spring onion, garlic and fish sauce. Check the seasoning then add the ‘brown meat butter’ and drained rehydrated wakame (squeezed dry). Keep at room temperature. (If using another day, refrigerate but allow it to soften before using.)
6. To serve, warm a third of the butter mixture gently in a large pan, add the raw zucchini strips and warm gently. Do not allow to sizzle or boil. In a separate pan, melt half of the remaining butter mixture and when it has just formed a liquid, add the white crab meat and similarly warm the crab meat through. When both the crab and zucchini are warm, fold together gently and portion into pre-warmed pasta bowls.
7. Melt remaining butter and spoon over and around ‘crab pasta’ before lightly sprinkling with Seto Fumi Furikake (optional) and baby basil leaves.

***Serves 4.***

19% aged for 6 months in seasoned 225L French barriques while the remaining 81% is aged in tank on lees.

It was indeed a late vintage and also resulted in one of our longest vintages. The picking of Eden Valley cabernet and Lenswood merlot brought the season to a close at the beginning of May, where skilled vineyard teams played a critical role by hand selecting and picking the best quality fruit during the onset of rain and cold wintery weather. In summary, a challenging season with good quality but very low yields.