The 2014 vintage began with the winery coming alive to the fragrant aromas of fermentation. But what a year we had! This year, 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.

A sweet, fragrant bouquet of honey, apricot nectar, rosewater and tropical florals with a hint of ginger spice and musk stick.

The palate shows layers of honeyed sweet fruits, apricot nectar and citrus, balanced beautifully with fine acidity, providing purity, texture and excellent length.

Pale straw with gold hues.

BAKED ORANGE AND CARDAMOM CUSTARD TART |

***Ingredients***:

- 720ml Cream
- 1tblspn Grand Marnier
- 5cm Piece of Ginger, finely sliced
- 5 Cardamom Pod, crushed
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
- 14 Small Egg Yolks
- 80gr Caster Sugar
- 1 Orange Zest
- ½ the Short Crust Pastry Recipe

***Method***:

1. Place the cream, Grand Marnier, ginger, cardamom and cinnamon sticks in a saucepan and bring to boil.
2. Once boiled, place it in jug and refrigerate.
3. Next day, reheat the cream in the sauce pan to boil, once boiled, add the orange zest and set aside for about 5 minutes.
4. After 5 minutes, strain the cream mixture.
5. Put the egg yolks in a large mix bowl and whisk together then add the sugar and whisk until combined thoroughly.
6. Pour the cream mix into the egg mix and whisk through.
7. Put a pot of water on to simmer large enough to hold ¾ of the bowl on top of the pot.
8. Place the bowl on top of the pot and using a temperature resistant rubber spatula, mix the egg and cream mixture.
9. Cook on this double boiler for about 12-15 minutes or until the mixture is thick, with no lumps. Use the spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl. Do not at any time allow the bowl to touch the water, it will over cook the egg.
10. Remove from the heat once you have the correct thickness and whisk for a couple of minutes to cool (over ice water if necessary).
11. Refrigerate overnight.
12. Place the custard into a piping bag.
13. Pipe into the tart shells.
14. Sprinkle evenly with caster sugar then brule with a torch gun until golden.

***Makes about 12.***

Muscat blanc grapes are fermented cool to enhance the floral muscat aromas, delicate flavours and 8% residual sweetness.

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.

***Two Day Harvest***: 20-21 March 2014