Ancestor Vine
Shiraz
1891
“Each element of the Ox Hardy range of wines are precious in their own right, but the circumstances that have finally brought them together makes them a treasure of the Australian wine industry.”
Planted by Thomas Hardy in 1891, the last remaining 2.54 Ha block of Ancestor Vines still produces exceptionally high-quality fruit.
Referred to as Bob’s selection after Andrew’s father, cuttings from these grandfather vines have been borrowed by neighbours over time, to plant some of the most celebrated vineyards in the district. Unlike other vines of similar longevity, they still appear youthful and barely half their age to the naked eye. They also produce yields of much younger and healthier vines.
Andrew has been making small amounts of hand crafted wine from these vines for over two decades and still has a vertical library stretching back fifteen years.
This unique library of Ox Hardy 1891 Ancestor Vine Shiraz is a stunning showcase of the quality of the vineyard, the priceless value of the Ancestor Vines, and Andrew’s abundant winemaking talents.
| Vineyard | Upper Tintara Vineyards |
| Planted | 1891 |
| Varietal | Shiraz |
| Subregion | Blewitt Springs |
| Area | 0.35 Ha & 1.37Ha |
| Soil Composition | Alluvial loam |
| Altitude | 130m above Sea Level |
| Canopy Management | Hand spur pruned. One movable catch wire on eastern side of row, one permanent foliage wire on western side. Shoot thinning and fruit thinning as needed. |
| Vine Aspect | Vineyard planted on the contour, nominally running north-south. |
| Irrigation | Drip irrigated, initially from bores, now from Willunga Basin treated water. |
| Fermentation | Hand picked, destemmed, crushed and chilled to one tonne open fermenters. Natural yeast ferment. Seeded for MLF. Hand plunged three times a day for about two weeks. Left on skins post ferment for about two weeks. Pressed to one use French oak barriques. A total of two years in barrel before bottle maturation. |
| Oak | One use French oak barriques. Racked and retuned to barrel every 3 months. |
Andrew ‘Ox’ Hardy.
Icon Custodian
Andrew Hardy is one of Australia’s most respected and influential wine industry leaders. A fifth generation winemaker, he is the great-great grandson of Thomas Hardy, the ‘Father of the South Australian Wine Industry’.
Andrew has 36 years’ experience making wine in the Adelaide Hills, Clare Valley, Coonawarra and McLaren Vale working chiefly at Petaluma. He has also made wine in California, Oregon and Bordeaux and is a Trustee of the Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society of South Australia. Whilst at Knappstein in Clare, Andrew was awarded the Warren Winiarski Trophy for ‘Best Cabernet in the World’ and the Trophy for ‘Best Australian Red Wine’ for his Enterprise Cabernet. He was also pivotal in the industry’s adoption of the screw cap closure.
Known for his elegant winemaking style, engaging manner and partiality for pink shirts and old British sports cars, Andrew’s winemaking philosophy is best described as minimalist, allowing the quality of the vineyard and its fruit to shine through.
Andrew’s childhood and enduring nickname ‘Ox’ gives the eponymous label its name.
