Ox Hardy 1891 Ancestor Vine Shiraz 2013, McLaren Vale, Australia

Over 36 years, Andrew ‘Ox’ Hardy has built one of the most encompassing and exploratory résumes in Australian winemaking. Initially starting his winemaking career with Petaluma in 1982, Ox left to spread his wings in 1996 before returning in 2004 as Chief Winemaker. In 2018, Andrew left the brand to begin Ox Hardy Wines in proper. For over two decades, Ox has crafted small, meticulous batches from these historic vines planted by Thomas Hardy in 1891. This wine serves as a testament to the vineyard’s exceptional quality, the wines’ longevity, and the irreplaceable legacy of the ancestor vines. The winemaking process reflects this heritage, beginning with the destemming and crushing of the fruit, followed by spontaneous fermentation in a small open fermenter for 18 days, with hand plunging performed three times daily. Post-fermentation, the wine remained on skins for an additional two weeks before being basket-pressed and transferred to second-fill French oak barriques. After nearly two years of maturation in barrel, the wine was fined, filtered, and bottled.