1891 Ancestor Vines

Planted by my great-great grandfather Thomas Hardy in 1891, the last remaining 2.54ha block of ancestor vines still produce exceptionally high-quality fruit. Referred to by the family as ‘Bob’s selection’ after my 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 a much younger and healthier vine.

Over the past 24 years I have been making a tiny amount of shiraz from the best sub-section of the vineyard to create what is now known as the 1891 Ancestor Vines Shiraz. From a winemaking perspective I feel strongly about allowing the vineyard to express itself, which means that the winemaking process is very ‘hands-off’ in nature.

Link to: 1891 Ancestor Vine Shiraz 2014

1891 Ancestor Vine Shiraz 2014

100% of the fruit for this wine comes from a few of my favourite rows in the 1891 Ancestor Vines, which my great-great grandfather planted. I’ve been making small amounts of hand crafted wine from these vines for over two decades, and we still have a vertical library stretching back twenty-three years. This unique library of Ox Hardy 1891 Ancestor Vine Shiraz is a stunning showcase of the quality of the vineyard, the age-worthiness of the wines, and the priceless value of our ancestor vines.

The fruit was destemmed and crushed before spontaneous fermentation took place in a small open fermenter for 18 days with hand plunging three times per day. After fermentation was complete, the wine remained on skins for two weeks before being basket pressed and transferred to second fill French oak barriques. The Ancestor Vines Shiraz spent nearly two years in barrel before being fined, filtered and bottled in February 2016.

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