2005 Ox Hardy 1891 Ancestor Vine ‘Big Ox’ Shiraz Cleanskin | 1891 Vines

🏆 97 Points | An Extraordinary 21-Year-Old Shiraz from Vines Planted in 1891

One of the Great Historic Shiraz Vineyards of Australia

97 Points – The Wine Advocate

2003 Vintage – 99 Points The Wine Advocate | 2008 Vintage – 99 Points Halliday Wine Companion

Blewitt Springs, McLaren Vale, South Australia

97 Points – The Wine Advocate

1891 Ancestor Vines

Rare Mature Cleanskin Release

RRP $250

I'm going to say this straight away.

THIS IS ONE HELL OF A WINE.

And potentially one of the most fascinating mature Australian Shiraz releases we've ever been able to offer at Liquid Vibe.

This is the:

2005 OX HARDY 1891 ANCESTOR VINES “BIG OX” SHIRAZ

From the historic Upper Tintara Vineyard at Blewitt Springs in McLaren Vale.

And the vines?

PLANTED IN 1891.

Not 1991.

1891.

These remarkable Shiraz vines were planted by Thomas Hardy and a surviving 2.54-hectare block remains at Upper Tintara today.

Andrew “Ox” Hardy selects fruit from his favourite rows of these vines for the flagship 1891 Ancestor Vines Shiraz.

And this particular bottle comes from:

2005.

More than two decades of bottle age.

From vines that were already more than:

110 YEARS OLD

when the grapes were harvested.

And the wine received:

97 POINTS – THE WINE ADVOCATE.

This is serious Australian wine history.

An Extraordinary Track Record

If you want to understand just how good this vineyard is, don't look at one vintage.

Look at what it has achieved over time.

2003 – 99 Points The Wine Advocate

2005 – 97 Points The Wine Advocate

2008 – 99 Points Halliday Wine Companion

That is an extraordinary run of scores.

And James Halliday's assessment of the 2008 was particularly telling.

He described Upper Tintara as:

“ONE OF THE GREATEST VINEYARDS IN McLAREN VALE.”

We think he's absolutely right.

Tasting Notes

At more than 20 years of age, this is where great mature Australian Shiraz becomes fascinating.

Expect layers of:

• Blackberry

• Blackcurrant

• Dark plum

• Black cherry

• Dried raspberry

• Liquorice

• Black pepper

• Anise

• Dried violets

• Olive tapenade

• Charcuterie

• Leather

• Tobacco

• Dark chocolate

• Dried herbs

• Earth

• Ironstone

• Savoury spice

This isn't simply about enormous fruit anymore.

Time has done its work.

The primary blackberry and plum characters have evolved into a far more complex combination of fruit, earth, leather, herbs, spice and savoury tertiary character.

And underneath everything is that unmistakable Upper Tintara signature:

Dark fruit.

Savoury tannin.

Iron.

Earth.

Extraordinary persistence.

This is mature McLaren Vale Shiraz at its most fascinating.

1891 Ancestor Vines

This is what makes the wine truly special.

The surviving Ancestor Vine block at Upper Tintara covers just:

2.54 HECTARES.

The Shiraz vines were planted by Thomas Hardy in 1891.

Remarkably, they remain productive today.

The Hardy family refers to the vine selection as:

“Bob's Selection”

after Andrew Hardy's father.

And these vines aren't simply important because they're old.

Andrew Hardy puts it beautifully:

“A vineyard is not good because it is old, rather it is old because it is good.”

That is exactly the point.

These vines have survived for more than:

130 YEARS.

And they're still producing extraordinary fruit.

The Mother Block

There's another extraordinary part of the story.

Cuttings from these old Upper Tintara vines have been borrowed by neighbouring growers over the decades and used to establish some of the district's most celebrated vineyards.

Think about what that means.

This isn't simply an old vineyard.

It's part of the genetic history of McLaren Vale Shiraz.

The vines at Upper Tintara have effectively helped seed other important vineyards across the region.

That's an incredible piece of Australian viticultural history.

The Best Rows of an Extraordinary Vineyard

Not every grape from the 1891 block becomes this wine.

Andrew Hardy selects fruit from:

HIS FAVOURITE TWO OR THREE ROWS

to produce the flagship 1891 Ancestor Vines Shiraz.

That is why I think of this as:

BIG OX.

It's the pinnacle.

The ultimate expression of Upper Tintara.

The best fruit from an extraordinary historic vineyard.

Andrew “Ox” Hardy

And then there's the man making it.

ANDREW “OX” HARDY.

A fifth-generation Hardy.

Great-great-grandson of Thomas Hardy.

And one of Australia's most experienced winemakers.

Andrew's career spans around:

FOUR DECADES.

For many wine drinkers, he's particularly associated with his long career at:

PETALUMA.

But his experience extends well beyond South Australia.

He has worked across Australia and internationally, including experience in:

Bordeaux

California

Oregon

This isn't someone discovering old-vine Shiraz because it has suddenly become fashionable.

Andrew has spent decades understanding this vineyard.

In fact, he and his father began making tiny amounts of Shiraz from these old vines for themselves long before Ox Hardy became the commercial wine label it is today.

And the Hardy family still has an extraordinary private vertical stretching back through the years.

Upper Tintara

Upper Tintara itself is one of the great historic properties of McLaren Vale.

The site was originally developed by pioneering South Australian viticulturist and winemaker:

DR A.C. KELLY.

Then in:

1871

Thomas Hardy purchased the property.

Under Hardy, Upper Tintara became enormous.

At one point there were approximately:

283 HECTARES OF VINES

and around:

360 PEOPLE LIVING ON THE PROPERTY.

Today, Andrew and his siblings remain custodians of the 138-hectare property, including approximately 35 hectares of vineyard and protected native scrub.

More than:

150 YEARS

after Thomas Hardy purchased it.

That's genuine heritage.

The Original Upper Tintara Winery

The property also contains the remains of the original Upper Tintara winery.

And this place is extraordinary.

The winery's gravity-fed design became a template for other important McLaren Vale wineries.

Even more remarkably, it contains massive:

SLATE OPEN FERMENTERS

built in the nineteenth century.

They are thought to be among the last surviving fermenters of their type anywhere in the world.

Upper Tintara isn't a marketing invention.

It's living Australian wine history.

Why Blewitt Springs?

Then there's the location.

BLEWITT SPRINGS.

For me, this is one of the greatest places in Australia for Shiraz.

It's elevated.

It's cooler than much of the McLaren Vale floor.

The landscape is rolling rather than flat.

There's native scrub surrounding the vineyards.

And the combination of elevation, old vines and complex soils can produce Shiraz with something that McLaren Vale doesn't always get enough credit for:

ELEGANCE.

Yes, there's fruit.

But the great wines have:

Perfume.

Acidity.

Savoury complexity.

Minerality.

Fine tannin.

Longevity.

The 1891 Ancestor Vines sit at the absolute pinnacle of that story.

2005 – More Than Two Decades Old

Here's what makes this opportunity even more exciting.

The vintage is:

2005.

As of 2026, this wine is:

21 YEARS OLD.

Someone else has already done the cellaring.

You aren't buying a young Shiraz and wondering what it might look like in 15 years.

You're buying it with 21 years already under its belt.

That's increasingly difficult to find.

Particularly from vineyards of this calibre.

The 99-Point Pedigree

This vineyard has proven repeatedly that it can produce genuinely extraordinary Shiraz.

Look at the surrounding vintages.

2003 – 99 POINTS

The Wine Advocate

Then:

2005 – 97 POINTS

The Wine Advocate

And:

2008 – 99 POINTS

Halliday Wine Companion

Three vintages.

Two perfect-near-perfect 99-point wines.

And this 2005 sitting right amongst them at:

97 POINTS.

That's pedigree.

Cleanskin – But Don't Underestimate What's Inside

Yes.

This is being offered as a:

CLEANSKIN.

But don't confuse the absence of the original presentation with the quality of what's in the bottle.

Inside is:

2005 Vintage

1891 Ancestor Vine Shiraz

Upper Tintara Vineyard

Blewitt Springs

Andrew “Ox” Hardy

97 Points The Wine Advocate

21 Years of Bottle Age

The liquid is what matters.

And the liquid has extraordinary provenance.

Food Pairings

For a mature Shiraz like this, I'd keep the food serious but relatively simple.

Try it with:

• Beef fillet

• Côte de boeuf

• Roast lamb

• Slow-braised beef cheek

• Venison

• Duck

• Porcini mushroom risotto

• Truffle pasta

• Aged cheddar

• Comté

• Parmigiano Reggiano

But personally?

Good steak.

Big glass.

2005 Big Ox.

And give yourself plenty of time.

How to Serve It

This is important.

We're talking about a wine from:

2005.

Treat it accordingly.

Stand the bottle upright before opening to allow any sediment to settle.

Open it carefully.

And don't automatically decant it for hours.

Taste it first.

At 21 years old, every bottle can evolve slightly differently.

If it needs air, gently decant.

If it's already singing, pour it carefully and allow it to develop in the glass.

I'd serve it at approximately:

16–18°C.

And use the biggest decent red-wine glass you have.

This deserves room.

Why We Love It

Because wines like this simply don't come along very often.

Look at the story:

VINES PLANTED IN 1891.

A surviving:

2.54-HECTARE ANCESTOR VINE BLOCK.

Fruit selected from Andrew Hardy's favourite rows.

Made by:

ANDREW “OX” HARDY.

Vintage:

2005.

Age:

21 YEARS.

Score:

97 POINTS – THE WINE ADVOCATE.

And the vineyard's pedigree?

2003 – 99 WINE ADVOCATE

2008 – 99 HALLIDAY

That is extraordinary.

2005 OX HARDY 1891 ANCESTOR VINES “BIG OX” SHIRAZ

Rare Mature Cleanskin Release

Blewitt Springs, McLaren Vale

RRP $250

This isn't simply another bottle of Shiraz.

It's a piece of McLaren Vale history.

And if you're serious about great Australian Shiraz, old vines and mature wine:

THIS IS ABSOLUTELY FASCINATING.

👉 A 97-point, 21-year-old Shiraz from vines planted in 1891, surrounded by 99-point vintages from the same extraordinary vineyard. Wines with this sort of provenance simply don't come along every day.