2014 Andrew Hardy Little Ox Shiraz McLaren Vale 750 ml

Inky, Dense, and Velvety—Only 8 Barrels

Century-old vines produce great grapes—they just don’t produce many of them. That’s the reality that drove Andrew Hardy to embark on the farsighted project of replanting his great-great-grandfather's world-class Nottage Hill Shiraz with cuttings from those original 130-year old vines. Today, those stalwarts eke out no more than a half-ton of grapes per acre—miniscule amounts. Although Hardy may not be a household name in the United States, he is well-known Down Under: Robert Parker has called Hardy’s “The Ox”—upon which his Wine Advocate has bestowed a near-perfect 99-point score—quite simply “one of the greatest Shiraz produced in South Australia.” From that lineage has risen Hardy’s “Little Ox,” a worthy successor to “The Ox” and “one of the finest values” in South Australia according to Parker. A mere 8 barrels of the 2014 Andrew Hardy “Little Ox” Shiraz were produced. That’s just 200 cases for the entire world! And we have HALF—100 cases at $20 per bottle on this exclusive. Inky, dense, velvety, downright delicious.

Sir Thomas Hardy planted Shiraz at Nottage Hill nearly 130 years ago, and his great-great-grandson Andrew still produces “The Ox” Shiraz from the nine original rows that remain. But decades ago, as the those centenarian vines started to produce less and less fruit, Andrew Hardy set about replanting Nottage Hill with their cuttings, revitalizing the vineyard with what are essentially clones of some of McLaren Vale’s most regal Shiraz.

After the younger vines started producing, the fruit went into the excellent and long-lived Eileen Hardy wines. Then, in 2007, fans of McLaren Vale Shiraz rejoiced when Andrew Hardy began dedicating selections of his family’s Nottage Hill fruit to his new project, “Little Ox.”

Although Hardy may not be a household name in the United States, he is well-known Down Under as the man hand-picked to succeed legend Brian Croser at famed Australian winery Petaluma, and critics from all corners of the globe have taken notice of his expertise: Robert Parker has called Hardy’s “The Ox”—upon which his Wine Advocate has bestowed a near-perfect 99-point score—quite simply “one of the greatest Shiraz produced in South Australia.”

The winemaking acumen that has earned Hardy such lofty status is on full display in “Little Ox” He treats this powerful red to a patient upbringing, aging it for 24 months in older French barriques before bottling unfined and unfiltered. The result is a dense, rich, and energetic wine that is harmonious now, and has the legs to go for another decade.

Although named after what is thought of as Hardy’s flagship wine, “Little Ox” is anything but an afterthought to Andrew Hardy, which is why this world-renowned winemaker’s small-production Shiraz is now firmly established as one of the Southern Hemisphere’s greatest wine buys. We got all we could, but with a mere 200 cases in existence, the writing is on the wall.

- Wine Access Wine Team