Within the wine industry, there is widespread belief that old vines produce better wines, and thus many producers are demanding a higher price for their Vieilles Vignes wines. Interestingly, many legendary wines, such as Chateau Montelena's 1973 Chardonnay, were produced not from old but from young vines. The common, yet anecdotal, justification is that old vines produce lower yields and smaller berries, thus more concentrated juice. Additionally, the roots of the plant extend deeper into the soil, which gives them access to more nutrients and minerals, and promotes the valuable mycorrhizae impact—that is, the way fungi interact with the roots of the vine and the role they play in the soil. So, what initially seems a rather straightforward assumption is actually a very complex topic: firstly, there is no official definition of “old vines,” and secondly, the assessment of quality is quite subjective. If one also includes the lack of scientific evidence to support this theory, and the fact that no mechanism of action is known, it becomes even more complicated.
Even in France, where legislation frames everything related to wine, “old vines” is used vaguely most of the time, with an anecdotal consensus that the vines should have a minimum age of 30 to 40 years. One of the very few regions in the world with an official status for old vines is the Barossa Valley, which is extensively planted with pre-phylloxera vines, some of which exceed a century of life. The four official categories, adopted in 2009 to preserve, retain, and promote old vines, are Old, Survivor, Centenarian, and Ancestor. The first category starts at 35 years of age, and the Ancestor category begins at 125 years of age. Yalumba Tri-Centenary Vineyard Grenache, Cirillo Estate 1850 Grenache, Henschke Hill of Grace Shiraz, and Hewitson Old Garden Mourvèdre are classic examples of the Ancestor category
I agree to the fact that an organism will develop a particular connection to an environment for survival and the more time a symbiotic connection is reinforced the organism will be a more define and detail expression of that environment domain.
Hi Robert. Any evidence on that?
Thank you
I think you can find it in the web. I have printed that myself, it is 220 pages.
One idea not advanced here that I have professed: The older vines that survive have been ideally chosen or have adapted to their environment so well that they produce the essence of the terroir they inhabit. Vines that are not suited to the surroundings and climate will become diseased or die younger.