It's possible to get great wine from young vines, and rubbish wine from old vines. There is no hard and fast rule that quality is determined by age. But, aside from them looking nice and being a go-to marketing descriptor by producers and distributors (guilty!), here are a few of the arguments as to why they really are worth paying attention to.
Due to the timeframes involved and difficulties in isolating other factors - the actual science on this topic is thin - but the best of it is coming out of our spiritual home state of South Australia where some of the world's oldest vines are still producing fruit. Our side-by-side chablis tasting with Marjorie added some nice anecdotal evidence, but to be clear, we are fully convinced that old vine wines are worth seeking out.
Let's start with the reasons that don't lean on the emotional side of it all:
- we know that the older the vine, the deeper the roots. This means the vines are better able to find and absorb nutrients and water, regardless of weather conditions at the surface. So you can expect an old vine to produce more consistent quality fruit year in, year out. Another reason to dismiss most of the good vintage / bad vintage reports.
- those deeper roots also mean the vine can draw nutrients from different strata beneath the surface. We know that different soil types can dramatically change the character of the same grape variety, so this multi strata approach should add to the complexity of flavour.
- older vines have a significantly lower yield (one of the reasons the wine produced from them can be much more expensive), which can mean a more concentrated flavour in the berries that are produced.
- some of those South Australian studies have shown that old vines will have higher acidity levels in ripe grapes, as well as higher intensity of fruit flavours, both of which are associated with higher quality and better balanced wine.
another insight from some of that research is that it's not just depth of roots that allow more consistent production through seasons, but also a vine's trunk circumference which can allow it to better buffer temperature extremes above the ground. - one unifying theory of what is going on with old vines is that over time they develop symbiotic relationships with their environments: the soil, climate and even human interventions over generations. They eventually 'know' just the right amount berries to produce, with just the right composition, and ripen over a longer period without wasting precious energy. The young vines are still figuring that out. How very human of them.
- there is likely to be some form of 'survivor bias' happening for old vines. If a vineyard isn't producing high quality grapes, which can produce a higher priced bottle of wine, the vines are likely to be replanted as soon as their yields start dropping at around 40 years of age. So if vines are older than that, it's a fair bet that the producer is keeping them because they are producing excellent wine.
Then there are the emotional arguments which don't necessarily impact the wine in the bottle, but can absolutely impact how we feel when we drink them
- old vines are a direct connection to previous generations and the legacy of people who worked the land and cared for them carefully enough to survive decades of peril. Humans love stories, and we think the story behind a wine and its vines really matters.
- old vines just look great, don't they? The gnarled old wood looks like it has wisdom to share, and what better way to share it than through a glass of wine from its fruit.
- old vines are relatively rare, so we feel special when we drink them. Rarity can absolutely impact a person's enjoyment of any product and wine is no exception.
Ultimately, your enjoyment of wine is a very subjective experience. If the above arguments, emotional or not, resonate with you, then old vines are probably worth seeking out. Go get tasting!