“Old vines” is one of those phrases that can make a bottle sound more interesting before you’ve tasted a drop. It suggests history, a grower’s patience and a vineyard that has earned its place. But when there’s a higher price attached, it’s fair to ask what those extra years actually bring.
Two of this month’s picks give us a good place to start. Antoine Sanzay’s Les Poyeux 2022 comes from Cabernet Franc planted in the 1960s in Saumur-Champigny. Beronia’s Vareia 2019 is Tempranillo from a single Rioja vineyard planted in 1950. These are specific planting dates tied to specific places, which already tells us more than an unexplained claim on a label.
Vine age belongs in a wider conversation about how a vineyard works. The health of the plants matters, as does the balance between their growth and the crop they carry. Access to water, the soil and the grower’s decisions all influence the fruit. An impressive birthday cannot answer all those questions.
Older vineyards can also preserve valuable plant material and diversity. Once a block is pulled out and replanted, some of that inheritance may be lost. There is a reason organisations such as The Old Vine Conference work to keep these vineyards in production: their value includes what they preserve for future growers.
For the drinker, though, the wine still has to justify the purchase. A price reflects several things, including the work involved in farming and making the wine, how much is available and demand for it. Knowing the vines are old gives us context. We still need to decide whether we enjoy what they produce.
Les Poyeux brings us to a clay-limestone site in the Loire, where Sanzay works with Cabernet Franc. Vareia takes us to stony clay-limestone soils in Rioja, with Tempranillo and a different approach in the cellar. The 2019 spends 11 months in large French oak foudres. The grape, place and winemaking each help shape these wines alongside the age of the vines.
Tasting them together is a good way to explore that variety. Pay attention to the shape of each wine: how the fruit fills the mouth, how the tannins feel and what remains after the sip. You are comparing two complete wines, with different grapes and vintages. You cannot isolate the effect of vine age from that tasting alone.
My suggestion is to start with the wine, then return to the vineyard story. Which glass holds your attention? Which would you want with dinner? If knowing where it came from adds to that enjoyment, all the better. Old vines give us plenty to be curious about, and these two give that curiosity somewhere very good to start.
