Do old vines make better wines?

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Nearly everybody thinks that old vines make better wines. 

But is it true?  

Not necessarily.  

Sure, there are some exceptional old-vine wines out there—The Rhône, Mouton Rothschild, and Domaine Romanée Conti, to name a few— but the whole "older is better" thing isn’t always the case. 

An ageing vine will not transform a poor-quality vine into a good-quality vine.  

Regardless of age, for vines to produce good wine, they need to be good quality vines to begin with, growing in appropriate conditions and being cared for properly — and that’s not even considering the skill of the winemaker! 

So, when is a vine considered “old”? 

Anything older than 35 years.  

Over the years, I’ve done my fair share of blind tastings, comparing old-vine wines against new-vine wines, and the results are always surprising.  

Sometimes, the old-vine wines have the edge, but just as often, the new-vine wines are way more impressive.  

One new-vine wine that recently blew me away in a blind tasting is Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair La Romanée Grand Cru 2006.  

Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair, founded in 2000, is a relatively new wine producer in Burgundy, although the Liger-Belair family have been growing wine in Vosne-Romanée since 1815.  

The domaine crafts highly sought-after grand and premier cru wines from vineyards in Nuits-Saint-Georges and Vosne-Romanée, with La Romanée, its tiny monopole, as the crown jewel. 

The estate traces back to Louis Liger-Belair, a general in Napoleon's army, who acquired key vineyards like La Romanée and La Tâche during post-revolution land sell-offs.  

Though much of the land was sold in 1933, the domaine experienced a revival in 2000 under Comte Louis-Michel Liger-Belair, who expanded the vineyard holdings and now employs biodynamic principles, even using horses to plough the vineyards. 

Today, the domaine’s Pinot Noir-based wines are known for their elegance and are made with minimal intervention.  

Despite the domaine's youth, these wines are among Burgundy’s most prized, with La Romanée regularly ranking as one of the region's most expensive wines. 

After being seriously astounded at the blind tasting, I ordered six bottles of La Romanée Grand Cru 2006 (that’s all I could get my hands on). 

Rated an impressive 98 points by Daniele Cernilli (a.k.a. 'Doctor Wine'), his WineSearcher review states, 'the mouthfeel is harmonious and elegant without any excesses and is amazingly perfect.' 

We couldn't agree more, Daniele! 

With incredible potential to age, we think this would be a brilliant addition to your portfolio.  

Or the perfect wine to serve at your next dinner party.  

Read more about this fantastic wine and register your interest here.

As always, cheers!

Michael Doerr

Founder & CEO, Oeno Group