World’s greatest vineyards: our top 12

What is the world’s greatest terroir? It’s a very tricky question, and one that wine lovers could debate for hours. But we thought we’d try to answer it by asking a selection of highly respected experts. So, after much discussion, here’s the Decanter dozen. Agree? Disagree? Do let us know.

By Andrew Jefford

last updated 19 January 2023

in Features

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world's greatest vineyards — The 2010 harvest underway in the Petrus vineyards near Néac in Pomerol, Bordeaux.

(Image credit: Tim Graham / Alamy Stock Photo)

You could call them ‘patches of dirt’. Many do. It’s strange, though, that flippant disparagement: soil is the basis of human nutrition. No soil; no us. And vineyard soil stands at the summit of agriculture: the world’s greatest vineyards are the most prized and expensive morsels of agricultural land anywhere on our planet. This tells us two things. The first is that the chance to drink and taste great wine is a peerless pleasure for which those with resources will pay beyond reason. And the second is that only this patch of dirt will do. Only this patch makes that wine.

Great vineyards are unique; they elude duplication or substitution. We don’t yet fully understand why this is so, especially since such uniqueness is opaque in grape juice, the primary agricultural product, and only becomes apparent after the transformations of fermentation and ageing. But it is so.

Hence this feature. Why, long-term Decanter readers may exclaim, haven’t you done this before? The answer is that it’s so damn difficult. Our valiant contributors have fought their way through a blizzard of challenges to come up with this dozen, but we fully expect the list to be criticised and challenged again. We still think it’s worth doing – as a talking point, as a focus for reflection, as an incentive. And for fun.

Lists of this sort are subjective. That was why we canvassed widely first, but our top choices are no less subjective for all that. One obstacle is that vineyard definitions vary between regions. The ideal is the Burgundian climat – and Burgundy’s long standing as ‘the vineyard region’ par excellence encouraged us to select two of its own, one for white and one for red. Bordeaux is as great, yet the fact that most of its wines are sold under the name of a commercial entity (the château), and those wines blended anew from a different selection of vineyard parcels every year, makes it problematic from a pure vineyard perspective.

Another major challenge is that a vineyard’s worth is only proved in time – half a century or more, let’s say. Many of today’s key regions haven’t yet had 50 years of close scrutiny, fastidious viticulture and limpid yet ambitious winemaking in their finest sites. We’ve made educated guesses about where greatness may lie in this case, but they are guesses which await the proof of time.

Nonetheless, and for all its failings, here it is: our world’s greatest vineyards top dozen. Not just bedrock and soil, remember, but a particular slope or altitude in a topographical context, with all its implications for the wide skies above, and the seasonal drama that is played out in those skies year after year, decade after decade. When this mass of nuance and change sets to work on a particular cultivar or cultivars of Vitis vinifera, and when its pressed juice is skilfully shepherded through vinification to bottled wine, the result is glory. In a glass.

With thanks to the following for their nominations and expertise: Sarah Ahmed, Jane Anson, Tim Atkin MW, Richard Baudains, Stephen Brook, Jim Budd, Ferran Centelles, Michelle Cherutti-Kowal MW, Phil Crozier, Charles Curtis MW, Markus Del Monego MW, Sarah Jane Evans MW, Simon Field MW, Caroline Gilby MW, Michael Hill Smith MW, Justin Howard-Sneyd MW, Andrew Jefford, Roger Jones, Darrel Joseph, Paz Levinson, Fiona McDonald, Caro Maurer MW, Thierry Meyer, Michaela Morris, Sebastian Payne MW, Barbara Philip MW, Anthony Rose, David Sly, Monty Waldin, Matt Walls and Beth Willard.

Krug’s Clos du Mesnil in Champagne was a close contender, while in the Rhône, Château-Grillet in Condrieu, La Landonne in Côte-Rôtie (E Guigal) and La Crau in Châteauneuf-du- Pape (Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe) were also on the longlist. Bordeaux was a tough one, and names mooted that didn’t make the final cut included Château Ausone and Latour’s L’Enclos – in the end, the clay soils of Petrus triumphed.

Other Old World names that just missed out included: Montosoli in Tuscany’s Montalcino (Altesino); Szent Tamás in Tokaj, Hungary; L’Ermita (Alvaro Palacios) and Mas de la Rosa (Torres) – both in Priorat, Spain; and Achleiten in Austria’s Wachau. In the New World, meanwhile, Tantalus Block 5 in British Columbia came up more than once, as did T Voetpad in Swartland, South Africa. There were many, many others nominated beyond these special mentions, but we’re confident that our final selection showcases a dozen truly great terroirs that everyone should know about – and better still, taste!

History and statistical data are happy to confirm this; long known as the ‘Grand vin des Goisses’, it was the 1951 vintage from this vineyard that was the first in Champagne to be sold bearing a ‘Clos’ label (some three decades before Krug’s Clos du Mesnil, its first vintage being 1979); and year in, year out, its average temperature is a full 1.5°C warmer than elsewhere in the region. The proximity to the river Marne means the sun reflects onto its imposing slopes (pictured) and allows an atypically thick shard of pure belemnite chalk to work its magic.

Thereafter, all is straightforward; a significant percentage of the wine is barrel-fermented, its sheer power and almost tannic rigour more than a match for the wood, and any inclination to a malolactic fermentation is denied. Intervention is not necessary as all the hard work has already been done in the vineyard, the precipitous slopes worked by a combination of winches, caterpillar carriers and an exceptionally fit and dedicated team! The wine rewards this effort with its sheer power (Pinot Noir dominates) and unparalleled longevity. Only the best of its 14 plots, all vinified separately, make the final cut.

But hang on a moment… it’s not a grand cru, so how can it possibly be the greatest vineyard? Charles is completely unfazed by such an observation, citing the fact that Champagne awards its crus to villages rather than specific sites, and that while Mareuil-sur-Aÿ is more than worthy of its premier cru status, there is one vineyard which sits head and shoulders above the rest, and that vineyard is Clos des Goisses. Nowhere else in Champagne does nature inspire nurture with such alchemical benevolence, thereby fully justifying the vineyard’s hard-earned reputation as the best of the best.

Gnarled 162-year-old Shiraz vines on Henschke’s Hill of Grace vineyard carry a vinous story like no other. Planted on original rootstock, their trunks thick with ancient wood that comprise only 25% living tissue, these fragile sentinels in Barossa’s Eden Valley are among few surviving relics to have avoided phylloxera – and they endure to produce fruit of extraordinary intensity and unique character.

Only half the vineyard is planted to Shiraz, with the six oldest blocks (planted in 1860, 1910, 1951, 1952, 1956 and 1965) included in Hill of Grace Shiraz. Each block is picked at different times around the full moon at Easter (later, significantly, than neighbouring Eden Valley and Barossa vineyards), yielding only about 2.5 tonnes of tiny berries per hectare (average yields for all varieties across Eden Valley in 2021 reached 5.0t/ha, according to Wine Australia’s November 2021 ‘snapshot’ report).

The site’s fragility – and Henschke’s exacting quality regime – saw no Hill of Grace produced in 2000 or 2011, just one barrel in 2003, and extremely tiny vintages in 2013, 2014 and 2020. But through this journey there are monumental peaks, including the phenomenal 2010 and 2015 vintages, capturing characteristic dried sage, Chinese five spice and black pepper notes atop vibrant blackberry, dark plum and juicy cranberry.

No question about it, Macharnudo is the great historical vineyard of Spain. It’s a word of Arabic origin, meaning ‘house on a naked hill’, so-called because the purity of the chalky soils meant it was only good for vines and olives. (Vine-growing for wine here dates back at least to the 13th century). Jerez is famed for this gleaming white albariza soil. It reaches its summit, in both senses of the word, in the legendary hill of Cerro del Obispo (136m) in Macharnudo.

The contemporary historians of the Marco de Jerez region and its traditions are winemakers Willy Pérez (from Jerez) and Ramiro Ibáñez (Sanlúcar de Barrameda). Pérez describes how, like a spider, eight ‘arms’ slope down from the Bishop’s Hill, each with one or more grand cru parcels. In the 19th century, Pedro Domecq named the central and northern sections as Macharnudo Alto (the southerly, Macharnudo Bajo). Pérez says: ‘The northeastern slopes [Alto] – which are cooler, fresher, with a little more clay – give fuller-bodied, more oxidative styles; wines from the more chalky, stressed, southern slopes [Bajo] have the electricity of Amontillado.’

Principal owners Puligny The Marquis de Laguiche (2.06ha, produced with Maison Joseph Drouhin); Bouchard Père et Fils (0.89ha); Domaine Boillereault de Chauvigny (0.80ha, produced with Maison Louis Latour); Domaine Ramonet (0.26ha); Chassagne Domaine Baron Thenard (1.83ha), Domaine de la Romanée Conti (0.68ha); Domaine Jacques Prieur (0.59ha); Domaine des Comtes Lafon (0.32ha); Domaine Marc Colin (0.11ha); Domaine Guy Amiot (0.09ha); Domaine Leflaive (0.08ha); Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard (0.08ha); Domaine Blain-Gagnard (0.08ha); Mlle Claudine Petitjean (0.05ha, farmed by Domaine Lamy-Pillot); Domaine d’Eugénie (0.04ha); Domaine Fleurot- Larose (0.04ha)

Montrachet grand cru remains an enigma. Without fail, it excels over its peers. Why are the wines so much richer, more complex, more intense – so much better – than even its most illustrious neighbours? The soil is relatively homogenous, composed of thin, brown soil atop a layer of calcium-rich marl underpinned by Bathonian limestone. The vineyard is split almost equally between the Puligny commune in the north and Chassagne in the south.

The wines produced in Chassagne are known as ‘Le Montrachet’, while those of Puligny are known simply as ‘Montrachet’. The vineyard takes its name from the rocky, fallow slopes above Chevalier-Montrachet. This hill, known as Mont Rachez since the 13th century, plays an important role in sheltering the vineyard from adverse weather conditions. The vineyard itself is located at mid-slope, which means that there is a perfect amount of soil (from 0.5m-1.5m), more than Chevalier-Montrachet (which can be slightly severe) above it, and less than Bâtard-Montrachet (which can be a bit heavy) below.

These minor differences are filtered through the lens of a diverse array of winemakers (see above). You will find a lengthier explanation of each of the five Montrachet appellations in our in-depth article from the October 2021 issue. Whichever Montrachet you choose will likely provide a remarkable consistency of absolute top quality that confirms Montrachet’s reputation as the nec plus ultra of white wine.

Finesse, elegance and expressive fruit have always been the traits that argue for the supremacy of Burgundy. The diverse region produces many superb wines, some quite powerful; however, some will say that the essence of Burgundy is not concentration but the combination of delicacy, seductive aroma and silky texture in a wine that can age for decades. The vineyard that most expresses this platonic ideal of Burgundy is the grand cru Musigny.

Stretching over three lieux-dits, the vineyard is not homogenous. Les Musigny at the northern end is the largest portion (nearly 6ha), overlooking Les Amoureuses to the east. At the top of the slope is white marl over oolitic limestone: Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé uses 0.65ha here to produce a white wine, the only grand cru white in the Côte de Nuits. Below this is a band of gravel made of hard Comblanchien limestone mixed with silt and clay that helps the vineyard drain. The bottom portion of the vineyard lies on this soil over fairly solid Comblanchien limestone.

To the south lies Les Petits Musigny. This entire lieu-dit is a monopole of de Vogüé, meaning it owns more than 65% of the appellation. Petits Musigny sits directly above the Clos de Vougeot on nearly pure slabs of Comblanchien stone. Adjoining Petits Musigny is a small section of Combe d’Orveau that is classified as grand cru. This section is a monopole of Domaine Jacques Prieur, added to Musigny in 1929 after a court case demonstrated that this wine had always been sold as Musigny. The Combe d’Orveau is a valley cut into the slope of the Côte d’Or that is cooler and located on alluvial soils washed down the valley over time. Vines in Combe d’Orveau can vary from grand cru to premier cru, village-level, and regional-level (‘Bourgogne’) appellations.

It was the silence and spiritual retreats, rather than the Malbec, that first attracted winemaker David Bonomi and agronomist Edy del Pópolo. But in 2013, while scaling a hillside beside the vineyard, a prophetic revelation struck del Pópolo: ‘I immediately fell in love with the soil… it was unlike any I’d seen in Argentina before – white!’ With up to 48% calcium carbonate, the chalky soils of this hill are unique. ‘I knew we had to plant vines there.’

That distinctive soil profile, in combination with the cool yet luminous mountain climate, yields wines of tension with chalky tannins, crunchy acidity, and intensity yet finesse. But PerSe’s sophistication is about more than a discovery of a great terroir. The wines also reflect the deep connection between del Pópolo and Bonomi, who have worked together for more than 20 years, and their collective and profound journey with Malbec in the Uco Valley.

Firstly, the soil: sticky, iron-rich blue clay dating back to an earliest estimate of 40 million years. It’s the same as is found beneath gravel soils elsewhere in the region, says Olivier Berrouet, estate director, but he adds: ‘Petrus is one of the few places where it’s both deep and at the surface. It shouldn’t actually be there.’ He describes it as an ‘anomaly’, albeit ‘a beautiful one’.

A top ‘plough’ layer of organic rich brown clay gives way to a secondary layer of the famous blue clay interspersed with red veins from oxidation of reduced iron elements in contact with ‘breathing’ vines. In dry conditions, this dense clay contracts and creates thin sheets through which roots can penetrate. Wet conditions then cause a rapid expansion, forcing the development of a ‘fishbone’-like root system that, rather than penetrating down, spreads out over a wider area, effectively increasing the potential exchange surface of the roots to a greater degree than in traditional deep-rooted vines.

Secondly, the mono-cépage nature of the vineyard contrasts with Bordeaux’s tradition of blending. ‘Here we have a direct expression of both the place and the potential of the vintage,’ Berrouet affirms. ‘You must deal with the only ingredient you have to make the best wine possible. There is no safety net to save you if you have an issue with the soil or variety.’ Strict selection plays its part, guaranteeing a certain level of quality, with roughly 70% of production making it into the grand vin.

There is a replanting programme at Petrus – about two-thirds of the current Merlot vines were planted in the 1950s, predating clonal selection, while the 1980s saw the introduction of massal selection for new vines (propagating cuttings from the best existing vine stock); however, vines are generally allowed to reach between 70-80 years of age before they are removed. Replanting is now at a higher density of 7,600 vines per hectare, compared to the previous level of 6,000.

Berrouet remarks on the speed with which the younger vines develop at Petrus, noting that ‘we are always amazed by the quality of the grapes after a few years’, and putting it down to the combination of Merlot and clay. The vines are proving to be very resilient, with even the younger plants appearing not to suffer during the heat of 2022, the wines retaining freshness and complexity. This may be down to the vines adapting to the new conditions, Berrouet speculates, perhaps in combination with changes in working practices such as shallower ploughing in the vineyards, selection of new vines to deal better with the warmer climate, and increased height of vine training. Half a hectare of Cabernet Franc that was uprooted after the 2010 harvest will be reintroduced from 2023, though it will be planted on a different plot.

Vineyard and winery efforts as a whole are dependent on vintage, with a tendency for less intervention. Petrus never seeks to ‘go too far’, and potential quality is judged by taste at the time of harvest, aiming to find ‘the right balance between aromatics and the structure to match the flesh and aromatic potential’ during vinification. The wine is typically aged in 50% new oak – each barrel steamed then filled with water for two weeks to reduce its impact – but the length of ageing can vary, according to how the vintage is tasting.

As one would expect, the higher sectors are cooler, the lower ones more prone to botrytis provoked by moisture from the river Thur below, and thus this is the source of some of the region’s greatest sweet wines alongside dry wines that are mineral and powerful. Pinot Gris is usually planted higher up, giving the wines their welcome acidity. The soils are also rich in minerals, with abundant magnesium and potassium. Those elements lie deep in the soil, and Olivier Humbrecht maintains that the vines need to be at least 15 years old to draw out those nutrients.

Vineyards have been documented here since the 13th century. Zind-Humbrecht is the largest proprietor, with its 6ha monopole the Clos Saint Urbain. But Schoffit is also a significant owner, with the slightly smaller (5.5ha) Clos Saint Théobald, which is planted to a density of 9,000 vines per hectare (regulations specify a minimum of 4,500 for Rangen). These enclosed vineyards are surrounded by dry stone walls that need constant maintenance. The Wolfberger cooperative in Eguisheim is also fortunate enough to control holdings of 4.5ha.

This majestic and steep hill rises to a lofty height, while at its foot stands the elegant manor house of the Scharzhof estate, which has belonged to the Müller family since 1798. Despite its renown, the hill was not planted until the mid-18th century. Egon Müller is closely associated with the vineyard, and his father, of the same name, established that the site was capable of producing trockenbeerenausleses and eisweins of extraordinary quality. These are among the most prized wines in Europe, and bottles of the TBA regularly fetch more than £10,000 (2010, £12,000 Corney & Barrow).

Scharzhof is easily the best-known producer here, with its 8.5ha, but superb wines are also made by Kesselstatt, Van Volxem, and sometimes by some of the other owners, too. In vintages with botrytis, the wines combine intense sweetness with racy acidity, and despite their ethereal structure can live for decades. The best sectors are mid-slope, as the highest sectors can be too old, and lowest ones too fertile.

Until 1971, the site consisted of just 18ha of vines, but was expanded to its present surface, which may explain why some sectors are less highly esteemed. Egon Müller admits he is at a loss to understand why Scharzhofberg is quite so exceptional, and modestly explains: ‘It’s a combination of small things.’ For Scharzhof itself, these include high-density plantings, many ungrafted vines, little water stress and blocks of vines far older than those belonging to its neighbours.

Graeme MacDonald, co-owner, winemaker and historian at MacDonald Vineyards – owner of a portion of To Kalon – points to the experiments conducted in To Kalon to find an American rootstock resistant to phylloxera as evidence of its history of national interest. MacDonald also notes that the wines Crabb produced won global accolades no matter the grape variety. Echoing MacDonald, grower Andy Beckstoffer says: ‘What proves a vineyard’s worth and exceptionality is when world-class wines are made year after year, not just by one winemaker.’

Despite shifting owners, legal disputes and differences in farming and winemaking, the Cabernet-based wines from To Kalon are consistently top-scorers. Andy Erickson of To Kalon Vineyard Company says the geological cocktail of volcanic, oceanic and alluvial soils lend classic Cabernet notes of ‘soft, velvety textures, dried herbs, cassis and blackberry’. Geneviève Janssens, chief winemaker for Robert Mondavi Winery, says the wines possess ‘a dynamic mouthfeel, with freshness and salinity’, owing to Napa’s Mediterranean climate and oceanic fog.

‘It is one of the mysteries of wine,’ declares writer and cartographer Alessandro Masnaghetti, who has painstakingly mapped the vineyards of Barolo (see enogea.it). He explains that Vignarionda ripens relatively early compared to other MGAs as it is protected by the frontal hills of Perno and Castelletto. Above all, Masnaghetti characterises Vignarionda as one of Barolo’s most uniform MGAs for its size, which explains the recognisable and distinct style across estates.

Moreover, the greatness of Vignarionda isn’t limited to a particular vintage or the age of the vines. The vineyard triumphs in challenging years, as shown by transcendent examples coming from hot and arid 2017 as well as wet and cool 2014. It yields impressive wines even from young vines, such as those of Ettore Germano and Guido Porro, while old-vine bottlings such as Giovanni Rosso’s Ester Canale and Poderi e Cantine Oddero capture the soul and profundity of this hallowed hill.

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Andrew Jefford has written for Decanter magazine since 1988. His monthly magazine column is widely followed, and he also writes occasional features and profiles both for the magazine and for Decanter.com. He has won many awards for his work, including eight Louis Roederer Awards and eight Glenfiddich Awards. He was Regional Chair for Regional France and Languedoc-Rossillon at the inaugural Decanter World Wine Awards in 2004, and has judged in every edition of the competition since, becoming a Co-Chair in 2018. After a year as a senior research fellow at Adelaide University between 2009 and 2010, Jefford moved with his family to the Languedoc, close to Pic St-Loup. He also acts as academic advisor to The Wine Scholar Guild.

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