Walls: Roussillon’s old vines are its best drought defence

According to Antoine Lespès, research and development manager at Domaine Lafage just outside Perpignan, the average rainfall at this Roussillon estate between 2010 and 2023 was just 550mm per year. These last few years have been particularly dry: in 2021 and 2022 there was 340mm. In 2023, just 240mm – ‘like Marrakesh,’ says Lespès.

Thankfully, Roussillon has a natural defence against drought: 50% of the region’s vines are over 50 years old. Old vines with deep, well-established root systems pump water from below the ground, instead of relying exclusively on that which falls from the sky. And this is just one advantage of having plenty of venerable old plants.

Scroll down to see notes and scores for 20 old vine wines to try

Stubborn and resilient

Mas Llossanes is located on the western edge of Roussillon; with vineyards ascending to 700m altitude, it’s one of the highest estates in France. Owner Dominique Génot has some vines aged up to 80 years old, and he says ‘resilience is their number one advantage.’ In drought years, it tends to be older vines that perform the strongest.

He adds that ‘the production is much more stable – the same level of quality and quantity’ from year to year. Old vines are also less likely to suffer from disease as they produce smaller, looser, better ventilated bunches.

Small bunches and little berries make for concentrated wines – a greater proportion of skins to juice means more colour and more tannin. So wines made from old vines can be particularly powerful and long-lived.

The drawback is that gnarly old trunks are expensive to work and maintain, requiring dedicated manual work and attention. ‘Old vines are like stubborn old men,’ says Benoît Danjou, co-owner of Domaine Danjou-Banessy in Espira-de-l’Agly, ‘they give what they want’ and can be difficult to manage.

They also produce smaller yields – meaning either that growers make less income, or that we as consumers have to pay a premium.

Better wine?

If the wines are better, then most of us are happy to pay a little extra. But do older vines really produce better wine? Concentration is not always a positive – particularly if a style of wine is already dense and muscular. A little fluidity and juice can be useful in creating drinkability and balance.

In fact, not all growers favour old vines. Hervé Bizeul of Domaine du Clos des Fées in Vingrau uses relatively young vines for his top cuvée Le Clos de Fées, while his oldest vines (50 to 100 years old) go into his more affordable Vieilles Vignes bottling.

Looking outside the region, one of the greatest winemakers of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Henri Bonneau, preferred vines of around 30 years old – when they got much older, he’d pull them out and replant. And Troy van Dulken, vineyard manager at Kilikanoon in Clare Valley, says ‘once a vineyard is at 15 years old, I think it’s at its peak.’

Van Dulken points out that some cultivars age better than others. Syrah and Grenache can live to a ripe old age, whereas he’s more likely to pull out Cabernet Sauvignon at 30 to 40 years old. Carignan is another variety that can age impressively. Domaine du Lendemain in Roussillon has some pre-phylloxera vines planted in 1880 that are still producing fruit.

The taste test

There’s undoubtedly something special about drinking bottles produced from such ancient plants – like drinking very old vintages, there’s a feeling of being closer to history. But can we distinguish between young and old vine cuvées by taste alone?

There’s certainly no identifiable flavour as such. But there is often a sense of depth, resonance and vinosity with wines drawn from old vines. Rather like organic and biodynamic certification, old vines are ‘a sign of quality – but not a guarantee,’ to quote Bizeul.

‘A young asshole will become an old asshole,’ he says; just because a vine is old doesn’t make it good. But if a plant has survived for a century, it suggests that the wine it makes is special enough to have warranted its long-term cultivation and nurturing. Otherwise it would have been pulled out long ago.

These old warriors have seen many changes in Roussillon. The rise and fall of aperitifs like Byrrh, of sweet Muscats, of vins doux naturels, of Parkerised reds… let’s hope they can survive the climate turmoil of the 21st century.

20 old vine wines to try:

The wines below are made from vines at least 60 years old. Wines are listed by style then score.

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• Walls: Domaine Danjou-Banessy, rising star of Roussillon
• Walls: Chasing freshness in Ventoux