On French wine labels you may see the words ”vieilles vignes”. This means “old vines”. Winemakers are proud of the fact that their wine is made from the fruit of old vines.
Some people think it is unfortunate to have come to the point in life when they are retired and receiving pension, like grumpy old men. Why are they grumpy? Perhaps they surmise that they are surrounded by inconsistent adolescence upstarts. They are done with their productive careers. This is not true of our mature vines.
In Japan the elders are treated with reverence, as are our ancient vines here at Plaisance. One of our fields has vines over 100 years old. These senior citizens not only deserve our respect, but they make better wine.
Like very mature people, they have had to resilient and adapt over time, in short, they are wiser. Their massive roots go deeper and extract more minerals from the soil. I think that sometimes the secrets are underground. They have thick trunks and so much wood. These vines are naturally low yielding and hence the grapes have more concentrated flavours. If a vine has lived over 100 years, it is indicative that they were planted in the perfect place, therefore produce the finest fruit. They attest to a perfect match of vine, soil, and climate.
I wish each one could tell me their story. They inspire me.
I can imagine their faces; Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau in the 1993 film, Grumpy Old Men.
