Ancient Vines

Description

Some vineyards are simply fields. Others are living archives.

The vines in this collection have survived phylloxera, civil wars, forgotten harvests and changing fashions. Some have been worked by the same families for generations. One has been cultivated since the 14th century. One has not seen a tractor since 1935 — a mule still turns its soil today.

Old vines do not produce more wine. They produce less. Deeper-rooted, lower-yielding, more demanding in the vineyard and more rewarding in the glass. The bunches are smaller. The concentration is greater. The result is a kind of flavour that younger vines simply cannot replicate — a density, a complexity, a sense of somewhere specific.

This is one of the most significant collections of old vine Spanish wine available from any European online retailer. Century-old Tempranillo in Rioja Alta. The only 100% Garnacha de Toro in existence. A rare Garnacha Peluda rated 93 points by James Suckling, made in just 6,000 bottles. Vines in Dicastillo, Navarra, first cultivated in the 14th century.

These are not marketing claims. These are the facts of the soil.

The older the vine, the more it has to say.

Why Old Vines Produce Exceptional Wine

Ancient vines develop root systems that reach metres deep into bedrock, accessing water and mineral complexity that younger vines never find. The vine stops competing for survival and begins expressing its terroir with total clarity. Low natural yields concentrate every element of flavour into fewer, smaller grapes. The result is wine that is deeper, more layered, and fundamentally more interesting.