California Old Vine Wines: 11 Best to Try Now

California’s historic vineyards, some dating back to the 1800s, are prized for the unique character they impart to wine, often exhibiting deeper, wilder flavors and increased resilience to extreme weather.

Old Vines and Unique Blends

Many older plantings are “field blends,” featuring a variety of grapes planted together, a practice common before varietal planting gained favor after World War II. A wine labeled as a single variety, such as Zinfandel, may contain 15 to 20 other varieties, contributing to a unique complexity tied to the specific vineyard. California law requires only 75% of the listed variety to be present in a wine.

Resources for Old Vine Enthusiasts

The Historic Vineyard Society maintains a registry of vineyards originally planted at least 50 years ago, scattered throughout the state with concentrations in Sonoma County and the Sierra Foothills. The society’s 50-year benchmark is a useful guideline, as there is no legal definition for “old vines.”

Featured Old Vine Wines

2022 Cline Family Cellars Ancient Vines Zinfandel ($22)

Contra Costa County remains a source for old-vine fruit, despite increasing development pressures. This deeply plummy, potent Zinfandel utilizes fruit from century-old vines in the area.

2022 Marietta Family Series Nadi Riesling ($26)

The Wirz Vineyard in Cienega Valley features 60-year-old Riesling vines, surprisingly never replanted with more lucrative varieties. These vines produce a green-appley, flinty, dry white wine.

2024 Birichino Bechthold Vineyard Old Vines Cinsault ($29)

The Bechthold Vineyard, planted in 1886, is believed to have the oldest Cinsault vines in the world. The vineyard is farmed organically and without irrigation, yielding a shimmering, light-bodied, peppery red wine.

2024 Foxen Ernesto Wickenden Vineyard Old Vines Chenin Blanc ($34)

This small plot of Chenin Blanc in Santa Barbara County, planted in 1966, continues to thrive. The resulting wine is a compellingly floral, luscious white suitable for any time of year.

2024 Bedrock Compagni Portis Heritage White ($35)

This wine is produced from a 1950s-era gem in Sonoma Valley, planted with a host of different varieties including Gewurztraminer, Trousseau Gris, and Riesling. It produces a medium-bodied, floral white with notes of melons and green apples.

2023 Turley Old Vines Zinfandel ($34)

Turley Vineyards played a key role in popularizing old-vine Zinfandel in the 1990s. This bottling uses grapes from vineyards in Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, Lodi, Contra Costa, Amador and Paso Robles, all planted 50 to 130 years ago.

2023 Ridge Benito Dusi Vineyard Zinfandel ($44)

Ridge Winery has a long-standing relationship with the Dusi family, dating back to 1967, and sources Zinfandel from their vineyard, planted in 1923. The resulting wine is a luscious, peppery red.

2023 Scherrer Old & Mature Vines Zinfandel ($44)

Winemaker Fred Scherrer’s family has farmed in Sonoma County’s Alexander Valley since the late 1800s, with vines for this bottling planted in 1912. The wine combines elegance with intense flavors of wild blackberries and raspberries.

2023 Nalle Old Vine Zinfandel ($52)

This complex, spicy red from Nalle in Sonoma’s Dry Creek Valley is a blend from four different old vine plantings dating back to 1924.

2023 Once & Future Wines Old Hill Ranch Zinfandel Sonoma Valley ($55)

Once & Future owner Joel Peterson founded Ravenswood Winery with a belief in the potential of old-vine Zinfandel. This wine is produced from the historic Old Hill Ranch, planted in 1852 with Zinfandel and other varieties.

2020 Hanzell Ambassador’s Vineyard Chardonnay ($125)

Planted in 1953 by Burgundy enthusiast James Zellerback, the Chardonnay vines at Ambassador’s Vineyard are the oldest in California. The winery produces only 75 cases annually, available directly from Hanzell, and offers a nuanced, intensely concentrated expression of California Chardonnay.