The correct alignment of rows indicates easier maintenance. A closer look at the layout of older vineyards, it is not uncommon to find unaligned rows or incomplete sections in the middle, all indicators of poor set-up. Similarly, older vines tend to be more spread out, crooked, and therefore increasingly difficult to maintain in a qualitative manner.
A well located in the middle of a Château Latour plot
A most constraining factor is an elevated vine height. An unfavorable pruning history can cause the individual vines heights to increase over time.
Occasionally, a decision is made to redraw plot boundaries to modernize the geological units or to facilitate vineyard management logistics. These are not the upmost important criteria when deciding uprooting but they can factor into the decision-making process.
Annual survival rates should be considered. If there are an increasing number of dead plants per year, it is an additional indicator to grub up a plot. A low success rate when replacing vine stalks is also problematic because it means that production sustainability is not guaranteed.
A low survival rate is very often due to excessive water or nitrogen competition. In instances involving many heavily infected plots, contamination by the grapevine fanleaf can be very rapid.
Penguin foot vines or One-armed vines
In some cases, it is also necessary to take into consideration so-called "one-armed" plants. These vines are characterized by the vine's removal of one structural elements due to a lack of monitoring or disease… For example, when there is a single Guyot, with a spur but not the cane. Or in the case of a double Guyot, where one arm is missing...
Although this is often temporary for any single vine, if substantial amounts of one-armed vines are located on one plot, this can indicate an overall weakening that decreases production potential for the plot and therefore its profitability.
Sometimes among older vine plots, there is one main grape varietal majority planted with a few other varietals mixed among the vines. For example, in Bordeaux, a classic instance would be to have Merlot and Cabernet Franc planted among the Cabernet-Sauvignon vines.
During harvest these plots require multiple passes through the rows to correctly harvest the plot's grapes.
In Burgundy, one might find some Gamay teinturier or Chardonnay on a plot of Pinot Noir. In such instances, the vines are generally uprooted and steadily replanted as they are discovered. The plantation standards 60 years ago lacked the same rigor as is employed today.
A plot’s heterogeneity is defined by the combination of young plants, mixed plants, diseased plants, as well as any significant differences in vigor... A very heterogeneous plot is significantly more difficult to manage. One must plan to make multiple passes through the vines during wire lifting as well as during harvest.
When the vine plot's issues relate to root asphyxia or rot problems, drainage of the plot can potentially improve the soil’s water regime.
Often, the renovation of low walls on terraced plots is necessary or the plot may need to be levelled to make it viable. A complete or partial uprooting of the plot may be the best option to best accomplish any extensive renovation tasks.
Renovating a wall at the Domaine d'Eugénie