Do old vines make better wines? (NZ)

How old is old and does it make a difference? I was amused to read the other day that a smart new range of single vineyard wines are the result of the maker’s 26 years crafting Pinot Noir, an exceptional vintage, and the age of the vines that produced the grapes to make them. The unashamed plug for what are, admittedly, some excellent wines, was right on the first two counts. But on the third, which suggests that the vines have been planted for quite some time and supports the widely held belief that older vines produce better wines … Sorry. Yet, to my knowledge these vines were planted only in 1998, writes Warren Barton in The Southland Times.