Global warming is leading to an increase in the occurrence of drought periods, which negatively impacts crops. Using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxometry combined with water status measurements and omics approaches (metabolomics, ionomics, transcriptomics), we investigated the drought responses in young and mature winter oilseed rape leaves from plants subjected to progressive soil drought followed by a rewatering phase. In an original way, low-field NMR revealed the impact of the development-induced structural changes in mesophyll tissues on the leaf hydraulics response to water stress. Mature leaves showed progressive cell dehydration, whereas young leaves exhibited strong osmotic adjustment and putative variations in cell wall elasticity as part of an adaptive strategy promoting water-stress avoidance and post-drought recovery.