You probably know that a Burgundian Chardonnay is going to taste different than a Bulgarian Chardonnay. And while climate, soil and the methods used to farm and craft that Chardonnay will shape the final product, so too will the little number that’s attached to the grape’s name.
We’re talking clones, and lots of ’em. There are thousands of grape varieties worldwide, and for more popular grapes like Chardonnay, there are dozens of registered versions, or clones, available.
Like jersey numbers in sports, certain clone numbers have become synonymous with excellence. For those keeping score, the Michael Jordan and LeBron James of the clone world are the Pommard and Dijon clones.
What are clones and why are they so diverse?
In an age of AI-induced anxiety, the notion of clones may give you the heebie-geebies. But propagating clones has been part of viticulture for centuries.
Grape growers take notice when certain vines seem to thrive in even the harshest and most challenging conditions, while their neighbors droop and wilt. Some form of massale selection, the ancient method to propagate the strongest and best vines, has been around since serious wine cultivation began. Growers take cuttings from these desirable vines, then graft and plant them.
But during the 19th century, the practice began to evolve. German growers began to propagate cuttings from promising vines over several generations to ensure they were viable, healthy, and could produce consistently delectable grapes and wines.
In the 1970s and ’80s, clonal research modernized. The release of numbered French clones developed in Burgundy with the University of Dijon and the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA). Today, universities and research institutions across the world manage and develop clones to create delicious, but also climate-resistant, varieties.
Here’s what wine lovers should know about clones, and where labeled, which ones to seek out.
Upgrading quality in newer wine regions
Cashmere is great, but you’re not going to want to wear it during August in Tampa. Wine growers, especially in up-and-coming regions, find that over decades, their first clones planted were either ill-equipped for the climate or not as capable of producing elegant, complex wines as today’s more widely available choices.
At Hermann J. Weimer Vineyard and Winery in New York’s Finger Lakes region, co-owner Oskar Bynke says that when the winery began to plant Cabernet Franc in 1999, it used Bordeaux mainstays 327 and 332.
But as their understanding of the grape’s potential in the Finger Lakes advanced, they sought out alternative clones.
“Over the last decade or so, we have started working with 214 from the Loire Valley, adding a dimension of darker fruit on the palate,” says Bynke. “Also, clone 623 from Bordeaux, which is less fruit-forward and adds a good contrast. Clone 312 from the Pyrénées offers more acid. And Clone 3 from Italy is a little more subtle, adding a touch of finesse.”
Over the past three decades, options have proliferated.
“Having a diverse range of clones helps because some are later budding, and others are more vulnerable to disease,” he says. “Hedging your bets means less vintage variation in the wines overall if one performs better one year, and another the next.”
The first commercial Pinot Noir from New Zealand’s Central Otago region was released in the late 1980s. Timbo Deaker, viticulturist and operations manager at Viticultura, attributes its initial and ongoing success to phenomenal access to a range of clones.
“Our relationship with Entav [now Entav-Inra, a national agency that develops and certifies clones under France’s Ministry of Agriculture] has meant that we have had the best access to the newest and most diverse range of Pinot Noir clones for a long time,” says Deaker.
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