Term
Clone
klohn
The same grape, different settings
A genetically identical cutting selected for a trait: tighter bunches, looser bunches, more perfume, more color, earlier ripening. Pinot Noir is a clone museum.
Dijon clones, Pommard, Wädenswil, Swan, Calera — Pinot growers speak clone the way chefs speak variety of tomato. Massal (massale) selection is the old way: taking cuttings from many outstanding vines in a vineyard, keeping diversity.
Clones matter, and they are not destiny. Site, crop level, and the cellar still write most of the bottle.
When a label boasts a clone, ask whether the site deserved it.
