Clonal Identity in Viticulture: Selection, Inheritance, and Interpretation.
By Mitchell Rabinowitz
In viticulture, the term “clone” refers not to duplication in the abstract but to a deliberate decision to reproduce a vine that has shown particular promise. A clone is a genetically identical descendant of a single parent vine. It is not a different variety, but a variant within one, selected because it consistently expresses traits that growers value. These traits may include resilience to disease, moderate yields, aromatic purity, or a ripening profile that aligns with regional conditions. To select a clone is not to suppress variation, but to cultivate it with intention, shaped by observation and historical knowledge.
This practice is not new. Though the term “clone” is modern, the method dates to antiquity. Roman agricultural writers, including Columella and Pliny, described the use of cuttings to reproduce grapevines with reliable traits. In Burgundy, by the 18th century, monks and farmers were already favoring certain Pinot Noir vines for their quality and stability. Yet systematic clonal selection, as it is known today, began in the mid-20th century. Postwar agricultural institutes in France, Germany, and later the United States created formal programs to identify, evaluate, and certify clones. The goal was to bring scientific rigor to a process long based on intuition. The result was a catalog of plant material that growers could match to their site, their market, and their stylistic aims.
Clones are reproduced through vegetative propagation, a method of plant reproduction that avoids seeds entirely. Growers take a piece of an existing vine, typically a cane, which is the mature growth from the previous season, and root it to form a new vine. Because no pollination occurs, the genetic material is preserved exactly. The new vine is an exact match to the original. This technique ensures that once a vine with desirable traits is identified, it can be multiplied without alteration. Over time, entire vineyard blocks may be planted with the same clone, or with a combination of several, depending on the goals of the producer.
The process of formal clonal selection is lengthy. A promising vine is first observed for consistency. If it maintains its traits over multiple seasons, it is propagated and tested in evaluation plots, which are trial vineyards located in different environments. Here, scientists assess how the vine performs across climates, soils, and farming systems. If successful, it undergoes certification, a process regulated by national institutions such as ENTAV-INRA in France or Foundation Plant Services at UC Davis in the United States. Once certified, the clone is distributed through nurseries and enters commercial viticulture with a coded name. Examples include Dijon 115, a Pinot Noir clone known for red fruit character and fine tannins, or Clone 8, a Cabernet Sauvignon selection widely planted in California for its generous yields and ripe flavor profile.
Clones are not neutral instruments. They shape the vineyard’s expression. In cooler climates, early-ripening clones help ensure full maturity before harvest. In warmer zones, low-vigor clones, which produce less leafy growth and smaller canopies, help preserve acidity and delay sugar accumulation. Clones also differ in berry size, bunch compactness, and skin thickness, all of which influence wine structure. Some growers plant multiple clones within the same vineyard block, a defined section of vines managed as a unit, in order to create internal diversity. The resulting wine reflects this layering through different ripeness levels, aromatic tones, and tannic profiles, all sourced from the same variety.
There are also economic consequences to these decisions. Clonal choice influences not just wine style but profitability. Some clones are selected for high yields, better suited to volume production. Others offer lower yields but deliver greater concentration and aging potential. In regions where land is expensive or water is limited, a grower may favor clones that offer drought resistance or consistent harvest dates. In premium zones, clones known for elegance or aromatic intensity may command higher bottle prices. Clone 337, for instance, is favored in high-end Cabernet because of its structure and concentration, even though it may yield less than others. Clonal selection is thus a financial calculation as much as an agricultural one.
Yet the widespread use of clones is not without environmental risk. Because all vines within a clone are genetically identical, they share the same strengths and vulnerabilities. This can create monocultures that are more susceptible to new diseases or to changes in climate. A clone that thrives today may struggle tomorrow. In response to these concerns, some growers practice massal selection. This method involves taking cuttings not from one vine, but from a range of older, healthy vines in an existing vineyard. The goal is to preserve genetic diversity within the same variety. Each new planting contains a mosaic of slightly different expressions, which may provide greater resilience over time. Massal selection is less standardized than clonal planting and carries more variability, but many traditional producers believe it preserves vineyard identity in a way that cloned vineyards cannot.
For the wine drinker, clonal selection may seem like a matter for the vineyard or the cellar, not the glass. But in certain wines, it can play a meaningful role in what is ultimately tasted. A Pinot Noir made from Dijon Clone 113 may offer lifted red fruit and a light frame, while Pommard selections from the same site may yield darker tones and more pronounced tannins. A Napa Cabernet from Clone 337 may carry more structure and depth than one built on Clone 4, which tends toward broader fruit and higher yields. These differences do not replace site or winemaking, but they do shape the material from which the wine is made. For most wines, the grape variety provides sufficient context. But in wines that aim to express subtle differences in site, season, or style, knowing the clone can offer insight into how those choices were shaped. This is especially true when the winemaker uses multiple clones to layer complexity or when a particular clone is used to respond to climatic extremes. In such cases, clonal identity is not marketing language but a clue to the wine’s internal architecture.
To work with clones is to participate in a conversation between inheritance and place. It is a practice shaped by centuries of observation and decades of refinement. It allows for the alignment of plant behavior with environmental demand, economic reality, and stylistic intent. It also invites reflection on what is preserved and what is lost when precision becomes possible. Clones are not an endpoint. They are a tool of interpretation, a means of making the vineyard legible, and, at its best, expressive through the wine it produces.
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