Pinot Noir: Swan Clone
One of California’s most intriguing Pinot Noir clones, the Swan Clone comes with a little mystery attached. Its origins are uncertain, although there is a long-standing belief that it may have come from the legendary vineyards of Romanée-Conti in Burgundy.
The clone was brought to the United States by Joseph Swan and was originally planted in California’s Russian River Valley, where it found a particularly happy home.
WillaKenzie Winery describes Swan Clone Pinot Noir as “bright and rich.” And perhaps that’s part of its charm: a clone with a mysterious Burgundy lineage, a Russian River home, and a personality that balances brightness with richness.
Pinot Noir: Mt. Eden Clone
One of California’s oldest Pinot Noir clones, the Mt. Eden clone has roots reaching back to Burgundy. It was reportedly brought to California in the late 19th century by Paul Masson from one of Louis Latour’s vineyards in Burgundy.
The clone has an especially interesting California history. It was used to plant the famed Sanford & Benedict Vineyard in the early 1970s, with subsequent cuttings helping establish Pinot Noir at Lafond in the early 1980s. Melville Winery later procured budwood from Lafond in 1998.
The Mt. Eden clone is known for producing deeply colored, rich and structured Pinot Noir, bringing a darker, more powerful character to the wine.
As Melville Winery describes it, the clone is “very dark and rich” and offers “tremendous bass tones to the wine.”
Source: Melville Winery
Pinot Noir: La Tâche Clone
A little Burgundy magic in California.
The La Tâche clone traces its lineage back to one of Burgundy’s most celebrated vineyards, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s legendary La Tâche. Known for its perfume, elegance, and depth, this clone brings a distinctly graceful side of Pinot Noir to the glass.
Think violets, red berries, silky texture, and a little woodland mystery. It’s the sort of Pinot that feels less like it is shouting for attention and more like it has left a trail of flowers through the forest and expects you to follow.
Pinot Noir: Clone 828
A relative newcomer with plenty of personality.
Pinot Noir Clone 828 is a French selection known for producing wines with deep color, generous fruit, and plenty of richness. In the vineyard, it tends to produce smaller clusters and smaller berries, helping create concentrated, expressive wines.
In the glass, 828 can bring dark cherry, blackberry, plum, spice, and velvety texture to Pinot Noir, giving the grape a little extra muscle without losing its graceful side.
Think of it as Pinot Noir with its sleeves rolled up: lush, dark-fruited, and quietly powerful.
Pinot Noir: Clone 115
Alex Fondren from All The Swirl writes:
“The 115 is known for imparting rose petal, red cherry, black raspberry, and sometimes leathery or anise aromas. It produces a medium- to full-bodied wine, with soft tannins. Other vintners have called 115 ‘chimeric,’ a word from Greek mythology that suggests it is quite adaptable and works differently from site to site. It has been said that at lower crop yields, clone 115 can produce a seamless, Burgundian-style wine all on its own.”
Clone 115 is one of the clones on this list that I’ve had the chance to taste on its own, without being blended, and no matter where it comes from, I seem to find the same unmistakable character: what I call “Pinot Funk.”
For me, it’s this wonderfully weird and alluring nose of shiitake mushrooms. Sometimes they smell freshly sautéed in butter, and other times they seem to have been plucked straight from the forest floor. Somewhere beneath all that earthy mushroomy goodness, there’s a softer, more perfumed side, with hints of raspberry and rose petal.
It’s earthy, floral, a little funky, and completely captivating. Basically, Pinot Noir doing its best impression of a forest fairy.
Pinot Noir: Calera Clone
A little California Pinot Noir mystery wrapped in Burgundy folklore.
The Calera Clone traces its story to Josh Jensen, founder of Calera Wine Company, who began planting Pinot Noir on the limestone-rich slopes of Mount Harlan in the 1970s. But the origins of the budwood he used have remained a bit of a wine-world mystery.
The most famous version of the story suggests that Jensen obtained Pinot Noir cuttings connected to Domaine de la Romanée-Conti in Burgundy, possibly through Chalone Vineyard. However, the exact history has never been definitively established. Other research points to Chalone as the source of the material, with the original French lineage itself remaining uncertain.
Whatever its mysterious beginnings, the Calera selection became an important California heritage selection, eventually finding its way into vineyards throughout California. It is generally associated with low yields, juicy acidity, mineral character, and concentrated fruit.
In the glass, Calera Clone Pinot Noir can show dark cherry, raspberry, plum, earth, spice, and floral notes, with examples ranging from rich and plush to bright and beautifully structured.
So perhaps the best way to describe Calera is this: a California Pinot with a Burgundian rumor following it around like a very persistent little ghost. 👻🍷
Sources:
Calera Wine Co. – Josh Jensen biography
The PinotFile – Understanding Pinot Noir Clonal Diversity
The PinotFile – Heritage Clones of Pinot Noir
Testarossa – What Is a Grape Clone and Why Does It Matter?
Pinot Noir: Clone 23
Pinot Noir Clone 23, also known as the Mariafeld clone, is a Swiss selection that arrived at UC Davis from Wädenswil, Switzerland, in 1966. Unlike many traditional Pinot Noir selections, Mariafeld is known for its notably large, loose clusters and larger berries. It has also been associated with relatively generous yields, although its performance can vary from site to site.
In the glass, Clone 23 can take on a darker, richer personality. Cambria's Clone 23 Pinot Noir shows blueberry, blackberry, spice, and mocha, with firm but balanced tannins.
A Swiss-born Pinot with a distinctly California chapter in its story. 🇨🇭🍇
Sources:
UC Davis Foundation Plant Services
Cambria Estate Winery
Cheers!
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