Wine · Terminology

Clone

A vine propagated from a single parent, selected for a specific trait — same variety, different personality.

A clone is a population of vines propagated vegetatively — by cuttings — from a single mother vine chosen for some desirable trait. Every vine in a clonal block is genetically identical to that parent. It is still the same variety: Pinot Noir clone 777 and Pinot Noir clone 115 are both Pinot Noir, but they behave differently in the vineyard and taste different in the glass.

Clones arise because vines mutate as they age. Over centuries a variety accumulates variation, and nurseries select from it: for yield, disease resistance, berry size, ripening date or aroma profile.

In practice

  • Clonal selection means planting one or a few identified clones — uniform, predictable, easy to farm.
  • Massal selection (sélection massale) means taking cuttings from many vines in an old, good block — genetically diverse, more complex, more work.
  • Clones are identified by number: Pinot Noir 115, 667, 777; Chardonnay 76, 95, 96; Sauvignon Blanc 297.
  • Clone is not the same as rootstock — nearly all vines are a clone grafted onto a rootstock.

Where you'll meet it

Clonal versus massal selection

Clonal Massal
Genetic diversity Very low High
Consistency High — uniform ripening Lower — ripens in waves
Disease status Certified virus-free Depends on the source block
Complexity claim Blend several clones to get it Built in
Cost and effort Low High

Many top estates now do both: a backbone of certified clones, plus massal material taken from their own oldest vines.

What growers select for

  • Yield — historically the dominant criterion, and the reason some 20th-century clones are now regretted.
  • Disease resistance, particularly to fanleaf and leafroll virus.
  • Berry and bunch size — smaller and looser is better for concentration and rot resistance.
  • Ripening date, increasingly chosen to delay harvest as climates warm.

Browse the full wine terminology A–Z →