Alt+Wine

Not many people know about all the clones used in winemaking. While it would certainly be an interesting ethical dilemma if I was talking about HUMAN clones, I’m not. I’m talking about grapes. FRUIT CLONES, PEOPLE.

When (ok, let’s be honest, IF) you hear someone talking about grape clones again, just know this: grape clones are cuttings from an existing vine that share identical genetic information.

In this way, you can look at grapes like dogs (bear with me). Dogs are all one species - so are most winegrapes (vitis vinifera). Then there are breeds of dogs, like German Shepherd Dogs - and there are varieties of grapes, like Pinot Noir. Now, imagine if you cloned a German Shepherd named Bruce - you would have an exact copy of Bruce’s likes and dislikes, his behavior, his proclivity to chew your shoes, the scratching-spot on his belly that makes him thump his leg, you get the idea. If you had the ability to raise Bruce’s clone (we’ll call him Bruce II) in the exact same environment as Bruce, they would be exactly the same. Now, there’s no way you could produce exactly the same environment for Bruce II - it’s impossible - but you can try. And because it’s Bruce II, you will have a pretty good idea of how he’ll react to things.

It works the same with grapes. Grape clones have the same “behavior” as their original genetic bretheren - they respond well to the same weather conditions, soil make-up, are susceptible to the same pests, have similar flavor profiles, etc. However, just as it’s impossible to create an environment that is exactly the same for Bruce and Bruce II, it’s just as difficult to do so when growing grapes.

So with clones, you you have a general idea of how they will react and an understanding of what they CAN be, but there is almost no way to make them truly identical to the original (as anyone who has seen THE ISLAND and lived to tell the tale could tell you).

While the day I spent in Santa Maria, CA at Cambria’s vineyard & winery this week was generally awesome, my mind was blown by the story of a clone.

photo by Leah Hennessy © 2010 All Rights Reserved

As a good-to-know before reading on, grape clones are cuttings of existing vines that share identical genetic make-up. Meaning: take a famous vine in France, cut a piece off of it, stick it in the ground, grow a new vine from that. That new vine is a clone. Basically. (If you REALLY care to learn more about grape clones,  here’s some more info.)  Different clones have different characteristics, so producers that are planting vines pick clones based on what kind of wines they ultimately want to make. Got it?

While up at Cambria, I was able to learn quite a bit about the clones they chose to plant in their Pinot Noir vineyard (aka Julia’s Vineyard). I was able to learn this stuff because I kept interrupting owner Barbara Banke and winemaker Denise Shurtleff with questions. LOTS of questions. Fortunately, they were happy to answer. Or at least very patient with me. (I like to think it was the former.) While Cambria has several different clones planted throughout the vineyard, I was drawn to the story of clone 667.

I had the opportunity to try the Cambria’s 2007 Clone 667 in the tasting room - that’s when I fell for it. Barbara said her son has decided it should be called clone 666, and I have to agree. There really is something tempting and a bit sinful about it.

In the glass, I smelled what I would describe as a faint smokiness and ripe cherries -  maybe a cranberry or two. There was something I was smelling in the glass that made me stop and think for a second to try and identify it: sugar cookies. I swear. Well, I was ready for all of that when I took a sip but WAIT. The first thing I tasted in my mouth was the fruit - especially ripe blueberries! As it rolled around in my mouth I also picked up more of the cherry flavor, but also got some dark fruit, like blackberries, as well. It was very smooth, and the slight drying sensation of the tannins gave the wine a velvety feel. Just when I thought I had gotten everything this wine had to offer, I swallowed it. AND THERE IT WAS. The bacon. Just a teeny bit, and only once the wine had left my mouth, but it was definitely there. To add to everything, the finish (aka aftertaste) was pretty long and delicious. A wine with this many layers would be described as “complex” by the Wine Powers That Be. I was hooked.

After this tasting I heard the story of clone 667 at Cambria. Pinot Noir clone 667 tends to be a go-to for grapegrowers these days, and everyone at Cambria had high hopes for it. They first planted the 667 vines in 1998, and in 2002 they began their experiments with it as a wine. Back then, Denise described the wine as “animalistic.” In the glass, it smelled like meat - specifically bacon. “You would smell bacon, smoke, barbecue, even bacon fat,” she says. And though she loved what it brought out when blended with other clones in wine, it did not seem destined for the spotlight.

Until 2006. That’s when it grew up. All of a sudden, the wines made from grapes harvested in 06 started showing a fruity sexiness that simply wasn’t there before. After that, clone 667 was a star, complete with its own label and releases.

You gotta love a celebrity that remembers her roots - and the 2007 Clone 667 shows us where she comes from with that little bit of bacon at the finish. Once you know the story behind it, tasting Cambria’s 2007 Clone 667 is like listening to an underdog’s acceptance speech after winning the Oscar. You know what I’m talking about. When the brand new A-list celeb is clutching her statuette, marveling over the fact that 2 years ago she was living out of her car, and she’s thanking the manager at the 7-11 that let her park there overnight and use the bathroom. It’s like that. Only delicious.