The Top Sonoma Pinot Noir Clones
The word “clone” makes some people uncomfortable. But in the wine world, clones aren’t members of some dystopian future society where everyone is exactly the same. They’re not even creepy lab-grown animals.
They’re ordinary (okay, extraordinary) wines that people drink every day. Or, more precisely, they’re the grapes that go into most of the best wines you can find. Your favorite restaurant’s wine list is almost certainly filled with wines made from cloned grapes.
Our wine-tasting menus at Roche Winery certainly are.
We’re proud to share that the Roche team uses some of the world’s most in-demand Pinot clones. We’re not alone. True to their reputation for world-class Pinot Noir, Sonoma County wineries are particularly well known for this wine-making niche.
So come along with us as we explore the top Sonoma Pinot Noir clones and share where to find them. Spoiler: Most are available at both our main production facility’s tasting room and our downtown Sonoma tasting room, or for purchase by the bottle online or in person.
Many of Sonoma’s top Pinot Noir clones originated in France during the mid-20th century. Others came from Germany and Switzerland.
Sonoma’s terroir is very different from the top Pinot-growing regions of France, and even more so from Germany and Switzerland. That means French or German or Swiss Pinot clones grown in our neck of the woods produce markedly different wines than those grown in their “original” soil. Yet because they’re genetically identical to the originals, their wines do have similar appearance, nose, body, finish and other characteristics.
Let’s take a closer look at the Pinot Noir clones we grow at our Tipperary and Longford Vineyards in the Sonoma Valley.
Pinot Noir Clones Grown at Our Tipperary Vineyard
We grow each of these Pinot Noir clones at our Tipperary Vineyard, which surrounds our main production facility:
Calera: Originally from France, though with somewhat unclear provenance, Calera is a Pinot “suitcase clone.” This means it was smuggled into the United States at some point in some enterprising grower’s travel bag. (No, technically you’re not supposed to do that; yes, we’re very grateful for whoever did.) Today, that’s water under the bridge, and Calera is recognized as one of the best Pinot clones for the Sonoma Valley’s unique terroir. It’s often mentioned in the same context as the “Chalone” clone, which comes from the same area of France and is so closely related as to be considered identical.
Swan: Hailing from Burgundy by way of the lower Santa Cruz Mountains southwest of San Jose, Swan is one of the oldest clones used by California winegrowers. The original U.S. planting occurred in the 1890s, although Swan wasn’t isolated and named until decades later. Swan-made Pinots tend to have big, bold fruit flavors and rich, lingering finishes.
Pommard: Also from Burgundy, Pommard was legally imported into the United States in the 1950s by pioneering UC Davis oenologist Harold Olmo. The terroir of the Sonoma Valley and Russian River Valley suit Pommard particularly well, and it’s one of the most popular clones in the region today.
2a: 2a hails from the Wadenswil region of Switzerland, on picturesque Lake Zurich. Though Wadenswil is much colder than the Sonoma Valley (or any low-elevation winegrowing region of California, for that matter), 2a thrives in cooler, moister Sonoma microclimates and offers the heady, zingy fruit flavors you’d expect from a cool-climate varietal.
828: 828 is a late-arriving suitcase clone originally from the vast Côte d’Or region of France. The relatively warm, dry climate of its homeland is not dissimilar from Sonoma’s, so it’s no surprise 828 does well here. And experienced winegrowers swear that 828 is easier to manage than other Pinot vines, thanks to a straight-growing profile and prolific fruit production.
777: 777 is another agreeable French clone, likely originally from Burgundy. It grows well in the Sonoma Valley, producing small, tannin-rich fruits that pop with color and take well to aging in the bottle.
Pinot Noir Clones Grown at Our Longford Vineyard
We grow these Pinot clones at our Longford Vineyard, which gives us some of our finest reserve wines.
Martini: Though its ancestral grapes almost certainly came from Burgundy in the late 19th century, Martini is essentially an American (and specifically Californian) creation. Its history in Sonoma dates back to a small experimental planting by Louis M. Martini with assistance from Harold Olmo. Those plantings came from a Napa Valley vineyard, which in turn sourced them from a Santa Cruz Mountains vineyard sometime in the 1930s.
667: 667 also originated in Burgundy, but much later, likely in the mid-20th century. It’s one of several dozen authorized French Pinot clones and one of a number of pedigreed “Dijon clones” now grown in Sonoma.
Note: We also have Pommard vines at our Longford Vineyard.
Where Else Can You Find the Top Sonoma Pinot Noir Clones?
Roche Winery isn’t the only Sonoma winery using world-class Pinot Noir clones. Some of our favorite producers do as well. Some have tasting rooms that don’t require reservations, so feel free to drop in and try for yourself.
Pommard: Up in Healdsburg, J Rochioli Wines extracts transcendent flavors from Pommard clones planted in vineyards overlooking the Russian River. Try the Rochioli Little Hill Pinot Noir. Nearby, Williams Selyem blends luscious Pommard and Dijon clones grown in the Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast AVAs to create a stunning cool-climate Pinot.
Swan: Whitehall Lane has several blocks of Swan grapes in its Sonoma Stage Vineyard, atop the Petaluma Gap. It reliably produces complex, even challenging Pinots with robust finishes — perfect pairings for hearty meals.
Martini: Woodenhead Wines regularly blends Martini and Pommard grapes from Ritchie Vineyards in the Russian River Valley AVA. Most years, that’s the end of it, but the occasional harvest brings a Martini vintage worth savoring on its own. That was the case in 2019, and maybe again soon?
Calera: Not content with Swan alone, apparently, Whitehall Lane’s Sonoma Stage Vineyard also produces excellent Calera clone Pinot Noirs. They’re complex and earthy, brimming with dark fruit flavors.
Are Clones More Important Than Terroir?
Let’s close with an attempt to answer the age-old question: Is grape pedigree more important than terroir?
In other words, what matters more: the clone or the environment?
The unsatisfying answer is, it depends. Or maybe: both.
Terroir has been incredibly important in winemaking and always will be.
Every soil is different. Literally, no two soils are exactly the same, even within the same vineyard.
Weather and climate are critical, both within and between growing seasons. A touch more fog one year, a blistering heat wave the next, too much smoke from distant wildfires the third: these things leave their impression on the harvest.
But clones are more important than they’ve ever been and will become even more so as viticultural science advances. Today’s winemakers have vastly more visibility into the genetic makeup and phenotypic characteristics (grape size, sugar accumulation, disease resistance, growth profile, and on and on) of each individual vine.
This means they’re in a much better position to make informed decisions around the vineyard. Decisions that, with skill and hard work, translate to more consistent, higher-quality wines.
That’s how the Roche Winery team sees it, anyway. Next time you’re in our neck of the woods, we’d love to share what we know with you — and what we’re still learning.