Concannon Vineyard introduced its Clone Series with the 2014 Concannon Clone 7 Cabernet Sauvignon from the Chalk Hill AVA of Sonoma County.
The new Clone Series from Concannon highlights the winery’s Cabernet Sauvignon clones, which account for an estimated 80% of all California Cabernet Sauvignon vines. Based in the Livermore Valley, Concannon has over 130 years of family winemaking experience, and the Concannon Clone 7 Cabernet Sauvignon pays tribute to the winery’s lasting impact on the California wine industry.
“The legacy and complexity of the Concannon Clone 7 Cabernet Sauvignon harkens back to our family roots, while also showing our reach into prestigious grape growing regions outside of the Livermore Valley,” said John Concannon, the Fourth-Generation Vintner and Managing Director at Concannon Vineyard. “This wine is a tribute to my father, Jim Concannon, and his efforts to continually innovate, which not only helped grow Concannon Vineyard, but made a significant impact on the entire California wine region.”
In 1965, Jim Concannon propelled the family’s history of innovation by collaborating with UC Davis on a grapevine certification program that developed the Concannon Cabernet Clones 7, 8 and 11. These clones were developed from three cuttings taken from the “Concannon Mother Vine,” a single vine that was brought to Concannon Vineyard Estate from Château Margaux in 1893.
With an estimated 80% of California’s 90,000 acres of Cabernet now planted with the Concannon Clones 7, 8 and 11, the new Concannon Clone Series will highlight these three Concannon Cabernet Clones across various California appellations. As part of a continued commitment to the new Clone Series, Concannon Vineyard recently replanted a portion of its original vineyard with 18,500 Concannon Clone 7 vines.
Only 240 cases of 2014 Concannon Clone 7 Cabernet Sauvignon were produced and the wine is available with a suggested retail price of $90.