This one is a new one to me. I was tasting at Pig+Fig with Joe/Dustin/Laura some new wines from WillametteVllyVnyds (fairly impressed by the wines overall)
that are now handled by Southern. One of their Estate Chards was primarily made from the “Draper Clone”, a new one for me.
This “clone” (actually a “selection”) was planted in 1964 by DavidLett/Adelsheim, so it’s a clone that’s been in OR for quite some time. It originally
came from the DraperRanch (think Jerry Draper, not Paul Draper) in StHelena and went to LeeStewart (of his original SouverainWnry), who made
some incredible Chards in his day in the HowellMtn/NapaVlly. David harvested a bunch of the cuttings/prunings and took them to OR where he propagated them
in his first vnyd. These were then further propagated in many of the early OR Chard vnyds. So it’s an old-timey OR clone. Don’t see much reference to it
in Calif Chard vnyds. The Draper vines were harvested originally from the LouisMartini StanleyRanch/Carneros which was planted from French plant
material in the mid-'30’s.
Some of the details can be found here:
Apparently, the more recent Dijon clones (which were brought in early on & cleared thru OSU/Corvalis by JimBernau of WillametteVllyVnyds
are earlier ripening than Draper clone and felt more ideally suited for the WillametteVlly climate.
Tom, hopefully some of the wonderful Oregon producers on the board will provide some pertinent information, but please see the following link for a deeper dive about Chardonnay in Oregon via the Prince of Pinot:
A couple thoughts: There is a big difference between a clone and a selection. Many of the older/better vineyards were Draper selection vineyards - Eyrie, Abbey Ridge, Tualatin Estate to name a few, all made great Chardonnays in the 80s. One other mixed clone vineyard (probably the oldest in OR) is Clos Electrique. 108 clone Chardonnays can make great wine if properly pruned. The 2012 Brittan comes to mind, as does the Crowley Four Winds.
When we’ve done Oregon Chardonnay tastings over the last few years, the old vine wines, both 108 and Draper selection, tend to show better. Not to say that Dijon clone wines can’t do well, but generally the Eyrie/Cameron/Arterberry/Crowley wines have shown really well.
Yes, I thought that was covered in the POP article or generally understood.
And I was hoping that you would see this thread. I’ve always enjoyed your thoughts and our limited conversations about Oregon wines, especially Chardonnay. I was going to suggest to Tom that he may want to include Oregon in the thread title to increase views and discussion.
In the cuttings we received from John Paul, and grafted in at Whistling Ridge, Draper and cuttings originally from a massale block at Mt.Eden were the two largest groups. I’ve always been a fan of the Draper selection wines from Abbey Ridge and Eyrie.
But as the POP article inclines, issues with early Oregon Chardonnays were probably more due to vine age and lack of experience producing Chardonnay. There have been great examples up here for a long time. And as Rick said, at many of the tastings the older vine based wines do very well. As do producers who take their time with the wines.
The North Block acre of Chardonnay at Whistling Ridge is a mixed planting of 76, 96, Espiguette, and 108. That block already produces some very remarkable Chardonnay. I suspect the Cameron clones will also produce some really remarkable wines from there as well.
But to be fair, the Draper rows at Whistling Ridge were much closer to the ripening pace of the original block than I anticipated. But it was the first yesr of production for top grafted fruit. We’ll see how it goes this year.
Tualatin, RIP, had a Draper clone chardonnay vineyard and the early Hamacher Chardonnays came from that vineyard.
What was The Draper vineyard is now owned by the Spring Mountain people. It was responsible for some great chardonnays but it seems like Pierce’s Disease loves the neighborhood.
Don’t know what happened to it.
We’ve added Draper clone to the mix at Armstrong, which is mostly Mt. Eden clone (scion wood for Clos Electrique), and smaller numbers of l’Espiquette, Musqué and Dijon 76. Our first chards were just released (Recently Tasted 2018 California & Oregon Pinot Noir | The PinotFile: Volume 12, Issue 15) but our Draper vines won’t be harvested for a few years yet…
cheers
I’ve never worked with Draper but I’m a big fan of 108, which is featured in my Chardonnay Tardive bottling. I find the acidity and frame of the wine really wants a year and a half elevage on the lees. I used to bottle my Chard only after 10 or 11 months but the 108 essentially made me create the Tardive designation. Some things can’t be rushed.
