Understanding the Language of Wine from Vineyard to Bottle

Wine lovers often hear terms like clone, rootstock, single-vineyard wine, and terroir. While they sound technical, these concepts are all connected to one simple idea: How a vineyard is planted influences the wine that ends up in the glass.

Vineyard and Block

A vineyard is an area of land planted with grapevines. Within a vineyard are smaller sections called blocks. A block is not a standardized measurement. Instead, it’s typically defined by a shared characteristic, such as soil type, elevation, slope, sun exposure, clone, or rootstock. 

In the Dundee Hills, for example, one block may be planted on the region’s signature volcanic Jory soils while another sits on marine sedimentary soils. By dividing a vineyard into blocks, growers can manage each area according to its unique needs and strengths.

Rootstock and Clones

Most grapevines today are grafted onto rootstock, the underground portion of the vine. Different rootstocks affect a vine’s vigor and ripening speed, helping growers match vines to specific sites. At Cramoisi Vineyard, they planted Chardonnay, a more vigorous grower than Pinot Noir, in an area with rockier, shallower soil to constrain it, which is helpful to the vine.

Above the rootstock is the fruiting vine itself. Within a grape variety like Pinot Noir, there are many clones, each genetically distinct from the next and propagated for specific characteristics.

“We try to match rootstocks and their vigor to specific places within the vineyard,” says Ryan McKay, co-owner and winemaker at Cramoisi Vineyard. “We have twelve blocks in our seven-acre vineyard, and each block has something unique, whether it’s a particular soil type or a steep slope. We choose clones and rootstocks that will either slow down or speed up the ripening process.” 

Each clone brings something different to a wine, and each has strengths and weaknesses according to McKay. Some produce intense fruit flavors, while others contribute structure or acidity. “When you put them together, you start to build more layered and complex wines,” says McKay. “That’s why clonal diversity is important. You’d never want to plant a vineyard of one clone.”

 

Terroir

All of these factors contribute to terroir, a French term meaning “sense of place.” Terroir includes the soil, climate, elevation, and even the vineyard’s clone and rootstock selections. It’s the reason the same grape variety can taste dramatically different depending on where it is grown in a vineyard. All grape varieties are influenced by terroir to some degree, but Pinot Noir is highly terroir-expressive, shaped by its place in the vineyard and the environmental conditions of the growing season.

Estate Blend, Single-Vineyard Wine, and Single-Block Wine

Once the grapes are harvested, winemakers decide how broadly or narrowly they want to express a place as they blend and bottle their wines.

An estate blend is made entirely from fruit grown on a winery’s own properties and may combine multiple blocks and clones for complexity and balance.

A single-vineyard wine comes from one vineyard, showcasing the character of a specific site.

A single-block wine is even more focused, using fruit from one distinct section of a vineyard. Because it relies on such a small area, it offers one of the clearest expressions of terroir by capturing a specific place, in a specific vintage, at a specific moment in time. A single-block wine may taste entirely different year to year, even though it’s made from the same vines. Mother Nature’s influence at work!