(Wines&Vines) - After a period of near-extinction, followed by modernization of trellising systems, the so-called Musqué clone has emerged as the leading Sauvignon Blanc selection in Monterey County’s Arroyo Seco AVA. 

Formally known as Sauvignon Blanc FPS 27, the Musqué clone came to the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of California, Davis, in 1962 as cuttings from the Viticoles d’Arboriculture Fruitiere, a viticulture station at Pont-de-la-Maye in Bordeaux. In 1967, the cuttings were planted in the Foundation Plant Services vineyard. Not long after, Curtis Alley, a UC Davis viticultural extension specialist, and Terrel West of Arroyo Seco Vineyards brought the clone to Monterey for a varietal trial