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Es 10 18 14

Overview

ES-10-18-14 is an unreleased, white-fruited Elmer Swenson selection (an interspecific hybrid), still traveling under its breeding code. It shows up quietly in cold-climate plantings from Quebec to Nova Scotia, often as part of experimental blocks or blends. Montreal’s urban winery Lieux Communs has bottled it alongside La Crescent, Itasca and Roland in Saint‑Eugène‑de‑Grantham, Quebec, while a Nova Scotia grower lists it among whites planted with L’Acadie, Geisenheim and Osceola Muscat. (lieuxcommuns.ca)

Origin & Breeding

Swenson’s breeding notebook (compiled by collaborators after his death) records ES‑10‑18‑14 as a cross of ES 5‑6‑64 × ES 3‑16‑21, both Swenson lines. ES 5‑6‑64 itself derives from ES 634 × Chardonnay; ES 3‑16‑21 from ES 643 × Cabernet Sauvignon—an ancestry that hints at notable Vitis vinifera content within a cold‑climate framework. The same compilation lists ES‑10‑18‑14 as a white (“blanc”) hermaphrodite. While release dates aren’t given for this code, it sits among Swenson’s “10‑series” selections from his Wisconsin program. (chateaustripmine.info)

Climate Adaptation & Hardiness

Growers who’ve put ES‑10‑18‑14 into the ground tend to be in places with real winters. Lieux Communs farms their experimental parcel in Saint‑Eugène‑de‑Grantham, in Quebec’s Centre‑du‑Québec; Natural Resources Canada maps Drummondville (nearby) at Zone 5a on the updated Canadian hardiness scale (1991–2020). Farther north, La Bonté DiVigne grows ES‑10‑18‑14 at Roberval in Saguenay–Lac‑Saint‑Jean, mapped at Zone 3a—about as “boreal” as Quebec vineyards get—where they credit snow cover for vine survival. A Nova Scotia planter includes ES‑10‑18‑14 in a mix built for that province’s cool, maritime conditions. Specific lethal‑temperature data for ES‑10‑18‑14 hasn’t been published in extension trials we could locate; the on‑the‑ground pattern so far is “it’s being tried in Zones ~3–5.” (lieuxcommuns.ca)

Phenology

At Saint‑Eugène‑de‑Grantham, Lieux Communs frames the block that includes ES‑10‑18‑14 as “new, early‑ripening, frost‑resistant hybrid grape varieties,” and for their 2024 orange wine they describe the blend’s La Crescent and Roland as “hasty [early] and semi‑aromatic,” with ES‑10‑18‑14 contributing lemon/herbal tones; the ES‑10‑18‑14 share received a short carbonic maceration before fermentation. There’s no variety‑specific GDD or calendar dates published for ES‑10‑18‑14, but these cellar notes place it comfortably among early picks in that site. (lieuxcommuns.ca)

Growth Habit

Formal training and pruning guidance hasn’t been published for ES‑10‑18‑14; growers are writing the playbook as they go. In Saguenay–Lac‑Saint‑Jean, La Bonté DiVigne calls ES‑10‑18‑14 (and its sibling ES‑10‑18‑30) “faciles à cultiver au Lac St‑Jean” with “excellente productivité” and “belle structure,” which reads as cooperative growth and reliable cropping in a Zone‑3 setting. Sex is reported as hermaphrodite in one Swenson lineage index, simplifying fruit set relative to pistillate Swenson types. (labontedivigne.com)

Disease & Physiological Issues

Published disease ratings specifically for ES‑10‑18‑14 are scarce. One Quebec/Midwest pathology study did classify its white sibling ES‑10‑18‑30 among the more anthracnose‑tolerant hybrids under inoculation, while several other cold‑climate whites (e.g., Traminette, Marquette) were “highly susceptible”—but ES‑10‑18‑14 itself was not evaluated in that paper. Growers we found don’t yet report a consistent physiological “gotcha” (e.g., shelling, slip‑skin, splitting) tied directly to ES‑10‑18‑14; that absence likely reflects low acreage and very recent plantings rather than proven durability. (agris.fao.org)

Fruit Composition & Sensory Profile

In Lieux Communs’ two bottlings from this parcel, ES‑10‑18‑14 is positioned as the aromatic/spiced, lemon‑and‑herb piece of the blend. Their 2024 Saint‑Eugène Blanc—an orange wine—was bottled at 10% alc., with ES‑10‑18‑14 receiving carbonic maceration; their 2023 Saint‑Eugène pét‑nat tasting notes (from the importer) lean “vegetal, lifted,” citing pine‑resin spice, jalapeño‑like green, and sweet peach tea alongside salty minerality. At La Bonté DiVigne, the grape (with ES‑10‑18‑30) is said to bring “notes de pomme et de miel.” Those read as two different sets of descriptors—from citrus‑herbal and spice toward apple‑honey—depending on site and winemaking. We did not find published Brix/pH/TA numbers for ES‑10‑18‑14. (lieuxcommuns.ca)

Winemaking Approaches

Lieux Communs has used ES‑10‑18‑14 in two distinct ways: - Carbonic maceration on ES‑10‑18‑14, with the other whites destemmed and macerated, then barrel fermentation for an orange wine bottled at 10% alc. (2024). (lieuxcommuns.ca) - Short carbonic maceration followed by bottle fermentation and six months on lees for a pét‑nat, later disgorged (2023, importer notes), where ES‑10‑18‑14’s “aromatic, spiced” character is emphasized. (grapewitches.com)

These choices suggest wineries are treating ES‑10‑18‑14 as the volatility/terpene‑leaning component in blends, with skin and carbonic techniques used to tease texture and lift. No enology trials on SO2 sensitivity, protein haze or cold stability for ES‑10‑18‑14 have been published yet.

Example Styles & Uses

  • Quebec orange wine: Saint‑Eugène Blanc (Lieux Communs) blending ES‑10‑18‑14 with La Crescent, Itasca and Roland; ES‑10‑18‑14 portion handled carbonically. (lieuxcommuns.ca)
  • Quebec pét‑nat: “St Eugene” (Lieux Communs), again with ES‑10‑18‑14 present; importer notes highlight spice, green‑herbal lift. (grapewitches.com)
  • Quebec traditional‑method sparkling (context): Domaine Bergeville’s L’Intégrale listed just 1% of sibling ES‑10‑18‑30 among a hybrid blend—evidence that the 10‑18 family can slip into sparkling frameworks in the province, even at trace levels. (lefrigodebacchus.com)

Open Questions & Conflicting Reports

  • What does ES‑10‑18‑14 taste like on its own? Montreal’s Lieux Communs leans citrus‑herbal/spice in skin‑contact/carbonic contexts, while La Bonté DiVigne up north reports apple‑honey. That’s a striking stylistic spread that could be site, season, or cellar. (lieuxcommuns.ca)
  • How hardy is it, truly? The vine is being grown from Zone 3a (Roberval) to 5a (Drummondville area), but we haven’t found controlled LT50 bud‑hardiness data or extension bulletins specific to ES‑10‑18‑14. (planthardiness.gc.ca)
  • Disease profile? ES‑10‑18‑30 tested “resistant/slightly susceptible” to anthracnose in one study; ES‑10‑18‑14 wasn’t in that dataset. Extrapolating between siblings would be risky without trials. (agris.fao.org)
  • Vineyard mechanics? A Swenson lineage listing calls ES‑10‑18‑14 hermaphrodite, while another Swenson index leaves the sex field blank—small inconsistencies that matter to growers planning pollination but likely reflect data aggregation rather than biology. (chateaustripmine.info)

References

  • Grapebreeders (ibiblio), “Elmer Swenson’s Page” — parentage list showing ES‑10‑18‑14 as ES 5‑6‑64 × ES 3‑16‑21, white berry color. https://www.ibiblio.org/grapebreeders/slarsen/Grapebreeders/ES_parent.htm (ibiblio.org)
  • Chateau Stripmine (compiled Swenson records), entry listing ES‑10‑18‑14 (Blanc, hermaphrodite) and detailing parents: ES 5‑6‑64 = ES 634 × Chardonnay; ES 3‑16‑21 = ES 643 × Cabernet Sauvignon. https://chateaustripmine.info/Breeders/SwensonE.htm (chateaustripmine.info)
  • Guide Ampelo / CRAAQ, “Identification Guide of Grapevines Grown in a Cold Climate — Wine grapes” — table of contents includes detailed sheets for E.S. 10‑18‑14 (Quebec ampelography reference). https://www.craaq.qc.ca/en/Publications-du-CRAAQ/identification-guide-of-grapevines-grown-in-a-cold-climate-wine-grapes/p/PEDI0211; sample TOC: https://guideampelo.info/en/wine-grapes/ (craaq.qc.ca)
  • Lieux Communs (Montreal), Saint‑Eugène Blanc 2024 — orange wine from ES‑10‑18‑14, Itasca, Roland, La Crescent; carbonic maceration on ES‑10‑18‑14; 10% alc.; early‑ripening/frost‑resistant block at Saint‑Eugène‑de‑Grantham. https://www.lieuxcommuns.ca/sainteugeneblanc-2024 (lieuxcommuns.ca)
  • Grape Witches (importer), product pages with cellar notes and stylistic descriptors for Lieux Communs “Saint‑Eugène” (pét‑nat) and “Saint‑Eugène Blanc” (orange), both including ES‑10‑18‑14. https://grapewitches.com/products/st-eugene; https://grapewitches.com/products/lieux-communs-saint-eugene-blanc (grapewitches.com)
  • Vignoble La Bonté DiVigne (Roberval, Saguenay–Lac‑Saint‑Jean), estate page noting ES‑10‑18‑14/30 as “excellente productivité… notes de pomme et de miel… faciles à cultiver au Lac St‑Jean.” https://www.labontedivigne.com/parlez-de-vous (labontedivigne.com)
  • Canada’s Plant Hardiness Site (Natural Resources Canada) — Roberval listed Zone 3a; Drummondville Zone 5a on 1991–2020 map. https://planthardiness.gc.ca/ (city lookups) (planthardiness.gc.ca)
  • Winemaking Talk forum — Nova Scotia grower listing ES‑10‑18‑14 among planted whites (regional adoption snapshot). https://www.winemakingtalk.com/threads/gday-from-nova-scotia.78748/ (winemakingtalk.com)
  • Plant Health Progress (American Phytopathological Society) via AGRIS record — anthracnose susceptibility screen including ES‑10‑18‑30 among resistant/slightly susceptible cultivars (context for sibling; ES‑10‑18‑14 not evaluated). DOI: 10.1094/PHP-2011-0805-01-RS. https://agris.fao.org/.../65df83750f3e94b9e5d9593d (agris.fao.org)
  • Domaine Bergeville “L’Intégrale” (Montréal merchant listing) — traditional method blend including 1% ES‑10‑18‑30, illustrating 10‑18 family use in Quebec sparkling. https://www.lefrigodebacchus.com/fr/Produit-20258-Domaine-Bergeville-L-Integrale (lefrigodebacchus.com)

Editor’s note: Where data are missing (bud hardiness thresholds, GDD to maturity, standardized chemistry), we’ve flagged those gaps rather than infer. If you’re growing or vinifying ES‑10‑18‑14, your observations would add crucial pieces to this evolving picture.