Bittersweet · 3 trees planted · confidence high
A full bittersweet from Somerset and a probable parent of Dabinett. WSU Mount Vernon measures 0.42% tannin, 0.25% malic acid, pH 4.31, SG 1.056, 13.8 Brix and 232 mL/lb juice yield, and its sensory panel describes a golden amber juice with barnyard notes, citrus, pronounced bitterness and a tannic finish, recommended for blending rather than standing alone. Well suited to a maritime PNW site, with the caveat that its tannins are hard.
Disease: Susceptible to fireblight as a young tree and to powdery mildew; latent virus can cause small, cracked, heavily russeted fruit. Poor cold hardiness - trees died at Montana WARC after the 2020 cold event. Semi-alternate bearing at WSU.
Discrepancies: Bloom: WSU 5/19 puts it in group 4 on the Mount Vernon range (4/19-5/29); RHS/Cummins call it group 5 (late). Recommend 4 - WSU is the local climate. Vigor: Cummins says low vigor, Montana WARC growers say moderate; recommend moderate (extension over nursery). Tannin: WSU 0.42% and Long Ashton 0.40% agree, but Montana WARC reports 1.05% by the Lowenthal-Permanganate method, which reads high and is not comparable. Harvest order: at Mount Vernon it ripens 9/29, two weeks BEFORE Michelin, inverting the English sequence.