Montmorency

Montmorency is a very old and world-famous sour cherry variety, originating from France, where it was discovered in the 18th century in the Montmorency Valley near Paris. It was later introduced to North America, where it became the most economically important and most widely grown commercial sour cherry variety, accounting for over 95% of total sour cherry production in the USA and Canada. Due to its outstanding technological characteristics and distinctive aroma, it is considered the global quality standard for processing.

It is a fully self-fertile variety. It is characterized by an exceptionally high degree of self-pollination and abundant flowering every year, allowing it to produce maximum yields reliably, regularly, and consistently in pure single-variety plantations without the need for other pollinator varieties. It flowers medium-late, which helps it successfully avoid late spring frosts.

The tree is moderately vigorous to vigorous, with a well-branched, wide, airy, and moderately dense canopy with pronounced branch angles. It enters the fruiting stage very early, often as early as the second or third year after planting. It produces regular, abundant, and extremely stable yields. It responds very well to standard pruning aimed at renewing fruiting wood and improving light penetration inside the crown.

It ripens medium-early, in late June and early July, usually a few days before Oblačinska sour cherry.

Harvesting takes place in late June and during the first half of July. The fruit ripens uniformly and holds very well on the tree without dropping, which makes this variety perfectly suited for mechanical harvesting using dedicated tree shakers and harvesters.

It has poor fresh storage potential after harvest, around 5–7 days. Due to its perfect balance of sugars and acids, clear juice, and firm flesh, it is the world’s leading and indispensable variety for the confectionery and pastry industries. It is widely used for making the famous American sour cherry pies, jams, compotes, juices, as well as for candying and deep freezing.

The fruit is medium-sized to large, with an average weight of around 4.5–5 g, uniform, and regularly roundish-oval in shape, slightly flattened at the top. The skin is thin, glossy, and at full maturity an attractive light red to bright red color. It belongs to the class of true amarelle sour cherries, also known as clear-juice sour cherries. Its flesh is pale yellowish to translucent, and the juice is completely colorless and clear, meaning it does not stain skin or fabric during picking. The flesh is firm, compact, and exceptionally juicy. The taste is refreshing and acidic, with a fine sweet note and a pronounced, refined aroma. The stone is small, roundish, and separates completely, easily, and cleanly from the flesh, making it a freestone variety.

It is characterized by exceptional resistance to extremely low winter temperatures, with the wood and buds tolerating temperatures down to -30°C without damage. It shows good general resistance to leaf diseases, but in wet years during flowering, standard preventive protection against Monilinia, or Monilinia laxa, is required. Due to its earlier ripening, in warmer regions it may be susceptible to cherry fruit fly, requiring timely monitoring and control.

Our sour cherry fruit trees are produced on mahaleb cherry rootstock, Prunus mahaleb, with which this variety achieves excellent compatibility, long tree life, and high resistance to dry periods and calcareous soils.