Abstract. A biotype of clary sage (Salvia sclarea L.) growing in Uruguay was evaluated for its suitability to be cultivated in Uruguay. Essential oils from the inflorescences and leaves of plant harvested at full flowering and early seed ripeness stages were obtained by steam distillation and characterized by GC and GC-MS (quadrupole). Twenty-seven components (91-98% of the total composition) were identified. The oil was characterized by a high content of linalool (8-22%), linalyl acetate (39-48%) and sesquiterpenes, with germacrene D (8-20%) and (E)-β-caryophyllene (3-5%) as the main components. The enantiomeric distribution of α-pinene, sabinene, β-pinene, limonene, linalool, linalyl acetate and germacrene D was studied by multidimensional HRGC-HRGC. The development stage did not influence the oil composition or the enantiomeric distribution of the studied components of the clary sage biotype over the period of evaluation. It is concluded that clary sage can be grown as an economically viable crop in the south of Uruguay. © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.