# Malbec Smell



## Rocco (Jun 17, 2015)

Would those of you who have made Malbec from chilean grapes please describe the aroma? I'm 3 weeks into MLF, and the wine has a smell….not necessarily bad, but distinct. I can't believe it is H2S. Not rotten egg, I've smelled that before on a small amount of wine mixed w gross lees This is different. I was aggressive with nutrients and don't remember smelling it during fermentation. Wine tastes good. As many people that can give me their opinions will help. No one around me makes wine out here….I'm all alone and need some opinions.


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## davidfilip (Jun 18, 2015)

Rocco said:


> Would those of you who have made Malbec from chilean grapes please describe the aroma? I'm 3 weeks into MLF, and the wine has a smell….not necessarily bad, but distinct. I can't believe it is H2S. Not rotten egg, I've smelled that before on a small amount of wine mixed w gross lees This is different. I was aggressive with nutrients and don't remember smelling it during fermentation. Wine tastes good. As many people that can give me their opinions will help. No one around me makes wine out here….I'm all alone and need some opinions.



Can it be smell from MLF itself? It does produce quite different aroma that will go out in few weeks/month. Just be careful with SO2 to not fix the smell to the wine.


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## JohnT (Jun 18, 2015)

Kind of, well, a VERY strong herbal/floral/leather aroma? It is not exactly unpleasant, but not what I call desirable either.. 

I have had this with every Chilean malbec I have made and ONLY with Chilean malbec, so I am rather sure that this is a characteristic of the grape and not the process. Now that I am sensitive to it, I can now taste minute hints of this exact aroma in just about every commercial malbec I taste. 

This will fade over time, and is real nice after 3-4 years of bottle ageing. I would bulk age it for a year or two and taste it again. I have found that aeration also helps.


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