# Today’s harvest: Merlot



## Snafflebit (Sep 7, 2020)

Just picked today. It’s a small haul 100lb, and the birds had their share but I told the owners this is a learning year. The vines need a fertilizer boost this fall to get ready for next year. Going to destem and measure soon.


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## stickman (Sep 7, 2020)

That looks like some really nice fruit!


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## mainshipfred (Sep 7, 2020)

Nice brown stems showing some maturity as well.


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## Snafflebit (Sep 7, 2020)

I let them hang as long as I could. I was starting to see some shrivel despite irrigation. We hit 111°F yesterday in the vineyard.


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## stickman (Sep 7, 2020)

Those small berries gives you a higher skin to juice ratio, which can possibly yield a little more color, tannin, and richness in the end.


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## GR! (Sep 8, 2020)

Nice haul!


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## Snafflebit (Sep 8, 2020)

Numbers are in
pH is 3.64 and the TA is 0.62%
acid is just a little low and I like the pH to be closer to 3.6
1.111 SG, or 27 Brix
this is going to be a big wine

but the grapes look great. This will be a blender wine, so I am debating if I should add any tartaric.


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## cmason1957 (Sep 8, 2020)

I probably wouldn't. Particularly if it tastes good.


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## Snafflebit (Sep 8, 2020)

This is my “poor man’s destemmer”. Works well but I need a real one. 



The juice tastes jammy. I just added 50ppm of potassium metabisulfite (worries about the bird damage causing infection) and Lallzyme EX-V.


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## Snafflebit (Sep 9, 2020)

The enzymes are doing a great job I have more juice today


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## Johnd (Sep 9, 2020)

Snafflebit said:


> The enzymes are doing a great job I have more juice today
> View attachment 65812


Nice color for sure!!!!


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## Snafflebit (Sep 9, 2020)

I am pleased with the color of the juice. It looks like petite sirah! I pushed these grapes to the max, probably too hard


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## Johnd (Sep 9, 2020)

Snafflebit said:


> I am pleased with the color of the juice. It looks like petite sirah! I pushed these grapes to the max, probably too hard



Nah, get all you can get, bigger IS better, at least in your book........


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## Snafflebit (Sep 10, 2020)

Pitching Merit yeast and FT Rouge. Then, off to bed.


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## ZebraB (Sep 11, 2020)

My grapes will probably be coming in a couple weeks. This will be my first batch from grapes. I also will be using the “poor man’s destemmer” and have a couple of questions:

1) The winemag video for this type of distemper stated that 100 lbs takes about 1 hour. Wonder how long it took you to do this?

2) This looks like you destemmed outside. Did you encounter any fruit flies? Or are you not concerned about this because the So2 add afterwards?

Pics look like fun. Cannot wait!


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## Snafflebit (Sep 11, 2020)

It took about 1 hour to destem with the milk crate. You develop a rhythm after a while. I hold the cluster by the stem and pull while pushing the cluster against the grate with the other hand. It is cheap but there are many uncracked berries. I did not have problems with fruit flies. You cannot do much to stop fruit flies anyway. The potassium metabisulfite will handle all the wild yeasts and bacteria in the grape must. 

Happy winemaking!!!


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## mainshipfred (Sep 11, 2020)

IMO the berries don't have to be fully crushed just as long a part of the skin is broken and the ones that are not will break during punch downs.


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## Snafflebit (Sep 17, 2020)

Ferment is headed towards completion on the Merlot. I pitched yeast on 9/9 at 1.111 SG and on 9/17 it has reached 1.030

This has been the longest ferment time I have experienced, and I am happy. I used Chr Hansen Merit yeast instead of my usual choice of Scott D80, due to the high brix grapes. Also, as I pointed out in another thread, my poor man's destemmer did not crush grapes well and I have about 50% whole berries. I may be getting free carbonic maceration in the process. This wine is tasting very fruity compared to my machine crushed Cab. 

The Merlot at this stage, with its residual sugar and slight fizzyness is actually pleasant and easy drinking. I could imagine trying to corny keg a wine like this.


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## Johnd (Sep 17, 2020)

Snafflebit said:


> Ferment is headed towards completion on the Merlot. I pitched yeast on 9/9 at 1.111 SG and on 9/17 it has reached 1.030
> 
> This has been the longest ferment time I have experienced, and I am happy. I used Chr Hansen Merit yeast instead of my usual choice of Scott D80, due to the high brix grapes. Also, as I pointed out in another thread, my poor man's destemmer did not crush grapes well and I have about 50% whole berries. I may be getting free carbonic maceration in the process. This wine is tasting very fruity compared to my machine crushed Cab.
> 
> The Merlot at this stage, with its residual sugar and slight fizzyness is actually pleasant and easy drinking. I could imagine trying to corny keg a wine like this.


 Wow!!! That Merlot will be approaching 16% ABV if it goes to .995.......... right at the tolerance level for Merit.


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## Snafflebit (Sep 17, 2020)

I needed to do two doses of nutrient and DAP early on. I was detecting some eggy smell. But the ferment seems to be perking along and no sign of sticking. I probably cursed myself now.


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## Snafflebit (Sep 20, 2020)

Time to press. Some of the whole berries have a shrunken pulpy center that is going to bring my SG back up.


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## Snafflebit (Sep 20, 2020)




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## Snafflebit (Sep 21, 2020)

5 gallons of Merlot and 15 gallons of Cabernet this year. The first wine I have made from my own grapes!


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## Snafflebit (Sep 28, 2020)

I have been lazy and left the wine sitting on gross lees for 8 days. I rack tomorrow. I did a sensory analysis of the wines and I am fine, no rotten egg from the lees. 

The merlot is very good, the cabs are tasting more acidic than I would have expected from the numbers. They are slightly carbonated so that could be why. Overall this has convinced me that less fiddling with acid additions is a good thing. Maybe make a small acid adjustment during aging if MLF raises the pH over 3.7. The cabs could use some oak, the merlot is pretty good on its own.


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## hugo1236 (Sep 29, 2020)

Snafflebit said:


> Numbers are in
> pH is 3.64 and the TA is 0.62%
> acid is just a little low and I like the pH to be closer to 3.6
> 1.111 SG, or 27 Brix
> ...


Numbers look great! If you want blend with grapes that have lower brix. You may have trouble fermenting due to high sugar. Maybe just water it down a tad. But those grapes look awesome! Happy wine making


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## Snafflebit (Jun 18, 2021)

Update on the 2020 wines:
The biggest surprise is MLF is still bubbling in the Merlot! I kept the wines in a storage space over winter where the temp stayed above 60F but I guess that was low enough to halt MLF. It has been a hot week and the space is over 72F. This is in the Tahoe area. So, I have not sulfite that carboy. So far no off flavors are forming. Maybe I can get this MLF done by July 4 I hope. Then another racking. One of @Rice_Guy posts has a Lallemand video on stuck MLF and it was mentioned that Chardonnay and Merlot commonly have issues. For 2021 I will do coinnoculation, that was another suggestion for problematic MLF.


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## Snafflebit (Jun 18, 2021)

I am also happy to report that the smoke taint has blown off. And the wines, while not having the amount of body I hoped, they are improving and sharpness has diminished.


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## Mario Dinis (Aug 16, 2021)

Snafflebit said:


> Update on the 2020 wines:
> The biggest surprise is MLF is still bubbling in the Merlot! I kept the wines in a storage space over winter where the temp stayed above 60F but I guess that was low enough to halt MLF. It has been a hot week and the space is over 72F. This is in the Tahoe area. So, I have not sulfite that carboy. So far no off flavors are forming. Maybe I can get this MLF done by July 4 I hope. Then another racking. One of @Rice_Guy posts has a Lallemand video on stuck MLF and it was mentioned that Chardonnay and Merlot commonly have issues. For 2021 I will do coinnoculation, that was another suggestion for problematic MLF.


For the first time I had probles with stuck MLF with a chilean syrah with VP41. Tried twice to no avail. I gave up and racked it to another carboy, added Kmeta and oak.


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## Sage (Aug 16, 2021)

Looks great! Looks like you'll have a quality wine!!


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## Snafflebit (Sep 5, 2021)

MLF has finally completed on the Merlot. It has been racked and sulfited. Now I prepare for 2021 harvest. This batch is very tasty and the fruitiness is starting to come down and 30 cubes of med toast French oak were a good amount in 5 gal. No acid addition needed and I am glad that I did not fiddle too much. My guess is that Merlot is a low nitrogen grape and I will add a bit more nutrient at the start of the 2021 batch.

Just getting back from camping Tahoe National Forest—in between the Caldor and Dixie fires! Harvest is probably next weekend.


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## Snafflebit (Jul 8, 2022)

Vintage 2020 is in the bag, er, bottle!

Yesterday was so busy. My finished wine is 8 cases and 8 bottles. I have moved my wine making from the spare bathroom to our workshop that was intended for woodworking, but plans change. I will be getting water from a garden hose and running the drain out the front door.








New floor corker and drying tree came in very handy. I blended 250mL of Petit Verdot in three of the carboys. That makes about 2% addition and I actually found the addition noticeable and improved the nose and taste. This Tom Shula came from my Naked Wines shipment. For $10 a bottle, this will be my go to blender.

I guess I need to post my blends to the #BLENDSRULE thread.


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## VinesnBines (Jul 9, 2022)

Looks really good. 

I like the spare mattress in the wine room; it looks familiar.


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## Snafflebit (Jul 9, 2022)

Seriously, this is a junk room more than a workshop!


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