# 2017 Cab Blends



## stickman (Dec 10, 2017)

Starting two new Cab co-ferment blends; the must is up to 50F, pulling off a couple of gallons for a DV10 starter, adding 30ppm sulfite, these grapes had extra hang time and are mature. The following numbers are from the supplier, I'll run some numbers later once blended. Getting ready for the roller coaster ride.....


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## Ajmassa (Dec 10, 2017)

Good luck with these. Frozen must? That’s interesting you’ve decided to co-ferment. Looking forward to following along the method to your winemaking madness. (I like the Tuscan ratios. Having just started one myself, in hindsight i would have went with less sangio and more cab similar to yours)
Nice and organized spreadsheet there. Having YAN #s is a great advantage. I’d assume it would add a whole new level of confidence in your nutrient decisions.


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## stickman (Dec 11, 2017)

Added the starter to the pails at 55F earlier this morning. I'll probably dump to the vat tomorrow and check some numbers.


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## jgareri (Dec 12, 2017)

Looks good. I'm curious about Brehm products and will give it a try one day. Problem being that it's so crazy expensive with the exchange and shipping. In the opinions of those on this forum, is the quality worth the price?


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## vernsgal (Dec 13, 2017)

will definitely follow how these go. I blend, but always ferment singularly and age, about 3 months, then blend and age.

I do love blends!


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## balatonwine (Dec 13, 2017)

vernsgal said:


> I do love blends!



I also like blends. Especially red wine blends. And I am known to pay a premium for a blend if I really like it.

A few years ago, I was at a local winery. One of the larger ones. And they had a few red wine blends on the racks in the tasting room. I commented to my wife and our American guest who was visiting, that they might be worth a try. But the person behind the counter pouring, pulled a face, and said he did not like blends. The blends I wanted to try were actually priced more than the varietals. I was really taken aback by that. Not just lousy customer service, but disservice to his employer as I ended up not buying anything.


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## sour_grapes (Dec 13, 2017)

Huh, I am surprised. I thought the single-variety fetish was an American thing. I thought that only because many old-world wines are (a) blends, and (b) just known by their locale, not the grape variety.

I have a French friend whose last name is "Sauvignon" (which is an interesting story in its own right). Anyway, she reports that, when in France, she is always asked to spell her name (like to a reservation desk). In the US, when she says her name, people say "Oh, like the wine? Okay." So people in the US know how to spell Sauvignon, but people in France often don't!


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## stickman (Dec 13, 2017)

A few photos from yesterday, fermentation was just starting, Brix was closer to 27, so I watered back to 25 using about 2gal of 6g/l acidulated water for each blend.


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## NorCal (Dec 13, 2017)

Nicely done. Looks like you have some nice wine in the works!


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## stickman (Dec 14, 2017)

@NorCal Well...... I hope the roller coaster ride is in the right direction. I'm planning to bottle the Pinot and Sangiovese this Friday to open up tank space. These tanks are becoming like carboys, you never have enough.


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## stickman (Dec 14, 2017)

Currently at 21 Brix or so, vats are full.


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## Boatboy24 (Dec 14, 2017)

Pucker factor 10! Not much headroom there, but looks great.


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## stickman (Dec 14, 2017)

Yea, I keep looking for signs of the peak, which should be tomorrow, but it really is a massive amount of skins, I drain and return a few pails, and then keep one full pail of wine out, then add it back during the next cycle.


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## stickman (Dec 16, 2017)

It has been busy here, yesterday added second dose of nutrients while doing a punch down, then spent the rest of the day bottling the Pinot and the Sangiovese. Got 60 gallons bottled and decided to call it quits for the day. There are a couple of 5gal carboys left to bottle. The 12 cases are my share of the 24 cases bottled.


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## JohnT (Dec 18, 2017)

Very nice stickman. 

I think that you will find that most wines are blends. Even if the label says Cab Sav, I believe that up to 20% of the wine can be made up of some other grape.


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## stickman (Dec 18, 2017)

The brix is down to 7, actually a little lower depending on which pail I test. Looks good and smells good, nothing unusual, I may try to stretch this out and press this Friday.


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## JohnT (Dec 19, 2017)

Got to say that you have a very nice color extraction there.

I do not seem to recall if you were using fresh grapes? Was this frozen must?


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## stickman (Dec 19, 2017)

Yes, frozen must, it does give up its color more easily; I usually use enzymes, but this time I didn't due to the very ripe grapes. It is a contrast to the Sangiovese and Pinot Noir I did last year, which were significantly lighter in color using enzymes and the same fermentation techniques. When it comes to color, there is something to be said for Cabernet.


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## stickman (Dec 21, 2017)

The sg is around .996 at this point; we're planning to press tomorrow.


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## stickman (Dec 22, 2017)

Finished the pressing today, ended up with about 28gal free run on each batch and around 5 to 7gal press wine on each batch. Around noon, the work bench became the snack table. The wine is showing only minimal fruit at this point, but very dark rich and tannic, nothing offensive.


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## Ajmassa (Dec 22, 2017)

Great pics. Always interested in crush/press pictures. Couple questions. I notice you’ve got a steel mesh strainer large enough to drop right in a 5gal bucket. Where’d you come across that?
And I actually just bought a used press a couple hrs ago that seems to be the same as yours. Looks like you cleaned it up with white paint. Did you use a specific paint/clear coat ? Same thing for the staves. Are they also sealed?


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## stickman (Dec 22, 2017)

My press was handed down to me from my Father in law, not really sure of the age, but the base plate is cast iron, I don't see too many like that these days, probably over 80yrs old. Anyway, I disassembled and refurbished it several years ago, belt sanded the staves, then coated everything including the staves using two part food grade coatings, and reassembled using stainless nuts and bolts. PI Wine has standard food grade coatings. If cared for, these things are built to last several lifetimes. 
I don't remember where the strainer was purchased for sure, maybe Target, other than being stainless steel, it's nothing special. It's actually too small to fit on the bucket alone, I had to cut a hole in a lid to support the strainer.


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## Marta Sommer (Dec 26, 2017)

Looks worthy and seeing that you have some wonderful wine in process


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## sdelli (Dec 27, 2017)

stickman said:


> My press was handed down to me from my Father in law, not really sure of the age, but the base plate is cast iron, I don't see too many like that these days, probably over 80yrs old. Anyway, I disassembled and refurbished it several years ago, belt sanded the staves, then coated everything including the staves using two part food grade coatings, and reassembled using stainless nuts and bolts. PI Wine has standard food grade coatings. If cared for, these things are built to last several lifetimes.
> I don't remember where the strainer was purchased for sure, maybe Target, other than being stainless steel, it's nothing special. It's actually too small to fit on the bucket alone, I had to cut a hole in a lid to support the strainer.



A basket press is a good backup. But in today’s world the increase in yield you get from a bladder press investment is definitely worth it. You make a lot of wine.... It would pay for itself in a couple seasons from the extra yield. Not counting the thanks on the back!


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## stickman (Dec 27, 2017)

@sdelli I'm sure it would be nice to get some new equipment, but so far, nobody here is interested in wine making. My two girls are uninterested, one nephew has shown only a little interest, my point is that when I fall over one day, all of this stuff will likely be thrown into a roll-off box, the cellar will become a closet, etc. The press I have is on wheels, so we don't even get the yield it's capable of, we currently only do a soft press,


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## stickman (Dec 28, 2017)

Racked the wine off of the gross lees and transferred to the basement. Added the CH16 ML culture and 4 med plus french oak staves to each tank. Nothing like tasting wine at 11:00am, nice astringency on both wines, the Tuscan has a bit more snappy acidity at this point; very pleased so far.


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## sdelli (Dec 28, 2017)

stickman said:


> @sdelli I'm sure it would be nice to get some new equipment, but so far, nobody here is interested in wine making. My two girls are uninterested, one nephew has shown only a little interest, my point is that when I fall over one day, all of this stuff will likely be thrown into a roll-off box, the cellar will become a closet, etc. The press I have is on wheels, so we don't even get the yield it's capable of, we currently only do a soft press,



Making wine is for your own pleasure. Not others. Do what makes you happy and when your gone you are gone.


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## sdelli (Dec 28, 2017)

Nice color!


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## stickman (Jan 20, 2018)

Decided to do the first ML chromatogram yesterday, 22 days after culture addition, looks complete, maybe a slight malic spot showing up on the Tuscan blend, hard to say for sure, I'll probably let it go another week or so with some tasting along the way. I can finally start to taste things, due to being sick for the past 2 weeks, my sense of taste and smell has been off, I've had no ability to distinguish what's going on with the wine.


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## stickman (Feb 25, 2018)

Just updating; yesterday I finally got around to the post ML racking and sulfite addition on these two cab blends. The Tuscan blend pH is at 3.57, and the cab meritage pH is at 3.71; added 35ppm sulfite as an initial dose and will test and adjust accordingly after chilling for a couple of weeks in the cellar. I transferred to clean tanks and added an additional French oak stave. The taste is pleasant, good color though the Tuscan blend (two glasses on the right) is slightly lighter than the meritage, overall both wines are rich and tannic, but with more body and less fruit than what I typically experience at this stage, we'll see what happens after some cellar time.


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## JohnT (Mar 1, 2018)

I have got to say that it does look amazing. Lent can not end soon enough!!!!


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## stickman (May 27, 2018)

Just updating; decided it was time for another quality control and so2 check, standardized the NaOH and found it was at .0089N, tested the Cab Malbec blend at 17.1 ppm free so2, didn't bother to check so2 on the Tuscan blend, added 1 tablet to each tank which provides about 17.6 ppm so2. The Cab Malbec blend is noticeably darker, can't see through it at all. Tannins are already dropping, but both of these wines are still a bit more tannic than typical, there is still some co2 present as I didn't do any degassing. Overall the taste is good, the Cab Malbec is a little fleshy, fatter, more rich than the Tuscan, but the Tuscan is now starting to show more fruit than at the previous tasting. I'm optimistic, but cautious as these grapes had extra hang time due to the fires. I'm not detecting any smoke, though I can't say I have ever tasted smoke before. Maybe we'll retest in a month or so.


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## Certified (Jun 1, 2018)

stickman said:


> Just updating; decided it was time for another quality control and so2 check, standardized the NaOH and found it was at .0089N, tested the Cab Malbec blend at 17.1 ppm free so2, didn't bother to check so2 on the Tuscan blend, added 1 tablet to each tank which provides about 17.6 ppm so2. The Cab Malbec blend is noticeably darker, can't see through it at all. Tannins are already dropping, but both of these wines are still a bit more tannic than typical, there is still some co2 present as I didn't do any degassing. Overall the taste is good, the Cab Malbec is a little fleshy, fatter, more rich than the Tuscan, but the Tuscan is now starting to show more fruit than at the previous tasting. I'm optimistic, but cautious as these grapes had extra hang time due to the fires. I'm not detecting any smoke, though I can't say I have ever tasted smoke before. Maybe we'll retest in a month or so.
> I have enjoyed this thread. I am a newbie to winemaking. However I am enjoying making the chief kits. My first winemaking was from my own Vineyard of muscadine grapes. I did find that freezing them before mashing made it easier and gave a really good color. I see that from this thread you're much much further advance and I ever hope to be but it did look very good very good color and look delicious.
> View attachment 48942
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## Certified (Jun 1, 2018)

Sorry I don't do not know how that got into your thread those words but I was a meaning to be responding to what I read.


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## stickman (Oct 16, 2018)

Time for another quality control and so2 check, very late on this one, almost 5 months since the last check. Made up fresh standardized chems and ran free sulfite and pH. Free SO2 dropped as expected given the time between additions, surprisingly the pH has remained the same, added another sulfite tablet to each tank (approximately 17.6ppm). The Cab/Malbec has a distinctive fruit aromatic which is very different than the Cab/Sangiovese, tannin has softened significantly, both are very nice at this point, may try to bottle these before December, we'll see. Looking forward to two more Cab blends this year.

Left, Cab/Malbec, free SO2 11.6ppm, pH 3.71
Right, Cab/Sangio, free SO2 13.3ppm, pH 3.57


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## stickman (Feb 25, 2019)

Decided to finally rack the Cab/Malbec to the bottling shelf, will let it come up to room temperature before running a final SO2. I think this wine is for @Johnd, dark, bold, brooding, fruit, oak, tannin, alcohol, this is it, probably would be up a few notches if it had been in John's barrel, but I will say that the 5 staves have delivered 100% new oak barrel impact. Probably could stay in the tank longer, but I need the tank space. The 1/2gal jug is what was left in the 25' of 3/4" hose, I'll have to set it down alongside my chair at the kitchen table like the Oldtimers.


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## Johnd (Feb 25, 2019)

stickman said:


> Decided to finally rack the Cab/Malbec to the bottling shelf, will let it come up to room temperature before running a final SO2. I think this wine is for @Johnd, dark, bold, brooding, fruit, oak, tannin, alcohol, this is it, probably would be up a few notches if it had been in John's barrel, but I will say that the 5 staves have delivered 100% new oak barrel impact. Probably could stay in the tank longer, but I need the tank space. The 1/2gal jug is what was left in the 25' of 3/4" hose, I'll have to set it down alongside my chair at the kitchen table like the Oldtimers.



Sounds right on track to me!! Love the color too, nice and inky, got my taste buds working, think I might need to leave work early and do some barrel sampling this afternoon...................


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## Ajmassa (Feb 25, 2019)

That’s some impressive color. The malbec really makes it pop. 

I’d imagine this is quite the satisfying feeling. And that Brehms fruit can make one helluva wine it seems. 

#WinemakingGoals


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## sour_grapes (Feb 25, 2019)

stickman said:


> Decided to finally rack the Cab/Malbec to the bottling shelf, will let it come up to room temperature before running a final SO2. I think this wine is for @Johnd, dark, bold, brooding, fruit, oak, tannin, alcohol, this is it, probably would be up a few notches if it had been in John's barrel, but I will say that the 5 staves have delivered 100% new oak barrel impact.



Umm, can I have some, too!?


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## SethF (Feb 26, 2019)

stickman said:


> Decided to finally rack the Cab/Malbec to the bottling shelf, will let it come up to room temperature before running a final SO2. I think this wine is for @Johnd, dark, bold, brooding, fruit, oak, tannin, alcohol, this is it, probably would be up a few notches if it had been in John's barrel, but I will say that the 5 staves have delivered 100% new oak barrel impact. Probably could stay in the tank longer, but I need the tank space. The 1/2gal jug is what was left in the 25' of 3/4" hose, I'll have to set it down alongside my chair at the kitchen table like the Oldtimers.
> 
> View attachment 53570
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Nice. So I see you are using flex tanks. 
15 gal? 
Experience?
What are you racking into? 
Returning to the tanks?

I went from a few years of using glass, to the last two of using fermonsters. I have lots of those now, fortunately or not. 

How much do the flex tanks weigh empty?

Do you move them full? How? 

Thanks in advance. 
Seth


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## stickman (Feb 26, 2019)

I have 4 of the 30gal ECO Maturation tanks, usually I rack from one to another, but in the photos above you can see I racked one tank and filled two 54L demijohns. I purchased the first tank in 2010 after my previous two 30gal barrels went neutral, my experience with the tanks so far has been good, I think a barrel is still the gold standard, but the tanks have certain advantages with respect to ease of cleaning, controlled oxygen permeability, new oak of your choice for each batch, and light weight (approx 22lbs). The tanks can be moved full using a dolly, I often shift them around or move them short distances manually by tilting and rolling on the edge, but for the most part I don't have a need to move them long distances when full.


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## Dom Lausic (Feb 26, 2019)

Wow!! @stickman where did you get those great tanks/ferments/storage vessels??


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## Dom Lausic (Feb 26, 2019)

Dom Lausic said:


> Wow!! @stickman where did you get those great tanks/ferments/storage vessels??



LOL someone beat me to it!


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## stickman (Mar 22, 2019)

It's been several weeks so I made up fresh chems and ran the free sulfite test for these blends. They were at 10ppm free so I added 25ppm additional, I'll probably check again before I bottle. Doing a little tasting and note taking at the same time.


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## stickman (Mar 28, 2019)

Checked sulfite twice during the past couple of days, it's at 22ppm free, added another 15ppm today, just trying to get it up to a reasonable level before bottling.


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## stickman (May 23, 2019)

Yesterday I finally got around to bottling the 2017 Cab Malbec, approximately 33 gallons. Did a final sulfite check and it was at 27ppm free, figured it should be maybe 10ppm higher, but rather than adjusting and stirring the demijohns, I just made up a strong sulfite solution (150g in 4L) for rinsing the bottles allowing the residue to bump up the free sulfite. We each walked away with about 6.5 cases, the photo is only my share. There is still 35 gallons of 2017 Tuscan blend to get bottled, need to do that soon. We sampled both wines and they are very enjoyable at this point, really interesting to see the difference between Malbec and Sangiovese in otherwise similar blends, I don't have the palate to completely describe it, but they are completely different with the Tuscan blend having greater complexity and length of finish. We'll see what happens after a year or two in bottle, but I don't think I can keep my hands off of it, I sure will be doing some quality control along the way.


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## baron4406 (May 23, 2019)

Stickman, your making me thirsty!


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## SethF (May 24, 2019)

stickman said:


> Yesterday I finally got around to bottling the 2017 Cab Malbec, approximately 33 gallons. Did a final sulfite check and it was at 27ppm free, figured it should be maybe 10ppm higher, but rather than adjusting and stirring the demijohns, I just made up a strong sulfite solution (150g in 4L) for rinsing the bottles allowing the residue to bump up the free sulfite. We each walked away with about 6.5 cases, the photo is only my share. There is still 35 gallons of 2017 Tuscan blend to get bottled, need to do that soon. We sampled both wines and they are very enjoyable at this point, really interesting to see the difference between Malbec and Sangiovese in otherwise similar blends, I don't have the palate to completely describe it, but they are completely different with the Tuscan blend having greater complexity and length of finish. We'll see what happens after a year or two in bottle, but I don't think I can keep my hands off of it, I sure will be doing some quality control along the way.
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> View attachment 54745
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What are you using to write on the bottles?


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## stickman (May 24, 2019)

@SethF I just use a silver or gold metallic Sharpie, it's listed as permanent, but not much is permanent on glass, it's easily removed with a magic eraser sponge or scotch pad. I don't write on all of the bottles, maybe a couple per case as well as anything that might be different than the main batch. The wine in the 3 gallon carboy was on 3/4" of fine lees the entire time, so I had to make sure to mark those bottles for future reference.


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## mainshipfred (May 24, 2019)

You're right about the sharpies. Sometimes I want the markings to stay like a one gallon carboy I placed ml lines at different levels. Put strapping tape over the marks. About a year now and they are still like I first wrote them. I also have marks on larger carboys that are off their intended volume.


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## stickman (Aug 21, 2019)

Finally transferred the 2017 Tuscan blend to the bottling rack, the sulfite test indicated 12ppm free so I added about 18ppm more; I'll do a final sulfite check before bottling to get it in range and stable. I blended most of the 5gal carboy with the wine from the tank so that everything is as uniform as possible for bottling. The tannins have really smoothed out and the wine is rich, and still has a greater length of finish than the Malbec blend. The neighbor will be vacationing in Italy for three weeks so we won't get to bottle this for another 4 weeks or so. The two 2018 cabs will need some quality control attention soon.


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## stickman (Sep 10, 2019)

Just following through with the 2017 Cab Sangiovese blend, tested the SO2 again just to be sure it's holding, it's currently at 21ppm free so I added another 15ppm, the pH tested at 3.59, will be bottling this hopefully in a couple of weeks, pulled a cork and used 2016 Sangiovese as top up wine. Since I made up fresh chems I'm also testing the 2018 Cab blends at the same time, will post in the other thread.


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## stickman (Dec 8, 2019)

Finally bottled the Tuscan blend, looking back a couple of posts, I estimated 4 weeks or so until bottling, yea, more like 4 months, anyway, the wine is really enjoyable right now, the fruit, tannins, and oak have all integrated nicely, nothing over powering. A total of about 18 months in tank and 5 months in demijohn, my neighbor had been asking about when we were going to bottle, he admitted to thinking that somehow the wine had spoiled and I was afraid to tell him, but after tasting he was just blown away. No additional sulfite added since the last dose, just rinsed bottles with sulfite solution and deliberately left the residue, the photo is my share of the 14 cases bottled.


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