# RJS 2020 Restricted Quantities announced!



## crushday (Aug 4, 2019)

RQ 1 - Argentina Bonarda Syrah - "The Darb" which means - "a great person or thing". This vintage will not disappoint!
RQ 2 - The Caterpillar's Kimono, "the be all and end all" or "most divine". Brilliant beauty & golden elegance makes this rare vintage one of the finest white varietals
RQ 3 - Chile Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot dubbed "The Big Shot" or "the top dog" leads the way in our top shelf quintet of all-star varietals.
RQ 4 - Australian Pinot Noir Shiraz, The Cat's Meow, "the best" or "the cream at the top". This magnificent vintage is the best of a Pinot Noir Shiraz.
RQ 5 - Spanish Rose' - The Deb, literally "the debutante" means "the coming out of an upper class socialite". A superb easy drinking Rose'!


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## Brettanomyces (Aug 4, 2019)

A real rosé kit? That's a breath of fresh air. I rather like a good Rioja rosé. Any insight into what region this one comes from?

The others look OK. Pinot Noir with Syrah is a curious combination I don't think I've seen before.


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## Swedeman (Aug 5, 2019)

Yeah, finally a tempting looking rosé kit. Unfortunately, these kits aren't sold here in Sweden.



Brettanomyces said:


> I rather like a good Rioja rosé. Any insight into what region this one comes from?


Don't know exactly, but Rioja wine comes from the Rioja Region which consists of La Rioja, part of Basque and Navarre if not mistaken. But it says it's made of Macabeo 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macabeo


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## Brettanomyces (Aug 5, 2019)

Swedeman said:


> Yeah, finally a tempting looking rosé kit. Unfortunately, these kits aren't sold here in Sweden.
> 
> 
> Don't know exactly, but Rioja wine comes from the Rioja Region which consists of La Rioja, part of Basque and Navarre if not mistaken. But it says it's made of Macabeo
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macabeo



Good find. I know Macabeo as Virua, more commonly, which is grown in Rioja (and other places, of course), but it's a white grape. Can't get rosé from a white grape. They must blend it with something.

I suppose I should have been clearer in that I like rosés that come from Rioja (the style common to the region is approachable yet sophisticated at the same time), and I was curious where this particular offering was sourced from. If Rioja, that would be great, but if elsewhere, that would be good to know, too.


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## Swedeman (Aug 5, 2019)

Yes, you can't make a rosé from an white grape without another red grape! BUT I have to correct myself, had a new look, they have a Spanish white wine "The Caterpillar's Kimono" that is made by Macabeo. So memory (age) played me a trick, I mixed that up! Sorry everyone for that. 

(I can remember the parts of Rioja from a trip some 20 years ago but not what I read yesterday. Oh well...)


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## Brettanomyces (Aug 5, 2019)

Looks like there's a little more info at the link below. Not too much, though. Still no indication what varietals the rosé is made from. Shrug.

https://bsgcraft.com/resources/RJS/Restricted Quantities 2020 Presentation-Public.pdf


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## Swedeman (Aug 5, 2019)

I have had rosé from that region made by blends of tempranillo, garnacha or macabeo (virua). 

Anyway, i would love to get my hands on a kit like that.


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## Elizajean (Aug 5, 2019)

A little more info on the Rose. Looks interesting. https://www.southernhomebrew.com/rjs2020rq5.html


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## joeswine (Aug 11, 2019)

Ordered both the Spanish White and Rose'...I think Spanish wine are well underrated. when I was in Spain I found the wines were exquisite...and have made them every chance that I can.


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## Brettanomyces (Aug 11, 2019)

Agreed. About 50% or more of the commercial wine I buy is Spanish. Wish there were more kits, especially at the high end.


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## Brian55 (Feb 26, 2020)

Has anyone received any of their RQ's yet?


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## joeswine (Feb 26, 2020)

I have mine, The Rose'.. haven't look at it yet ill probly start this one next week.


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## Brian55 (Feb 26, 2020)

joeswine said:


> I have mine, The Rose'.. haven't look at it yet ill probly start this one next week.


That's a white, the Rose doesn't ship until late April/early May.


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## ZebraB (Feb 27, 2020)

Does anyone know what would be the best alternative to top off this wine kit with?

*RJS 2020 RQ2 The Caterpillar's Kimono - Spanish Macabeo Wine*


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## cmason1957 (Feb 27, 2020)

I don't have a real answer for this, since I have never tasted Macabeo wine. I did find this interesting web site, which, if you scroll to the bottom has a big list of wines, along with approximate prices. Given that I saw some as low as $3 and many around $10. i would guess you can find some of this to top with.

https://www.wine-searcher.com/grape-574-macabeo-viura


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## pillswoj (Feb 27, 2020)

Brian55 said:


> Has anyone received any of their RQ's yet?


I have the first 2 Reds, The Darb and The Big Shot


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## Brian55 (Feb 27, 2020)

pillswoj said:


> I have the first 2 Reds, The Darb and The Big Shot


How long ago did you receive them?


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## pillswoj (Feb 28, 2020)

Brian55 said:


> How long ago did you receive them?



The Darb in December and the Big Shot was the 1st week of February.


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## Brian55 (Feb 28, 2020)

pillswoj said:


> The Darb in December and the Big Shot was the 1st week of February.


You're definitely closer to the source, but I'm still waiting on RQ1 to show up.


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## joeswine (Mar 2, 2020)

not sure about topping off ,here's were I am at so far ,lots of juice just did it straight up ,yes I said straight up will see what happens.


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## MHSKIBUM (Feb 18, 2021)

Has anyone been able to get to the stage where they can compared the RQ big reds to similar wines in the En Primeur series?


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## MHSKIBUM (Feb 18, 2021)

pillswoj said:


> The Darb in December and the Big Shot was the 1st week of February.


Any opinion yet how they stack up with the top RJS and WineXpert kits?


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## Brian55 (Feb 18, 2021)

MHSKIBUM said:


> Has anyone been able to get to the stage where they can compared the RQ big reds to similar wines in the En Primeur series?


Just bottled the Syrah a couple weeks ago. Decent at bottling, but definitely needs to sit for awhile. The other two reds are still in carboys.


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## Brian55 (Feb 18, 2021)

MHSKIBUM said:


> Any opinion yet how they stack up with the top RJS and WineXpert kits?


RQ20 reds are going to be too young at this point for comparison, but historically the RQ's have been as good and sometimes better than En Primeur.


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## joeswine (Feb 18, 2021)

Really their almost the same in the final analysis, it's all a matter of preference ,like  don't like, 
I think the blends are we're they differ ,blends seam to have better chararistics then. Straight up stock.


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## pillswoj (Feb 19, 2021)

Not into the 20s yet, they will age another year, but the 17s, 18s, and 19s all have been as good or better then the EPs.


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## Aeludor (Feb 20, 2021)

I preordered the 2021 cab kit a few months ago, just picked it up today. I've never done a kit before, it's all[ been fresh, so itll be a whole new experience. Is there a suggested minimum aging time after bottling?


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## Brian55 (Feb 20, 2021)

Aeludor said:


> I preordered the 2021 cab kit a few months ago, just picked it up today. I've never done a kit before, it's all[ been fresh, so itll be a whole new experience. Is there a suggested minimum aging time after bottling?
> 
> View attachment 71855


Nice choice. They did a French cab a few years back, RQ2017 and it was quite good. I would suggest at least two years from pitching the yeast before you start drinking them. Maybe try a bottle or two after the first year to see how it's coming along.


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## Aeludor (Feb 20, 2021)

Brian55 said:


> Nice choice. They did a French cab a few years back, RQ2017 and it was quite good. I would suggest at least two years from pitching the yeast before you start drinking them. Maybe try a bottle or two after the first year to see how it's coming along.


Excellent thanks. I'm hoping they have a shiraz for 2022. I was thinking of getting the 2021 Syrah if funds are available. Hmm, doesn't look like they have an RQ Syrah this year. Perhaps next year.


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## MHSKIBUM (Mar 8, 2021)

I can lay my hands on a couple of the RQ 2020 kits. Is there any problem (deterioration) because the kits were issued a year ago? The one I can get readily is the RQ 4 - Australian Pinot Noir Shiraz. I'm a fan of pino noir but not overly fussy about shiraz, especially Australian shiraz. Anyone know which grape exerts the most influence or does the blend add special notes that might appeal to a pino noir lover?


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## Brian55 (Mar 8, 2021)

My RQ2020 Pinot/Shiraz kits both had a production date of 2-26-2020. So those kits are now at the end of their "best by" date. If the price is right and they were stored in a cool place, I'd go for it. If not, pass.


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## JBMeteo (Apr 24, 2021)

Opened the RQ21 Cab kit today and had some sticky dried juice on the bag and ingredients bag. No obvious leaking so went ahead. Topped to the 6 gal mark and only got a very disappointing 1.082 SG. I've done over 50 kits and this is the first to ever show any evidence of leaking and very disappointing SG. Emailed RJS and retail seller with my concerns. 

Have other for the RQ21 kits have expected SG for those who've done them?


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## Brian55 (Apr 24, 2021)

JBMeteo said:


> Opened the RQ21 Cab kit today and had some sticky dried juice on the bag and ingredients bag. No obvious leaking so went ahead. Topped to the 6 gal mark and only got a very disappointing 1.082 SG. I've done over 50 kits and this is the first to ever show any evidence of leaking and very disappointing SG. Emailed RJS and retail seller with my concerns.
> 
> Have other for the RQ21 kits have expected SG for those who've done them?


RQ21 Tempranillo 1.096
RQ21 Nero Davola 1.092
But I typically short the water by 0.5 to 1 liter.


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## MHSKIBUM (Apr 25, 2021)

Just started the RQ21 Nero D'Avola and got an SG of 1.098, let's call it 1.100. Amazed how much juice came in kit. Probably put in no more than a litre of warm water to flush out all the juice from the bag and that seemed to top up my fermenter to 23 litres. 
The double bag of dried grape skins and seeds was a nice surprise. Each pack was 125 grams and looked superior to the 125g dried grape skin pouches I've been buying for $14 Cdn each to put in my cheaper kits.
It also came with two bags of oak chips, the good kind, and RC 212 yeast, which I've been itching to try.
Instructions call for a temp of 75 degrees, which is tough to get at this time of year. I stuck a pot of warm water next to it, tenting both under a beach towel with my sous vide set for 75 degrees.
My expectations are very high.


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## joeswine (Apr 25, 2021)

Sounds likeva good plan,a hand full of SunMaid raisins would advgood structure also.


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