# 2021 Cab and Merlot vintage begins



## Snafflebit (Sep 9, 2021)

I just got back to the vineyards today after 2 weeks of camping and vacation. Whew it has been hot and some of the vines are taking back that precious moisture from the grapes. I am seeing some shrivel. So, ALERT ALERT harvest begins this weekend!

Brix is all over the map. Merlots are in the 28-29's. Ugh. But last year's merlot came in at 27 and has plenty of acidity. Fingers crossed and some backwatering is in order.
The Cab Sauv ranges from 19 to 25. I did not irrigate as much as I did last year when I was trying to bring these sick and mysterious vineyards back on-line. So, this year's brix may be exposing the weak versus strong vines. Hopefully things will even out over time.


Here is some slight shrivel, mostly there are soft grapes, which are perfect for wine. But a couple of weak vines are basically making raisins this year.
I will be pulling fewer leaves next year because I see shrivel mainly in the overexposed clusters.


----------



## wood1954 (Sep 9, 2021)

Do you blend?


----------



## Snafflebit (Sep 9, 2021)

I make mostly 100% varietal of Cab and Merlot Then there is always some odd amount that gets blended. But I expect there will be blends in the future. I have a long term plan to grow Petit Verdot however I would like to keep all the grapes generally ripening simultaneously.


----------



## Nebbiolo020 (Sep 10, 2021)

That merlot brix is really high, wow.


----------



## Snafflebit (Sep 10, 2021)

My hope is the high brix is due to water loss. We will see what the acid and pH are Saturday after harvest. It was a weird year for the Merlot, lots of shatter and fewer leaves


----------



## Nebbiolo020 (Sep 10, 2021)

Snafflebit said:


> My hope is the high brix is due to water loss. We will see what the acid and pH are Saturday after harvest. It was a weird year for the Merlot, lots of shatter and fewer leaves


I would be very interested in seeing the numbers for acid and ph. This year in general has from what I’ve heard from a lot of winemakers, been a pretty bad year real low yields across the board. But no smoke issues this year. Maybe it will be a good vintage because of the low yields.


----------



## Snafflebit (Sep 11, 2021)

Grapes are picked, chemicals purchased and destemmer is reserved for Sunday.

Now I need to weigh and measure.


----------



## stickman (Sep 12, 2021)

Looks like some really nice small berries!


----------



## Snafflebit (Sep 13, 2021)

I finally finished the measurements after one day of cold soaking.

Vineyard 1 Cab Sauv:
SG 1.094 Brix 22.5
3.42 pH
TA 6.375 g/L
146 lbs.

Vineyard 1 Merlot: 
SG 1.120 Brix 28.1
3.79 pH
TA 3.6 g/L 
73 lbs.

Vineyard 2 Cab Sauv:
SG 1.117 Brix 27.4
3.58 pH
TA 5.925 g/L 
190 lbs.

I will remeasure the SG after I pitch some Lallezyme and let it work. The juice was a little cloudy

My plan this year is to bring the high brix down to 25 with acidified water. Last year I pitched yeast in the merlot at 27 Brix and had some trouble completeing MLF







Cab on the left and Merlot on the right. The merlot stem is always more red. The yield is low, but that seems like a good thing for wine.


----------



## Boatboy24 (Sep 14, 2021)

Snafflebit said:


> View attachment 78657
> View attachment 78658
> 
> Grapes are picked, chemicals purchased and destemmer is reserved for Sunday.
> ...



Those don't look like Cuties in those boxes...


----------



## Nebbiolo020 (Sep 14, 2021)

Snafflebit said:


> I finally finished the measurements after one day of cold soaking.
> 
> Vineyard 1 Cab Sauv:
> SG 1.094 Brix 22.5
> ...


That merlot has really high brix wow. Also the grapes look good. Also the acid is low on the merlot so they were picked a bit too late.


----------



## Snafflebit (Sep 14, 2021)

Nebbiolo020 said:


> That merlot has really high brix wow. Also the grapes look good. Also the acid is low on the merlot so they were picked a bit too late.


And the merlot brix went up to 28.5. Yep picked too late. There is always something going on around this time of year and I waited a little too long. Also I wanted to rent a destemmer only one time so I was holding out for the Cab to ripen. I am going to bite the bullet and start shopping for my own destemmer.

Now I am tracking the growing degree days of various vine stages, like bud break, veraison, harvest so that I can get a better predicted date of harvest

The plan is to bring the TA of the Merlot up to 6 g/L with tartaric acid according to the predicted finished wine volume of 4.5gal. Then I will add enough 6 g/L acidity water to bring down the brix to 25. I will do the same treatment to the high brix Cab


----------



## Nebbiolo020 (Sep 14, 2021)

Snafflebit said:


> And the merlot brix went up to 28.5. Yep picked too late. There is always something going on around this time of year and I waited a little too long. Also I wanted to rent a destemmer only one time so I was holding out for the Cab to ripen. I am going to bite the bullet and start shopping for my own destemmer.
> 
> The plan is to bring the TA of the Merlot up to 6 g/L with tartaric acid according to the predicted finished wine volume of 4.5gal. Then I will add enough 6 g/L acidity water to bring down the brix to 25. I will do the same treatment to the high brix Cab


I’ve been renting a crusher and destemmer at $75 a year and it’s getting expensive a good motorized one is like $800 so might as well pay up for one cause it adds up if your paying close to what I am.
I’m still waiting for my grapes, I already got some fruit earlier in the year from a warmer vineyard that a friend owns but my grapes are sitting at 18 brix for both my whites and most of my reds are sitting at 18-19 brix. I wish they would hurry up and reach 23-24 so I can pick them stems are turning brown already so I’m worried I might have to add sugar to the must been a real weird year.

Im targeting 21 for my whites and 23-24 for reds but might not get that.


----------



## Snafflebit (Sep 14, 2021)

I have adjusted the TA up on the merlot. I did a 50 mL sample juice test where I tried adjusting to 4.8 g/L and 6g/L and I chose 4.8, which seems low but tastes good.

Then added water acidulated to 4.8 g/L.

Then I tasted the merlot and measured the pH and it read 3.1 Very alarming!! I double checked the tartaric addition, water addition and did my acid calculations with a conservative estimate of finished wine amount=60% of must volume.

I forgot that the must is mostly berries. I muddled a cup of must which came out to be 3.4pH.

So, I just have to trust the math at this point. I hope that it turns out okay.


----------



## Ajmassa (Sep 14, 2021)

Snafflebit said:


> I have adjusted the TA up on the merlot. I did a 50 mL sample juice test where I tried adjusting to 4.8 g/L and 6g/L and I chose 4.8, which seems low but tastes good.
> 
> Then added water acidulated to 4.8 g/L.
> 
> ...


Yea. I think it’ll be better than ok. I’m a big believer that even if you over-adjusted the must pre-ferment - the wine tends to find itself by the time it’s stable & aging. All the crazy chemical reactions occurring during alcoholic fermentation and then malolactic fermentation can hide a multitude of sins from crush. And the final product ends up just slightly different. But not _worse_. It’s a part of what will make this wine become what it will be.
But over adjusting post ferment? Getting no forgiveness there! No help from chemistry to correct itself.
I’ve actually been ignoring TA As long as it’s not way way off. If ph too high I default to 3.6 regardless of TA. balancing both ph & ta to ideal levels pre-AF can be brutal- and sometimes impossible! Removing the stress of that balancing act was freeing.

anyway- great updates on the pick & crush. Wishing you a healthy & complete ferment.


----------



## Snafflebit (Sep 15, 2021)

I measured the merlot this morning and now the must has 3.4pH and the sharpness of the tartaric acid is lower.  Always learning something new with wine.

Still has an obvious tingle on the tongue, hoping that diminishes.

Getting ready to pitch yeast after rehydration

Thanks @Ajmassa! I have experienced the same effect, preferment adjustments are more forgiving.


----------



## Snafflebit (Sep 17, 2021)

The two Cabs are racing towards the finish line! I had to put ice jugs in the musts. The merlot is slower, which I attribute to it being in a smaller container and (my guess) lower nitrogen due to being Merlot.

I am using Merit yeast again this year rehydrated in GoFerm. The yeast noticably started colonizing quicker than when I dry pitch yeast. If my batches grow in size, yeast + GoFerm will be cheaper than dry pitching. I am on the balance point now.


----------



## Snafflebit (Sep 22, 2021)

Well, crud. I had intended to co-innoculate with MLF but I forgot to add the CH-16.
The wines are approaching 2 to 7 Brix. Is there any information on adding ML at this stage, or should I just wait until after pressing?
I am chilling the wines with ice jugs, but it only keeps the must around 70F


----------



## CDrew (Sep 22, 2021)

It's still an "early inoculation", so why not? I might let it warm up just a bit.


----------



## NorCal (Sep 22, 2021)

Snafflebit said:


> Well, crud. I had intended to co-innoculate with MLF but I forgot to add the CH-16.
> The wines are approaching 2 to 7 Brix. Is there any information on adding ML at this stage, or should I just wait until after pressing?
> I am chilling the wines with ice jugs, but it only keeps the must around 70F


The only reason I would wait is to make sure you get enough of the mlb in the pressed wine , so that if finishes. Not sure if that is scientifically backed, but since the amount of mlb that is added is so small, it would be a concern that it replicates enough and gets distributed enough in the must.


----------



## Snafflebit (Sep 22, 2021)

I am going to play it safe and wait until after press. I have done MLF both ways and both have worked for me. Thanks


----------



## Snafflebit (Sep 23, 2021)

The wines race toward the finish line. It is time to reserve a bladder press.

The merlot is tasty but softer than the cabs, even after the acid addition. I think the merlot will blend well with the low-brix cab.

Water addition has not harmed the flavor of the wines, in my opinion. Time will tell how they change in a year.


----------



## Snafflebit (Sep 23, 2021)

How long is it safe to keep the wine in the primary fermenter on skins before pressing? I would like to wait for the merlot to hit 1.000 SG before pressing, while keeping the other wines "in stasis". I was thinking about wrapping the tops of the fermenters with plastic wrap and putting the lids on, these containers are Huskee trash cans.


----------



## Snafflebit (Sep 23, 2021)

Bladder press is rented for Sunday and Monday!


----------



## stickman (Sep 23, 2021)

I'm sure you'll be fine until pressing, you may smell some acetaldehyde( rotten apple), but don't be alarmed, just gently push down on the cap to get some wine to flow on top to keep it wet. A little acetaldehyde is good for young red wine, the color and tannin will react and bind the acetaldehyde which forms on the cap surface. A piece of 6mil poly placed directly on the cap helps if you get nervous, but shouldn't be needed for this short time.


----------



## Snafflebit (Sep 23, 2021)

stickman said:


> I'm sure you'll be fine until pressing, you may smell some acetaldehyde( rotten apple), but don't be alarmed, just gently push down on the cap to get some wine to flow on top to keep it wet. A little acetaldehyde is good for young red wine, the color and tannin will react and bind the acetaldehyde which forms on the cap surface. A piece of 6mil poly placed directly on the cap helps if you get nervous, but shouldn't be needed for this short time.



Okay, glad I asked. I did not think of putting wrap on the cap to keep the cap from drying out. Like a variable capacity tank


----------



## Nebbiolo020 (Sep 25, 2021)

Snafflebit said:


> View attachment 79053
> 
> The wines race toward the finish line. It is time to reserve a bladder press.
> 
> ...


 Water additions aren’t really scary I work at a winery and due to the brix we have to add 100 gallons of water to our white wine this year.


----------



## Rice_Guy (Sep 26, 2021)

Nebbiolo020 said:


> Water additions aren’t really scary I work at a winery and due to the brix we have to add 100 gallons of water to our white wine this year.


@Nebbiolo020 i hope you give a lot of little tidbits like this. My hunch is that there are “ in the instruction book” rules which get broken all the time when one is looking at commercial folks ,,, and why would that choice give the best quality out of three possible directions,


----------



## Nebbiolo020 (Sep 27, 2021)

Rice_Guy said:


> @Nebbiolo020 i hope you give a lot of little tidbits like this. My hunch is that there are “ in the instruction book” rules which get broken all the time when one is looking at commercial folks ,,, and why would that choice give the best quality out of three possible directions,


I will try to add some helpful information if it can be applied to home winemaking. A lot of commercial winemaking involves trial and error we screw up as well and look for creative new ways to solve problems so I can tell you that we do break supposed rules all the time.


----------



## Snafflebit (Sep 28, 2021)

This is the levels where the wine was pressed. Even the vats of -1° Brix had plenty of carbonation slowly filtering through the cap. I think that pressing could have waited even a week later in a cool place.

Press day is always exciting, and I put everyone to work while I "relaxed" by making sure there were the right size bottles available and records kept of all the free-run vs. press wine.











It was a pretty good haul of wine for 2021.


----------



## CDrew (Sep 28, 2021)

I have that same bladder press-it looks like a Speidel 40L. Curious why you elected to not use the inner cloth liner? I've always used, but it's kind of a pain. Is it any more difficult to clean up? If it isn't I may omit the cloth liner next press.

Excellent data reporting!


----------



## Snafflebit (Sep 28, 2021)

good eye. It is a Speidel 40L stainless steel. I rented it and it did not come with a fabric liner but I know what you are talking about. There were no issues with cleaning. A nylon brush gets anything out of the slots but I saw no reason to scrub it. I think the liner helps get the pomace cake out faster.


----------



## Kraffty (Sep 28, 2021)

Looks like a really good year and results for you this year, congrats!


----------



## Maheesh (Sep 29, 2021)

What bar do you press to?


----------



## CDrew (Sep 29, 2021)

Maheesh said:


> What bar do you press to?



1-1.5. The max it will go is 2.5.


----------



## Maheesh (Sep 29, 2021)

I put a regulator on mine and set it to one bar this year, came out nice


----------



## Snafflebit (Sep 29, 2021)

I stick to 1.5 Bar maximum. I am the regulator, so it occasionally hits 2 Bar if I am not careful.


----------



## mainshipfred (Sep 29, 2021)

I have the same one as well and have yet to use the bag. If you press slow enough you get very little squirting. I do go to 2 though for the finished wine I want to age. I then take it to 3 and blend them all together in case I run out of topping wine. You really don't get much more going to 3. 

Here's my question though, at what point to you consider the bar? If you take it gradually to 2 or 1 1/2 the pressure goes down once the grapes relax. Do you press until the 1 1/2 bar remains constant?


----------



## CDrew (Sep 29, 2021)

mainshipfred said:


> Here's my question though, at what point to you consider the bar? If you take it gradually to 2 or 1 1/2 the pressure goes down once the grapes relax. Do you press until the 1 1/2 bar remains constant?



The overpressure safety valve on mine opens at 2.5 so 3 is not a thing.

You can sort of tell. If you open the inlet and it immediately gets to 1.5 and no juice comes out, you're done. I rarely go above 1 and don't get much more going to higher pressures.


----------



## mainshipfred (Sep 29, 2021)

CDrew said:


> The overpressure safety valve on mine opens at 2.5 so 3 is not a thing.
> 
> You can sort of tell. If you open the inlet and it immediately gets to 1.5 and no juice comes out, you're done. I rarely go above 1 and don't get much more going to higher pressures.



Sorry, but still unclear. If I stop the water at 1.5 it will immediately start dropping. If I stop it at 2 it might drop and stop at 1.5. This will be my second using it so I'm still learning.


----------



## CDrew (Sep 29, 2021)

mainshipfred said:


> Sorry, but still unclear. If I stop the water at 1.5 it will immediately start dropping. If I stop it at 2 it might drop and stop at 1.5. This will be my second using it so I'm still learning.



I can only state what I do. I'll take to to 1.0. It will drop as juice is pressed out. I'll then take it back to 1.0. I'll do this several times. Usually by the 3rd cycle of this, no more wine will press out. I call it done at that point. I've played around with higher pressures-the wine tastes the same to me, and very little additional wine comes out above 1.5. Last year I did a press run to 1.0 and then at the end measured how much more wine came out between 1 and 1.5. It was very little, under 1L. That was with a fully loaded press too. Good luck, but in the end, I don't think it matters that much.


----------



## Snafflebit (Oct 2, 2021)

I began the post-ferment MLF today using CH-16. I love being able to sprinkle the freeze dried contents. The vintner who I buy ingredients from recommends using a leuco nutrient and I added some to the carboys, about a gram per bottle. I hear that most people don’t worry about ML nutrient.

So, @crushday, I took a picture of the CH-16 I used and it too has a tan tinge. Maybe this is the new color.


----------



## G259 (Oct 2, 2021)

Bordeaux style?


----------



## Boatboy24 (Oct 3, 2021)

Snafflebit said:


> I began the post-ferment MLF today using CH-16. I love being able to sprinkle the freeze dried contents. The vintner who I buy ingredients from recommends using a leuco nutrient and I added some to the carboys, about a gram per bottle. I hear that most people don’t worry about ML nutrient.



I honestly don't know if it is a leuco nutrient, but I always add OptiMalo before I add the MLB. 






Opti Malo Plus | MoreWine


Opti'Malo Plus is a natural nutrient developed by Lallemand specifically for Malolactic Fermentation. It is a blend of inactive yeasts rich in amino...




morewinemaking.com


----------



## stickman (Oct 3, 2021)

Leucofood is just a brand of ML nutrient from the BSG line of products. ML bacteria is now called Oenococcus oeni, but was previously known as Leuconostoc oenos so that's where the name came from. 









LEUCOFOOD NUTRIENT


LEUCOFOOD NUTRIENT



www.napafermentation.com


----------



## Snafflebit (Oct 14, 2021)

Woohoo, I finally see the MLF Don Ho Tiny Bubbles in all my wine. I have not racked the carboys off the fine lees yet.


----------



## Snafflebit (May 31, 2022)

Snafflebit said:


> I finally finished the measurements after one day of cold soaking.
> 
> Vineyard 1 Cab Sauv:
> SG 1.094 Brix 22.5
> ...



Here is a progress report on the 2021 wines. 5/30/22

Vineyard 1 Cab Sauv:
I had enough wine to age a press fraction and free run fraction. This Cab Sauv must had no water or tartaric adjustments. The must started as 3.42pH and a low (by California standards) 22 Brix. Today the free run is 3.52pH and the press is 3.47pH. The press fraction had a green characteristic at the first rack, now that characteristic is gone, I am happy about that. I am glad that I have a pH meter, because by the taste I would have never guessed the pH was this low. Tastes fine, not sharp or acidic.

Vineyard 1 Merlot:
This must was adjusted to 25 Brix and 4.8g/L TA, which I felt was a conservative acid level for these very ripe grapes, but I did not want to over correct my grape must TA. Must was 3.79pH at crush, today the wine is 3.50pH and so far is on track to being a very fine wine, deeply pigmented and a little lower in pH than I expected. Backwatering did not hurt the wine. 

Vineyard 2 Cab Sauv:
This must was also adjusted to 25 Brix and 4.8g/L TA. Must started at 3.58pH at crush, today the wine is 3.67pH. Again the backwatering did not hurt the wine. 

So, I am pleased with the results of light acidulation and backwatering. This leads me to think the high Brix was the result of shrivel more than overripeness of the berries. I want to target 25-27 Brix for the Merlot to create an easy drinking wine that is not bone dry and 23-25 Brix for the Cab to showcase a tannic structure.

MLF completed on time for the 2021 wines. I had a 2020 wine start at 27 Brix and it was still bubbling in Spring 2022! It completed MLF but it worried me. So, I will backwater future musts to 25 Brix unless there is a very good reason not to do it.


----------



## Snafflebit (Jun 3, 2022)

The Merlot still has that bright magenta color. It needs some age, I think.


----------

