# Suisun Valley Petite Syrah



## Wade E (Oct 9, 2010)

Im going to pick up the last of my grapes in a few which are the some of the best grapes available to us I believe or so Ive been told by many a people who make them. Ill get back later with some pics and numbers for y'all!


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## robie (Oct 9, 2010)

That's my favorite wine variety. Dark, Thick, filled with fruit flavors! 
Yes, we want photos!


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## Wade E (Oct 9, 2010)

I havent adjusted the numbers yet but so far they are 3.63 PH and .59 TA so adjusting should be fairly simple, I hope!


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## Wade E (Oct 9, 2010)




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## vcasey (Oct 9, 2010)

Wade they look great. That is one of the varieties I got last year.

Richard, I agree with you. PS is sooooooooo good!


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## Dean (Oct 9, 2010)

awesome! I love petite syrah!


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## grapeman (Oct 9, 2010)

Looks great Wade. Don't throw those lugs away. They are 10-12 dollars each and collapse for storage. They aren't as rugged as the hard plastic ones (molded), but a dollar or two cheaper.


What's the brix on them? I see some raisined ones in that cluster- probably about 26-28 brix.


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## Wade E (Oct 9, 2010)

Im waiting til tomorrow morning to do all the adjustments and didnt even take a Brix reading yet. I tasted them and they were sweeeeeeeeeeet though. Yes there were a few raisoned areas. Way more juice then the Merlot last weekend. If you want these lugs Rich i would be glad to send them to you and maybe even get you theb 2 from last week. You should have spoke up earlier as I already threw away the Chards lugs.


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## grapeman (Oct 9, 2010)

Hey if you don't have somebody closer to give them to, send them on up. They would come in handy in the future!


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## Wade E (Oct 9, 2010)

Will do, pm me your address again cause im sure not driving up there 
again at least not to just drop them off!


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## Randoneur (Oct 9, 2010)

Great grapes Wade! 
What are you shooting for on the TA? 

Should make some really good wine.


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## Wade E (Oct 9, 2010)

I like to follow the PH rule instead of TA rule and get a 3.5 or close and deal with the acid later but I dont go too far and dont take them above say .70. We'll see tomorrow as Im not sure I did a really good job at those numbers today, just played around a little tomorrow afternoon I get some more accurate #'s as solution I had for testing acid is older and may be out of date as my son spilled the last of the new stuff when helping me with the Merlot last weekend! The place I went to get my grapes this morning was just so jammed up I couldnt even get to the back of the store and when I finally had the chance I bought my BM45 yeast and forgot the rest of the stuff!



So basically to sum it up Ill probably try to get the ph to like 3.58 and leave it there and let MLf do the rest.


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## Jackie (Oct 10, 2010)

I made the Lanza Vineyards PS last year and it's now aging in a Hungarian oak barrel. I love it. My favorite wine of all. I had to get frozen must (to get it shipped to me) so it was pricey but I love this wine. I'm hoping to do another whenever I can afford it.


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## ibglowin (Oct 10, 2010)

WOw!





Those look great! I don't think I would mess with em at all. Pretty darn close to perfect as is. Did those come from GP?


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## Wade E (Oct 10, 2010)

GP? Not sure what that means. Just got back from picking up some new supplies and darn if they didnt have some Chocolate Raspberry Port kits there!


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## grapeman (Oct 10, 2010)

Me thinks he means Gino Pinto..............


I suppose one of the CRP kits jumped in the back of your pickup huh?


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## ibglowin (Oct 10, 2010)

Yep. Gino Pinto.


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## Wade E (Oct 10, 2010)

Maltose Express is where I get my stuff locally. Yes, one of those port kits hi-jacked my trunk and stowed for the ride home!



Final numbers after a little adjusting where ph 3.55 and ta .64. 25 Brix. I didnt calibrate my meter yesterday and the numbers were a little off unless they changed over night which is easily possible since they were soaking with enzymes and also I just stuck the meter in the must yesterday instead of pulling a sample. I also discovered that they were just Suisun valley grapes and not Lanza Vineyards which doesnt mean that much to me but I swear thats what the lady said yesterday.


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## Dean (Oct 10, 2010)

Those are pretty nice numbers for PS! All you need now is a nice french oak MT/TH barrel!


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## Wade E (Oct 10, 2010)

Actually looking to get a Hungarian barrel at the minute and a American.


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## Wade E (Oct 16, 2010)

Checked the sg this morning and .991 was the reading so pressed and got 4.75 gallons of free run juice and another 1.5 gallons of lightly pressed juice. I added the .25 of pressed juice to the other and have another gallon jug and a 750ml bottle. I added Wyeast liquid MLF tp them just a little while ago and will add some pics in a few but left the camera downstairs and my backs killing me now.


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## AlFulchino (Oct 16, 2010)

looking great Wade...good luck with it all

ps..missed you this summer


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## Wade E (Oct 16, 2010)

I must say who ever designed these presses really needs to rethink their
work! Why in Gods name isnt it at least tall enough to put a 5 gallon 
bucket underneath!!!!!!!!!!!! I put the press on my 
roll around fermenting table so that I could put a bucket under the 
press to catch the juice. If not making the press tall enough to do so 
they should at least sell something like they do for woodworking 
equipment to roll this around and make it tall enough to do so. Ill have
to make something out of wood for just this.



Al, I just never had enough time or freedom to get away with all my 
wifes surgeries and everything!


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## AlFulchino (Oct 16, 2010)

make a stand for it...bolt to the stand and put two wheels on one side

i dont see any fruit flies...are you in some special antiseptic area?


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## grapeman (Oct 16, 2010)

I don't know how you pressed without that one leg falling off the table. I'm cringing looking at it teetering on the edge. Make a stand quick!


I leave mine on the floor and put the catch bin under it, then I just pour it into whatever I am putting the wine in.


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## ibglowin (Oct 16, 2010)

0.991! wOw!

Thats pretty dry for sure.......

Aren't the grapes supposed to be below the wooden blocks!


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## Wade E (Oct 16, 2010)

I actually held it tight while doing any pressing! It looks worse then it was though looking at the pics now. Maybe I'll just drill some holes in this table for 3 bolts to slide in making the press not be able to fall over as the extra space on each side was nice!


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## Randoneur (Oct 16, 2010)

I have the same press. 
I bolted the legs to a triangular piece of plywood through ariser to get it high enough to get my brew kettle under it. 
The plywood makes aplatform that I can get my hand truck under to move it around. Saves my back!! 
BTW when finished, cleaned and dried, spray the screw and ratched down with cooking oil spray to keep it from rusting.


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## Wade E (Oct 16, 2010)

I actually have a can Food grade spray lubricant designed for machines in the food industry that prevents rust and corrosion.


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## Randoneur (Oct 16, 2010)

Usingmy ratchet press really makes me want Santa to bring me a bladder press on his sleigh this Christmas!


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## Randoneur (Oct 18, 2010)

Do you have Malo started yet?


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## Wade E (Oct 18, 2010)

It was added Sat. and I have do have the little ring of bubbles but its very slow. I also added ActiML with it. Im questioning my choice of MLB though as all they had was the liquid Wyeast so thats what I used which I really didnt want to. I cant see any bubbles as of yet rising, just that tell tale ring around the to but its early still.


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## Dean (Oct 19, 2010)

visual signs of MLF can be very hard to see. You'll have to do chromatography tests instead to see if it's happening, but since you just added it, I'd give it a couple of weeks first.


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## Dean (Oct 19, 2010)

Randoneur, you might want to reconsider your use of cooking spray on the equipment and switch to food grade lubricant. Cooking spray will actually start to plasticize over time and is a complete pain to remove once it hits that stage. Basically, it turns yellow, goes rancid, and then becomes hard rubber/plastic. I made all those same mistakes years ago.


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## CajunJay (Oct 23, 2010)

Wade,
I am just starting my Suisun Valley PS. I got 22.5 brix and 3.4 pH. WOW you got your grapes early. If I remember correctly I think these are Suisun via Lodi but wouldn't testify to that. It's just what I remember. I made no adjustments and it's percolating nicely on the skins.


Jay


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## Wade E (Oct 23, 2010)

Thats what mine were to referring to Lodi and dont know where I got the info in the beginning that they were Lanza but they werent. My friend is still waiting for his Merlot as they havent picked them yet. Its hard to believe you just got yours seeing as how they are the same as mine. I wonder if they have been picking just what was ready on the same varietals just to appease the customers an get the grapes to as many of us as possible.


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