2011 Fresh Grapes From California via FVW

[ibglowin]

Thought I would start my own thread on this endeavor. Finally getting around to posting some updates and pics. Its been a rough week. Got sick in Texas and the head cold turned into sinus infection then bronchitis. Was a good excuse to miss the entire week of work but have felt like crap as well. Finally felling better almost 2 weeks later but this cough is hanging around and nights are not fun for sure.
Fruit quality was about a 3.5 out of 5 I would say. I wish I could have had more time to inspect the fruit but we had been waiting around for 3 days and I really just wanted to get it crushed and on the road. I picked up 21 lugs or a little over 750lbs.
6 lugs Cabernet Sauvignon6 lugs Merlot3 lugs Malbec3 lugs Petit Verdot3 lugs Cabernet Franc
As most folks know this harvest was one of the toughest on record to bring in. Cold weather in the Spring followed by a cool Summer and then late rains made it a challenge to say the least on the vineyard managers. The fruit showed some signs of that from the initial numbers
Cabernet Sauvignon #1Initial chemistry
pH 3.80 SG 1.106 (25.5 Brix) TA 5.4 G/L Added 15gm Tartaric acid
Retest:
pH 3.70 TA 6.0 G/L
Cabernet Sauvignon #2Initial chemistry
pH 3.88 SG 1.104 (25.5 Brix) TA 5.1 Added 15gm Tartaric acid
Retest:
pH 3.79 TA 5.9 G/L
Merlot #1 Initial chemistry
pH 3.64 SG 1.114 (27.5 Brix) TA 4.2 G/L
Added 2.5L Acidulated water
Retest:
pH 3.48 SG 1.102 (25 Brix) TA 5.7
Merlot #2 Initial chemistry
pH 3.59 SG 1.104 (25 Brix) TA 4.8G/L Added 20gm Tartaric acid
Retest:
pH 3.46 TA 6.3
Malbec Initial chemistry
pH 3.62 SG 1.104 (25 Brix) TA 5.4 Added 10gm Tartaric acid
Retest:
pH 3.59 TA 6.0 G/L
Petit Verdot Initial chemistry
pH 4.07 SG 1.114 (27.5 Brix) TA 4.5
Added 2.5L acidulated water with 35gm Tartaric acid
Retest:
pH 3.98 SG 1.102 (25 Brix) TA 6.3
Cabernet Franc Initial chemistry
pH 3.98 SG 1.102 (25 Brix) TA 3.9 added 30gms Tartaric acid
Retest:
pH 3.72 TA 6.0

The Petit Verdot was a mystery as the the acid came up nicely but the pH barely budged from the initial test results. If I had to make a guess we are seeing some sort of potassium buffer phenomenon from the skins.
I wanted to tweak the chemistry a bit more but I was running out of time as with this much must and me running out of energy it took me till Tuesday night to get this far (after picking the grapes up on Sunday and driving home Sunday night) The grapes were plenty cold when unloaded as I added a bag of ice to each The temps were 52 degrees on Sunday night but I was in no shape to start testing until Monday morning. I spent all day Monday removing leaves, twigs, small clusters and testing. Tuesday was add acid and retest day. Wednesday morning was yeast hydration and pitching day. Hard to believe that pitching yeast could be an all day affair but it takes almost a full hour for each batch.
I used Lallzyme EX and OptiRed on each batch. I rehydrated the yeast in water and Go-Ferm. I am using Fermaid-K in 2 additions at 1/3 and 2/3 Brix drop.
I am using using several different yeast to bring out different flavor profiles. The batches will then be combined closer to bench test trials in about 18mo from now. I will be striving for a nice Bordeaux blend as well as bottling some pure varietals as well.
Yeast used were:
Cabernet Sauvignon #1 Bordeaux RedCabernet Sauvignon #2 </span>D254Merlot #1D254Merlot #2Bordeaux RedMalbec D254Petit Verdot D21Cabernet Franc D21

D21 is specifically recommended for reducing vegetal off flavors in the Cab Franc and Petit Verdot.
Here is a "raw" video I Posted to You Tube taken with the iPhone. SWMBO was taking it while trying to keep an eye on the 85lb Golden Retriever who accompanied us on this big adventure! Much thanks to George and Joseph. They worked long and hard on Saturday and Sunday without much sleep at all but they took it all in stride non the less!

[TUBE]http://youtu.be/LuiKl2zcrp4[/TUBE]

 

[Wade E]

Not bad numbers at all for the horrendous season we had!!! Looks like you were packed in like sardines!!! LOL

 

[ibglowin]

Man that truck was loaded! That old Expedition paid for itself on this trip for sure. Don't use it all that much anymore due to the cost of fuel ($80 to fill up). If it ain't working it ain't being driven as they say.
As you can see in the one pic I even had to fold down the 1/3 portion of the back seat and stack 2 of the 20G Brute buckets on top of each other. That left poor jack only 2/3 of the seat for the long drive home but he didn't seem to mind. He is the absolute best car dog ever. Sleeps the whole way and pops his head up to look out the window when we stop for food or gas etc. He's glad to be home I'm sure but does enjoy the road trips.

 

[grapeman]

Thanks for starting this thread. It will be fun to follow the progress. Those numbers look really good to me. Wish I could start with numbers like that!

 

[okree]

Very cool... I bet 750 lbs of fruit sounds and smells glorious whilefermenting, huh?

 

[ibglowin]

<t></t><t></t><t></t></span><t></t><table id="post152521" ="tborder"="" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="100%" align="center" style="-: initial; -attachment: initial; -origin: initial; -clip: initial; : rgb119, 40, 28; color: rgb255, 255, 255; -: initial initial; -repeat: initial initial; "><t><tr valign="top"><td ="alt1"="" id="td_post_152521" style="font: normal normal normal 9ptormal verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; -: initial; -attachment: initial; -origin: initial; -clip: initial; : rgb255, 255, 255; color: rgb0, 0, 0; border-right-width: 0px; border-right-style: solid; border-right-color: rgb119, 40, 28; -: initial initial; -repeat: initial initial; "><div id="post_message_152521">Feeling much better today and first full day back at work! Most of the Brutes have 11 gallons of must which will make ~6.5 gallons of pressed wine. The two that I had to add some water to get the SG down have about 13 gallons of must so they will make about 7.8 gallons! There is a lot of juice under the cap for sure.

Just checked the SG on all 7 Brutes. They are all basically dry or very close to dry and its only day 5 today! It is supposed to snow tonight and off and on tomorrow and then warm up and be pretty nice on Wednesday and Thursday. I need to go to Santa fe tomorrow and pick up a bunch of 1 gallon jugs from the LHBS. I have the carboys, just not enough smaller sizes.

SG's just now taken

Cabernet Sauvignon #1 1.010 must temp 72 degrees
Cabernet Sauvignon #2 0.998 must temp 70 degrees
Merlot #1 0.998 must temp 70 degrees
Merlot #2 1.006 must temp 72 degrees
Malbec 0.998 must temp 70 degrees
Petit Verdot 1.000 temp 70 degrees
Cabernet Franc 0.998 temp 70 degrees

All of them smell wonderful with no off odors including the Cab Franc. The color on them is pretty amazing as well, especially the Malbec and the Petit Verdot.

I plan on letting the temps fall to room temp 64-68 and pressing on Wednesday at the earliest or Thursday at the latest.</font></td></tr></t></table></span>

 

[Scott]

Thanks for taking us on your trip. What did you pour into the container about half way through?


That was nice when SWMBO thanked the dog after saying to sit. No wonder such a good dog has good role models!!

 

[tonyt]

Great thread Mike. Loved the video narrated I assume by your wife. I am so surprised that the instructions on the crusher de-stimer include shoving your hand and arm up into the machine.

 

[ibglowin]

Hey Scott,
That was a nice pre-measured vial of Sulfite solution to stun the native yeast into submission. It worked extremely well except on the Petit Verdot. It was starting to bubble just a bit when I pitched the yeast last Wednesday. Jack was on best behavior I have to say. We stayed 2 nights in a really nice dog friendly hotel (http://www.hotelpalomar-dallas.com/). Everyday he walked through the lobby and not once did his alter ego "Marley" ever come out to play!

Thanks for taking us on your trip. What did you pour into the container about half way through?


That was nice when SWMBO thanked the dog after saying to sit. No wonder such a good dog has good role models!!

 

[ibglowin]

I was a little nervous for sure and made sure each time I did I communicated with Joseph that my hands were inside...... It does look worse than what it is. There crushing drums are actually VERY high up the shoot so most of the time I was not in any contact with them, just helping to pull down the last bits of each lug that were sticking to the hopper so they didn't get carried over into a different varietal. That stand was a very nice addition to the crusher for sure!

Great thread Mike. Loved the video narrated I assume by your wife. I am so surprised that the instructions on the crusher de-stimer include shoving your hand and arm up into the machine.

 

[Scott]

Hey Scott,


That was a nice pre-measured vial of Sulfite solution to stun the native yeast into submission. It worked extremely well except on the Petit Verdot. It was starting to bubble just a bit when I pitched the yeast last Wednesday. Jack was on best behavior I have to say. We stayed 2 nights in a really nice dog friendly hotel (http://www.hotelpalomar-dallas.com/). Everyday he walked through the lobby and not once did his alter ego "Marley" ever come out to play!

Thanks for taking us on your trip. What did you pour into the container about half way through?


That was nice when SWMBO thanked the dog after saying to sit. No wonder such a good dog has good role models!!

I thought that might have been the chem addition. Was the crusher/destemmer service included in the grape purchase or an addition to?


Even Marley had his good moments!

 

[ibglowin]

Nominal charge in addition to the grapes. Worth it over trying to do it by hand!

 

[tonyt]

Jack was on best behavior I have to say. We stayed 2 nights in a really nice dog friendly hotel (http://www.hotelpalomar-dallas.com/). Everyday he walked through the lobby and not once did his alter ego "Marley" ever come out to play!

Thanks for the plug for one of my excellent customers in Dallas, Hotel Palomar. I hope you had vast quantities of coffee and tea in the restaurant and room service.

 

[ibglowin]

Can't say enough good about that place. They absolutely love pets, no extra charge either, no weight limit. Many hotels have a 20lb weight limit. I could take 1/4 of Jack! The whole 4th floor was reserved for guest with pets. They fawned all over Jack at check-in, gave him a treat and lots of love. We didn't eat in the hotel restaurant but it certainly looked wonderful. We did have the coffee in the lobby each morning and it was indeed delish. They also had free wine and lite bites each evening down in the lobby as well. I wouldn't hesitate to stay at another one of their places in the future either with or without pets!

 

[Bartman]

I don't stay in hotels in my hometown, of course, but I have heard many good things about the Hotel Palomar. Only slight downside is that it is not very close to downtown; you have to drive to get to and from it, unless you take DART, but the trains don't allow pets. It's in one of the hip parts of town, as that area is being revitalized.

Back to the grapes: I didn't use sulfite to kill the native/ambient yeast, but instead started it fermenting with Bourgovin RC 212 immediately. As fresh as those grapes were, I didn't see the point in waiting to start the fermentation, but that's more out of ignorance than anything else. The fermentation proceeded fine, and my 6 lugs are in secondary ferm. in 2 carboys, each with an oak spiral. What risk(s) do I take by now sulfiting the fresh must?

 

[grapeman]

I don't stay in hotels in my hometown, of course, but I have heard many good things about the Hotel Palomar. Only slight downside is that it is not very close to downtown; you have to drive to get to and from it, unless you take DART, but the trains don't allow pets. It's in one of the hip parts of town, as that area is being revitalized.

Back to the grapes: I didn't use sulfite to kill the native/ambient yeast, but instead started it fermenting with Bourgovin RC 212 immediately. As fresh as those grapes were, I didn't see the point in waiting to start the fermentation, but that's more out of ignorance than anything else. The fermentation proceeded fine, and my 6 lugs are in secondary ferm. in 2 carboys, each with an oak spiral. What risk(s) do I take by now sulfiting the fresh must?

Do you mean by NOT sulfiting? If you maenjnot sulfiting, you are taking a chance of the native yeast taking over and you have no say in the outcome of the wine. By killing/stunning the wild ones, you introduce a yeast you know (hopefully) yields good results.

 

[Bartman]

I don't stay in hotels in my hometown, of course, but I have heard many good things about the Hotel Palomar. Only slight downside is that it is not very close to downtown; you have to drive to get to and from it, unless you take DART, but the trains don't allow pets. It's in one of the hip parts of town, as that area is being revitalized.

Back to the grapes: I didn't use sulfite to kill the native/ambient yeast, but instead started it fermenting with Bourgovin RC 212 immediately. As fresh as those grapes were, I didn't see the point in waiting to start the fermentation, but that's more out of ignorance than anything else. The fermentation proceeded fine, and my 6 lugs are in secondary ferm. in 2 carboys, each with an oak spiral. What risk(s) do I take by now</font> sulfiting the fresh must?

Do you mean by NOT sulfiting? If you mean not sulfiting, you are taking a chance of the native yeast taking over and you have no say in the outcome of the wine. By killing/stunning the wild ones, you introduce a yeast you know (hopefully) yields good results.

Yeah, I meant by "not sulfiting" prior to introducing the RC 212 yeast. Darn computer spellcheck didn't read my mind!

 

[Dean]

Nice numbers Mike! I wish we had a harvest even close to that. I'm sticking with whites this year from my region. I can't take all the veggie tastes that are going to hit my reds HARD this year. Might as well make "green pepper" wine!

 

[ibglowin]

Thanks Dean, fingers are crossed on the Petit Verdot and Cab Franc that they turn out OK. The Brix levels certainly were high enough.
Still have a couple left that are not quite dry so added a brew belt this AM to warm em up just a bit. The others were all less than 1.000 so letting them fall to room temp.
Off on friday so I am going to hold off on pressing till then. Few extra days at a cool temp will help a bit more with extraction.

 

[Wade E]

Bart, just because you introduced that wine yeast before fermentation started visually doesnt mean that the wine yeast is the one that will win. Native or wild yeast can easily be the one to take control since it was there first. That said it doesnt mean that native or wild yeast is bad, just much more unpredictable. Mike, as far as the stand for the crusher destemmer goes, they need to add casters that lock on them!!!!!