2018 Grape Season Underway

[stickman]

Yea, really nice, I can smell the berries from here.

 

[pgentile]

@Ajmassa5983 looking good over there all around. Really like your setup so far. My carmenere looked that good, the malbec did once I culled a bit. But same thing here nice thick cap, hit with MLB today. hey what kind of numbers did you have?

 

[Johnd]

Looking awesome, you’ve got a lot of toys!! The Malbec from 2016 is turning into a pretty nice wine, betting yours is going to be a winner!!

 

[Ajmassa]

@Ajmassa5983 looking good over there all around. Really like your setup so far. My carmenere looked that good, the malbec did once I culled a bit. But same thing here nice thick cap, hit with MLB today. hey what kind of numbers did you have?

Numbers were good by me. 24ish brix° at crush. Next day SG read 1.099. Ph 3.3 initially. Then bouncing next day 3.2-3.3. (My meter reads only one decimal. Gonna upgrade but been spending money like crazy. Need to chill for a bit lol)
Free So2 read ~15ppm. Crush took a while and saw more bubbles and foaming than I was comfortable with. Decided to add a touch of so2. Brought to 25ppm.
With ph so low i knew I wasn’t adding acid and to remove from must would just be a headache. Alpha ML had legit tolerances. Took TA right before yeast- read 6.0g/L. So far so good.
D80 took off quick. D254 caught up next day tho.
Added some oak chips to 254 to find out 1st hand what the deal is with that. Blending down the line. Excited for my 1st barrel for these.

 

[Ajmassa]

Oh yeah, and I ordered the wrong enzyme. I bought Lallazyme EX-V- not EX by mistake. May have added another year to the aging it seems. Im perfectly fine with that tho. As long as she turns into a tasty balanced Malbec in the end I’ll be happy.

 

[Boatboy24]

Great setup, AJ!!

 

[pgentile]

Numbers were good by me. 24ish brix° at crush. Next day SG read 1.099. Ph 3.3 initially. Then bouncing next day 3.2-3.3. (My meter reads only one decimal. Gonna upgrade but been spending money like crazy. Need to chill for a bit lol)
Free So2 read ~15ppm. Crush took a while and saw more bubbles and foaming than I was comfortable with. Decided to add a touch of so2. Brought to 25ppm.
With ph so low i knew I wasn’t adding acid and to remove from must would just be a headache. Alpha ML had legit tolerances. Took TA right before yeast- read 6.0g/L. So far so good.
D80 took off quick. D254 caught up next day tho.
Added some oak chips to 254 to find out 1st hand what the deal is with that. Blending down the line. Excited for my 1st barrel for these.

At crush I had a pH of 3.33 18 hours later it was 3.44. Re-calibrated the meter still 3.44. No So2 reading ability here yet.

Your pH will probably be higher after ferment.

I did oak chips in primary for the first time on this batch.

Sounds good, looking forward to my first barrel as well this year.

 

[ceeaton]

Oh yeah, and I ordered the wrong enzyme. I bought Lallazyme EX-V- not EX by mistake. May have added another year to the aging it seems. Im perfectly fine with that tho. As long as she turns into a tasty balanced Malbec in the end I’ll be happy.

I've used EX-V most of the time and haven't really noticed a difference in flavor a couple of years down the road. Does help extract a really nice color though.

You do have quite the setup. Someday I'll grow up and make my basement look like yours (which doesn't look like a basement anymore, more like a winery)!

 

[stickman]

The EX-V is good I've used it many times, but the punch-downs have to be adjusted according to how tough or fragile the skins are, the combination of EX-V and aggressive punch-downs can convert your skins to pulp.

 

[Ajmassa]

At crush I had a pH of 3.33 18 hours later it was 3.44. Re-calibrated the meter still 3.44. No So2 reading ability here yet.

Your pH will probably be higher after ferment.
I did oak chips in primary for the first time on this batch.
Sounds good, looking forward to my first barrel as well this year.

I wasn’t worried about the ph. Confident the numbers will shift the right way.
I simply use titrets for so2. Gets the job done.
A wise winemaker once told me-if you’ve got quality grapes in good shape you don’t need to add oak to the ferment. I trust his judgement- but still wanted to find out for myself. With separating my grapes I can see 1st hand.

I've used EX-V most of the time and haven't really noticed a difference in flavor a couple of years down the road. Does help extract a really nice color though.

Not so much adding time for flavor down the road. But stronger enzyme= more extraction = more tannin= more time needed to mellow and balance out. Theoretically at least.
And Craig, you didn’t see the other half of the basement in the pics. Condensed all our storage now looks like an episode of hoarders. After pressing she’ll get her storage space back

 

[Ajmassa]

The EX-V is good I've used it many times, but the punch-downs have to be adjusted according to how tough or fragile the skins are, the combination of EX-V and aggressive punch-downs can convert your skins to pulp.

Nice tip. Didn’t think about punching ‘too much’- just the adverse. Even Using just EX turned my skins to mush by the end last year. I’ve been punching morning afternoon and night. I check sugar at afternoon punch. By the time I’m done a strong cap is already formed. I punch it again at that point.
Temps have been steady ~68°. Very nice pace. I’m sure it will pick up steam soon. I’m anticipating a nutrient shot when I get home with 1/3 sugar depletion.

And @Johnd, yea I’ve accumulated some toys. But I’m not satisfied. I might not ever be satisfied actually. But I do have a goal in mind (it ain’t small!)- and I’m still a ways away. Fully finished room. Single varietal batches to fill a 30 or 60 gal barrel a season. And a couple VC’s. Every few years rotating in new oak and having blending parties. Your all invited! (Of course a cellar will be needed too). Lofty but not unrealistic and I’m on my way. Scaling up and learning more as I go. I got time. I turned 35 yrs old today actually.

 

[Johnd]

And @Johnd, yea I’ve accumulated some toys. But I’m not satisfied. I might not ever be satisfied actually. But I do have a goal in mind (it ain’t small!)- and I’m still a ways away. Fully finished room. Single varietal batches to fill a 30 or 60 gal barrel a season. And a couple VC’s. Every few years rotating in new oak and having blending parties. Your all invited! (Of course a cellar will be needed too). Lofty but not unrealistic and I’m on my way. Scaling up and learning more as I go. I got time. I turned 35 yrs old today actually.

A good goal, and pretty much where I've set to end up also, wish I'd started at 35 instead of mid 40's............Made a lot of wine in the early years, got the toys, wine room / cellar done, and in 2017 executed my "scale back" by making 50 gallons of wine, loading a 30 gallon French barrel and the other 20 gallons into the Vadai's. The little barrels will be retired by the end of the year, as well as the 12, and will be getting a new barrel (30 or 60) for each successive vintage in the future. 150 - 300 bottles a year is plenty to keep the supply constant, on top of the commercial wines.............

 

[ceeaton]

The EX-V is good I've used it many times, but the punch-downs have to be adjusted according to how tough or fragile the skins are, the combination of EX-V and aggressive punch-downs can convert your skins to pulp.

Ahhh, that's were all that pulp comes from, makes a little more sense now. I'm not overly aggressive, usually a punch down when I wake up, and on when I go to bed. Since I only had one lug of grapes added to a bucket (plus some frozen used skins from an earlier batch), I didn't press but strained it through a paint strainer bag. The final dump of the fermenter clogged the bag up pretty well, so I couldn't squeeze all the liquid that was trapped in the pulp out. Still got a little more than 7 gallons. If I get 6 gallons of finished wine I'll be happy.

The small flower bed that doubles as a compost pile smelled really good when I walked past it to the car this morning. Had me thinking I might need a "cough, cough" sick day today. Unfortunately trying to put a phone book to bed today, so I didn't want to get my boss upset (he'd have to do all the work in my absence).

 

[pgentile]

Walked into my house tonight, and pow, got hit by one of the most awesome fermenting smells filling the whole house. Have all 11 lugs in one brute, cap pushing the towel up a bit.

 

[jburtner]

I turned 35 yrs old today actually.

Happy Birthday and you’ve got some nice lookin grapes

Cheers,
-jb

 

[Ajmassa]

Happy Birthday and you’ve got some nice lookin grapes

Cheers,
-jb

Thank you. And yeah, they looked just as good in person too. Have you received your pails of must from juicegrape.com yet??

 

[jburtner]

Thank you. And yeah, they looked just as good in person too. Have you received your pails of must from juicegrape.com yet??

I haven’t yet. I think they’re still waiting on receiving Syrah grapes but it sounds like they have Malbec and Petit Verdot in and crushed / frozen. Expecting towards end of this month so am excited to see that yours look so good

Cheers!
Johann

 

[mainshipfred]

Still too early to tell but I may have a winner with the SA Cab grape batch. Used skins/juice bucket batch not bad either. Nice dark color and good tannin structure. Waiting for everything else to finish before doing MLF. Only my second all grape batch and I have to say, at least initially, all grape is the way to go. My other all grape a Norton is coming along nicely as well.

 

[pgentile]

Still too early to tell but I may have a winner with the SA Cab grape batch. Used skins/juice bucket batch not bad either. Nice dark color and good tannin structure. Waiting for everything else to finish before doing MLF. Only my second all grape batch and I have to say, at least initially, all grape is the way to go. My other all grape a Norton is coming along nicely as well.

Good to hear. My 2017 SA Cab is a winner. You will rally like after a year or so.

 

[mainshipfred]

Good to hear. My 2017 SA Cab is a winner. You will rally like after a year or so.

It will eventually go in a new barrel whenever they come in. Did you blend it with anything?