Aging samplers

[tradowsk]

I have some merlot aging in carboys. These are from whole grapes back in Sept 2020, and have been bulk aging on a bit of oak since Dec 2020.

I want to send some 100mL sampler bottles to a friend across country when the wine is ready. I was planning to bottle in a few months and then let it age a year in the bottles before drinking or sending the samples to my friend (final length dependent on taste).
The sampler bottles have metal screw caps that are air-tight.

So my question: when I bottle, do I fill the sample bottles now and let them bulk age without the micro-oxygenation of the cork closure, or do I bottle it all in corked bottles, then in a year, crack some bottles open to fill the samplers?

 

[Johnd]

I have some merlot aging in carboys. These are from whole grapes back in Sept 2020, and have been bulk aging on a bit of oak since Dec 2020.

I want to send some 100mL sampler bottles to a friend across country when the wine is ready. I was planning to bottle in a few months and then let it age a year in the bottles before drinking or sending the samples to my friend (final length dependent on taste).
The sampler bottles have metal screw caps that are air-tight.

So my question: when I bottle, do I fill the sample bottles now and let them bulk age without the micro-oxygenation of the cork closure, or do I bottle it all in corked bottles, then in a year, crack some bottles open to fill the samplers?

Frankly, you could probably do either successfully. Ideally, I’d suspect that aging in a bottle, then filling / shipping the samplers would be better, but might not be noticeable in the long run.

 

[Rice_Guy]

It will be difficult to micro oxygenate samples as small as 100 ml, the volume to oxygen transmission per month will be off.
For a 100 ml bottle the ullage to product ratio is high which leads to short shelf life unless you can flush with inert gas, or vacuum, or get the ullage close to zero. This leads to the viable option of bottle with minimal ullage and the encourage friends to taste in a few weeks.

I have some merlot aging in carboys. have been bulk aging on a bit of oak since Dec 2020. . . 100mL sampler bottles . . .question: when I bottle, do I fill the sample bottles now and let them bulk age without the micro-oxygenation of the cork closure, or do I bottle it all in corked bottles, then in a year, crack some bottles open to fill the samplers?