Another Chardonnay Question

[CoastalEmpireWine]

Good evening. I am new to white wine making from grapes. Especially with what I am trying to accomplish with this years Chardonnay. I am looking at different wine fermentation additions and I’m slightly confused. My goal is to make a full bodied buttery oaked Chardonnay. I picked up (not knowing what I need and don’t need) the following:

Lallzyme C-Max
Lallzyme Cuvée Blanc
Opti White
Blanc booster
Tannin FT Blanc Soft

My original plan was to add the tannin right after crush, cold settle and then Opti White and Blanc Booster at the onset of fermentation. With the style I am trying to accomplish I didn’t know if I should add Lallzyme Cuvée Blanc and let the must macerate on the skins for 4-6 hours or if I should use the C-Max and then proceed to cold settle.

Here is more info:
Yeast: CY3079
Grapes: Lanza Chardonnay
MLB: MBR-31 sequential

 

[NorCal]

My approach on winemaking is to not add anything, unless I need to to fix a problem with the grapes. I’m making Chardonnay this year with a similar taste profile. My plan is Goferm, FermK, TR 313 yeast and grapes. Cold ferment in barrel, oak to taste.

 

[vinny]

@NorCal would you mind humouring me with a quick run down on the barrel cold ferment? Temp, time, racking, etc. I won't do it any time soon, if ever. I am mostly just curious how you intend to do it.

 

[NorCal]

@NorCal would you mind humouring me with a quick run down on the barrel cold ferment? Temp, time, racking, etc. I won't do it any time soon, if ever. I am mostly just curious how you intend to do it.

I like my red ferments to be open, warm and fast. The whites under airlock, cold and slow. My cold is 65-69 degrees and it typically takes 7-14 days to go dry.

 

[CoastalEmpireWine]

My approach on winemaking is to not add anything, unless I need to to fix a problem with the grapes. I’m making Chardonnay this year with a similar taste profile. My plan is Goferm, FermK, TR 313 yeast and grapes. Cold ferment in barrel, oak to taste.

Next year I’ll be purchasing fresh juice instead of white grapes and a neutral barrel to ferment in. With these grapes, unknown how long ago it was harvested, and then shipped from the West Coast to the East Coast I was planning on as much protection as possible. I’ve been a lot wine maker for many many years. But making wine from grapes is still new to me.

 

[heatherd]

To get that buttery chard, you'll want to do MLF. I use VP41 with good luck. Also add oak. Best of luck!

 

[CoastalEmpireWine]

To get that buttery chard, you'll want to do MLF. I use VP41 with good luck. Also add oak. Best of luck!

I have VP41 also. I was under the impression that MBR-31 would be a better producer of diacetyl

 

[heatherd]

I have VP41 also. I was under the impression that MBR-31 would be a better producer of diacetyl

Not sure as I haven't used it. I have used the VP41 with good results for 8-9 years. Worst case scenario you could try the MBR-31 and keep the VP41 as a back-up plan. Anything powdered (not liquid) is going to be pretty reliable from what I've experienced to date, which they both are.

 

[CoastalEmpireWine]

Not sure as I haven't used it. I have used the VP41 with good results for 8-9 years. Worst case scenario you could try the MBR-31 and keep the VP41 as a back-up plan. Anything powdered (not liquid) is going to be pretty reliable from what I've experienced to date, which they both are.

I use VP41 on my reds and love it. From the research I have done MBR-31 produces more diacetyl than VP41 but is much more sensitive than VP41. I think I will give it a try and see how it goes.

Another technique I have been looking into is short term maceration using Lallzyme Cuvée Blanc. From everything I can find it creates a much more complex Chardonnay. I believe I may split my yield in half and try half maceration and half direct to press and see which I like better.

 

[heatherd]

I use VP41 on my reds and love it. From the research I have done MBR-31 produces more diacetyl than VP41 but is much more sensitive than VP41. I think I will give it a try and see how it goes.

Another technique I have been looking into is short term maceration using Lallzyme Cuvée Blanc. From everything I can find it creates a much more complex Chardonnay. I believe I may split my yield in half and try half maceration and half direct to press and see which I like better.

I was going to suggest sur lies and battonage to add complexity, but the MBR-31 info states that the buttery properties decrease on lees.
https://shop.scottlab.com/lalvin-mbr-31-mbr31
https://shop.scottlab.com/lalvin-vp41-vp41https://www.jordanwinery.com/blog/batonnage-an-old-world-winemaking-technique-preserved-each-winter/
Maybe split three ways to do all individually to taste:
-Battonage/sur lies with VP41
-Maceration with cuvee blanc
-Direct press with MBR-31

It may be that one option is way better or you can blend them all for maximum funk. There are winemakers here who routinely split batches to use several types of yeast to get more complexity.

 

[NorCal]

My approach on winemaking is to not add anything, unless I need to to fix a problem with the grapes. I’m making Chardonnay this year with a similar taste profile. My plan is Goferm, FermK, TR 313 yeast and grapes. Cold ferment in barrel, oak to taste.

I don’t think I’ve ever replied to my own post. Here is an article this week from winemaker magazine.

What are your top five rookie mistakes to avoid in winemaking?​

The list of things we can add to our freshly-crushed grapes is too long to enumerate. Many beginning winemakers believe that the more “tweaks” and additions they make, the better their wine will be. I try to keep my winemaking minimalist and think about using additives only when the grapes really call for it. The idea is to get such good grapes that you don’t have to add anything at all if you don’t want to.

 

[CoastalEmpireWine]

I don’t think I’ve ever replied to my own post. Here is an article this week from winemaker magazine.

What are your top five rookie mistakes to avoid in winemaking?​

The list of things we can add to our freshly-crushed grapes is too long to enumerate. Many beginning winemakers believe that the more “tweaks” and additions they make, the better their wine will be. I try to keep my winemaking minimalist and think about using additives only when the grapes really call for it. The idea is to get such good grapes that you don’t have to add anything at all if you don’t want to.

I agree with you. I’m on the East Coast where it is more difficult to get “fresh” grapes. Most grapes are trucked in, 3-5 days, and sat in a cold storage warehouse for an unknown amount of time before you are called to come pick them up.

I have been looking more and more into it. I am dropping out most of the chemicals I had listed but I am still going to give a short maceration a try.