Bottling Frenzy Last Night

[crushday]

Not a recommended activity for one person, but last night I filtered (Buon Vino #2) and bottled 229 bottles of barrel aged (sans dragon's blood) wine. Barrel aged for six months in 6 gallon Hungarian oak barrels after being bulk aged in carboys for approximately 6 months.

Lots of Christmas presents here...

1. Stag’s Leap Merlot (WE) OG 1.090, RC-212, FG .995, ABV 12.47
2. Italian Montepulciano (MV Sommelier Select) OG 1.103, EC-1118, FG .990, ABV 14.83
3. Sonoma Pinot Noir (WE) OG 1.094, RC-212, FG .993, ABV 13.26
4. Old Vine Zinfandel (MV Sommelier Select) OG 1.100, Avante, FG .996, ABV 13.65
5. Cab/Zin Bourbon Barrel (WE) OG 1.088, Avante, FG 0.989, ABV 12.99
6. Olde Vine Cabernet (MV Sommelier Select) OG 1.091, Avante, FG .990, ABV 13.26
7. Rosso Ardente (MV Sommelier Select), OG 1.096, Avante, FG .996, ABV 13.13
8. Dragon's Blood (Danger Dave's), OG 1.099, EC-1118, FG .990, ABV 14.31
   

 

[Tatmia]

I assume you snuck in a taste of each. Which one was your favorite?

 

[crushday]

I assume you snuck in a taste of each. Which one was your favorite?

Honestly, many tastes... Each batch rendered a partial bottle which I took into the house for the victory celebration. My fav? Of these, the Italian Montepulciano for sure. Although, you can't beat the Stag's Leap Merlot which is tasty every time. All of the wines are very good.

 

[Tatmia]

Honestly, many tastes... Each batch rendered a partial bottle which I took into the house for the victory celebration. My fav? Of these, the Italian Montepulciano for sure. Although, you can't beat the Stag's Leap Merlot which is tasty every time. All of the wines are very good.

Didn’t have any MV kits planned - sounds like I need to change that.

 

[crushday]

I’m pretty high on MV kits. Like many others, I think they seem suspiciously similar to RJS kits. The biggest indicator is the 2015 RQ RJS kits bore an eerie resemblance to the 2016 Limited Edition MV kits.

Makes no difference to me. I’d like to make any of the LE MV kits again as they have all been excellent. And, $140-$150 with free shipping from Midwest Supplies or Northern Brewer which both have exemplary customer service.

 

[jsbeckton]

Honestly, many tastes... Each batch rendered a partial bottle which I took into the house for the victory celebration. My fav? Of these, the Italian Montepulciano for sure.

Is the Italian Montepilciano an 18L kit. I’ve never made a MV kit but I like RJS. Looks like I could get that kit at Midwest right now for $125 and free shipping. They also have a 20% off deal going.

 

[crushday]

The Italian Montepuliciano is 16 liters of juice and 2 liters of grape skins. For their volume accounting, it’s a total of an 18 liters, which is common among kit manufacturers.

 

[jsbeckton]

It’s been awhile since I made a kit so couldn’t remember if the high end kits came with 18L of juice + the skin pack or 16L + the skin pack.

So are you saying that you prefer this over the SLM? I’ve made the SLM 2x and while it’s pretty good IMO it’s also not as good as the two RJS kits I made (Amarone and Super Tuscan). Was just going to make another Amarone but was curious to try something else if good reviews.