I have been making high end reds for many years. I tended to focus on the Special Releases mostly Cab blends. A few years ago my supplies were down and I tried a different strategy. I bought the Eclipse Zinfandel, Shiraz, Nebuolia, Cabernet and Forsa. I also started a Petite Verdot (unfortunately Wineexpert no longer makes the Petite Verdot.) I started them all in late 2015 and early 2016. In this way I wanted to really see what we prefered to shape future wine making and how each of these developed. In the following years I have added the Eclipse special editions and several other limited releases.
By primarily focusing on varietals I wanted to really learn the distinctiveness of the wines. After all it is all about personal taste.
As my supplies were somewhat depleted I got into the Petite Verdot after 4 months. It was pretty good. Perhaps not extradorinary but a nice drinkable wine. The others I started testing after about 6 months. The Zin and Shiraz were pretty well rounded by this point. The Zin quickly became our favorite with the Shiraz being a close second. The other kits continuted to round out and they all are nice wines. I did try and save some Zin for taste comparisons but sadly it is gone now and the Shiraz is in short supply.
Other people's preferences may differ depending on their tastes. However this head to head comparison changed my future planning. I have put more emphasize on the Zinfindel and am trying some blends. I have 2 Roads Red (Zin/Cab/Petite Sirah) and a Bourbon Barrel Limited Release (Zin/Cab) aging. I also have a Shiraz Voignier on deck as well.
In the interventing two years I have make the other Eclipse limited releases and other special releases. Fourtitude (Austrialian Bordeau blend) is pretty awesome. All were very drinkable but some less fitting our preferences. Most seemed to be well rounded between 6 month and a year. The one exception is the Bravado Super Tuscan. It is now 2 years old I think it is still developing. I'm frankly just figuring this out but it doesn't seem as integreted and if it is left some time in the glass it is smoother. I need to learn when and why to decant. Any knowledgable people out there willing to give advise?
I dont put these thought and opinions out to suggest I'm an expert. Rather I want to continue to learn and hope to spark some good discussion. I no longer bulk age for long periods of time. However I do set bottled wine aside for 1 year before putting it into my drinkables. I used to think bulk aging helped blend the wine but different companies/my supplier and an internet search convinved me the wine ages just as well in bottles.
I also use and follow all the steps including bentinite and sorbate. During clarification I leave the wine for 2 or 3 months and then bottle. I dont filter and I rack as little as possible to avoid exposure to air.
I'd be interested to hear what others think.
My last few thoughts are, keep lots of good notes. I always wish mine were more complete. And lastly if you don't try new approaches your winemaking won't evolve.
Although I have focused on Eclipse I believe all the top end kits with grape skins are of compariable quality. Moving forward I'm going to move more into other brands and make sure I always have some of the Eclipse Zin as it still remains our all ntime favourate.
Thanks for reading.
By primarily focusing on varietals I wanted to really learn the distinctiveness of the wines. After all it is all about personal taste.
As my supplies were somewhat depleted I got into the Petite Verdot after 4 months. It was pretty good. Perhaps not extradorinary but a nice drinkable wine. The others I started testing after about 6 months. The Zin and Shiraz were pretty well rounded by this point. The Zin quickly became our favorite with the Shiraz being a close second. The other kits continuted to round out and they all are nice wines. I did try and save some Zin for taste comparisons but sadly it is gone now and the Shiraz is in short supply.
Other people's preferences may differ depending on their tastes. However this head to head comparison changed my future planning. I have put more emphasize on the Zinfindel and am trying some blends. I have 2 Roads Red (Zin/Cab/Petite Sirah) and a Bourbon Barrel Limited Release (Zin/Cab) aging. I also have a Shiraz Voignier on deck as well.
In the interventing two years I have make the other Eclipse limited releases and other special releases. Fourtitude (Austrialian Bordeau blend) is pretty awesome. All were very drinkable but some less fitting our preferences. Most seemed to be well rounded between 6 month and a year. The one exception is the Bravado Super Tuscan. It is now 2 years old I think it is still developing. I'm frankly just figuring this out but it doesn't seem as integreted and if it is left some time in the glass it is smoother. I need to learn when and why to decant. Any knowledgable people out there willing to give advise?
I dont put these thought and opinions out to suggest I'm an expert. Rather I want to continue to learn and hope to spark some good discussion. I no longer bulk age for long periods of time. However I do set bottled wine aside for 1 year before putting it into my drinkables. I used to think bulk aging helped blend the wine but different companies/my supplier and an internet search convinved me the wine ages just as well in bottles.
I also use and follow all the steps including bentinite and sorbate. During clarification I leave the wine for 2 or 3 months and then bottle. I dont filter and I rack as little as possible to avoid exposure to air.
I'd be interested to hear what others think.
My last few thoughts are, keep lots of good notes. I always wish mine were more complete. And lastly if you don't try new approaches your winemaking won't evolve.
Although I have focused on Eclipse I believe all the top end kits with grape skins are of compariable quality. Moving forward I'm going to move more into other brands and make sure I always have some of the Eclipse Zin as it still remains our all ntime favourate.
Thanks for reading.
