Dark toast barrel for chardonnay

[nicklausjames]

Any opinions on using a dark toast barrel on a chardonnay. Barrel is 15 gallons and new. I was thinking of living it in 3 month to 6

 

[JohnT]

OK, so let me ask... Why a dark toasted barrel?

A dark toast brings dark chocolate and vanilla flavor components to wine.

These are mostly the types of flavors that I like in a good red, but not a white. I prefer more of a "toasted oak" or "Raw wood" type of flavor in a chardonnay. For this, I go with a light toast.

The dark toast will also darken the color of a white wine, where I prefer a nice "golden straw" type color.

 

[ibglowin]

I made a batch of the Eclipse Chardonnay about 9 months ago and I split the batch into (2) 3 gallon carboys after it was all clear. I added 1.5 oz of LIGHT toast Hungarian Oak to one of the carboys. You would not believe the difference in taste between the "naked" Chardonnay and the lightly oaked Chardonnay. While the naked Chardonnay was ready for primetime at around 4 months, the lightly oaked one is still fairly tannic and needs probably another 3 months to come together on the palette probably.

I would be very careful of the oak imparted to a Chardonnay by a heavy toasted barrel of sorts. At a minimum it will need probably 2X as long for it to be drinkable as an unoaked Chardonnay.

 

[nicklausjames]

Thx for the feedback, much appreciated. The reason for a dark toasted barrel. Is that is the barrel I have and I got a good deal on it but due to that didn't get to choose the toast. I feel like I need to use it rather than store it until next season. I'm probably just going to go for it and hope for the best. I do have a red I could put in there but I really purchased the barrel to age Chardonnays. This chardonnay is a little funky for a few other reasons, so I kind of want to use it to break in the barrel. Of course I'm open to other opinions .

That aside how to use the barrel? My wine is done fermenting and wrapping up malo. Do I degass and clear before putting in the barrel? Adjust ph? I'm sure it's preferable to sulfite but how about degassing and adjusting ph beforehand?

Or do I just oak it, than after a few months transfer to a carboy and degass/clear?

 

[JohnT]

OK,

I understand that you have the barrel and want to use it. I do not think that it is the best thing for chardonnay. I would still suggest that you simply add light toasted oak (or get a light toasted barrel).

As for the use of the barrel you need to prepare the barrel in the typical way and then use the gallon/week rule of thumb (1 week for each gallon of capacity. In your case 15 weeks). Remember that this is just a rule of thumb. You may want more or less depending on your tastes.

 

[ibglowin]

Since you said you did a MLF on this Chardonnay I am guessing/hoping it is not a kit. If it is a juice bucket or fresh grapes of sort then there is no need to degas. The wine will degas itself rapidly in the carboy or barrel.

And you need to add SO2 and you had better have a way to check SO2 as it will drop fast in a barrel.

Thx for the feedback, much appreciated. The reason for a dark toasted barrel. Is that is the barrel I have and I got a good deal on it but due to that didn't get to choose the toast. I feel like I need to use it rather than store it until next season. I'm probably just going to go for it and hope for the best. I do have a red I could put in there but I really purchased the barrel to age Chardonnays. This chardonnay is a little funky for a few other reasons, so I kind of want to use it to break in the barrel. Of course I'm open to other opinions .

That aside how to use the barrel? My wine is done fermenting and wrapping up malo. Do I degass and clear before putting in the barrel? Adjust ph? I'm sure it's preferable to sulfite but how about degassing and adjusting ph beforehand?

Or do I just oak it, than after a few months transfer to a carboy and degass/clear?

 

[nicklausjames]

Yes it's juice buckets. Should I use any agents to clear it before going into barrel?

 

[ibglowin]

I wouldn't. No need.

 

[knockabout]

On this topic is there a 'guide' I can use for which oak would traditionally be suitable for which wine? So light oak for Chardonnay and probably most whites, lightly toasted for Pinot noirs, I hear french light is preferred, heavy toastfor big reds like cab, but how about the in betweens....Syrah, Zinfandel, pinotage,is there any such thing as a guide out there? Or is it a common sense vs personal preference thing?

Sorry op I do agree, that a heavy toasted barrel is going to turn your chard pretty dark after 3 monthsin a new heavy toasted barrel.

 

[nicklausjames]

Yea I took into acct what everyone said and put my cab sauv in the barrel. I'm ordering a vadai barrel for the chardonnay. Very reasonably priced and you can tell the family really takes pride in what they do.

 

[ibglowin]

On this topic is there a 'guide' I can use for which oak would traditionally be suitable for which wine? So light oak for Chardonnay and probably most whites, lightly toasted for Pinot noirs, I hear french light is preferred, heavy toastfor big reds like cab, but how about the in betweens....Syrah, Zinfandel, pinotage,is there any such thing as a guide out there? Or is it a common sense vs personal preference thing?

Sorry op I do agree, that a heavy toasted barrel is going to turn your chard pretty dark after 3 monthsin a new heavy toasted barrel.

Go to the Morewine website they have a very nice guide to oak manual.