WineXpert Eclipse Cab

[cimbaliw]

OK, I just Finished step 3 of my Cab which called for racking, degassing, stabilizing and adding 3 (?) 4oz pkg hungarian med toast oak cubes. I'm to rack off in 10 days then either bottle or add sulphite/bulk age in another 28 after racking. My instinct is to leave the oak cubes in for longer, the full 28 days then rack to a 5 gallon carboy and proceed to bulk aging. The other issue is that I'm looking at about a 3 bottle's worth of head space. Too much time on the oak? Too much head space for a month?

 

[waygorked]

I'm on step 2 of mine. I don't have the instructions in front of me, but didn't it say for either step 3 or 4 that we should top up to 2 inches below the bung with H20?

 

[Putterrr]

I'm in the secondary and I plan on leaving the oak cubes until i have clearing and racked off the lees (aprox 7 weeks in). I will bulk age for 6 months or so and leave the cubes in for that time. I read on hear that they will have given up all they can after about 6 weeks

cheers

 

[tonyt]

You can also hold the oak cubes till after its clear and you rack off sediment. Then add the oak, top off and let it bulk age for three months with the cubes. Taste it every couple weeks to make sure you dont get more oak than you want. I think the few days clearing is not near enough time with oak for my taste. Btw I just bottled this and its very good.

 

[wineh]

OK, I just Finished step 3 of my Cab which called for racking, degassing, stabilizing and adding 3 (?) 4oz pkg hungarian med toast oak cubes. I'm to rack off in 10 days then either bottle or add sulphite/bulk age in another 28 after racking. My instinct is to leave the oak cubes in for longer, the full 28 days then rack to a 5 gallon carboy and proceed to bulk aging. The other issue is that I'm looking at about a 3 bottle's worth of head space. Too much time on the oak? Too much head space for a month?

I think you have misinterpreted an instruction. You don't bottle 10 (or 8 days which is the instruction) days after stabilization. The instruction would like you to add sulphite if you are aging more than six months, but after racking off the sediment, you are going to rest the wine for at least 28 days before thinking about bottling. You can leave the oak cubes in the carboy for more than the 8 days stated in the instruction, but once they sink to the bottom of the carboy, they are saturated and no longer able to influence the wine.
If you have a lot of headspace after stabilizing, you may not have diluted your kit to a full 23 liters, or you may need to be a little more diligent in squeezing your grapeskin pack, or you may not be getting all the wine out when racking. I usually have to reserve most of a bottle of wine in order to have room in the carboy for stirring at that stage. Afterr the 28 day resting period, you may bottle, or let it rest for more time, which is what most participants here do. If you're going beyond the 28 days, make sure you minimize headspace by topping up with (preferably) a similar wine.

 

[cimbaliw]

Thanks all. I like the adding cubes later idea, Tony. it sounds like a much cleaner process.

Wineh, I may have gotten some evaporation during primary. I used nothing more than a muslin cover over the bucket. The G pack got squeezed hard daily by hand

 

[tonyt]

Wineh, I may have gotten some evaporation during primary. I used nothing more than a muslin cover over the bucket. The G pack got squeezed hard daily by hand

keep in mind that carboys are not exactly sized. yours could easily hold as much as 24 or more liters. thus a need to top up more than folks with more true carboys.

 

[Phytotech]

I did this kit earlier this year.

followed the instructions but until oaking and aging, didn't add the sorbate either.

I cleared, degassed then racked and added 2 of the oak packages and left it for a month, then I racked it down to a smaller carboy added the last oak package and bulk aged it in a 20 L carboy for 6 months before bottling, taking about 2 bottles off when racking down.

seems to be pretty good now after 10 months, though plan on bottle aging for another 6 months before really enjoying them. The oak is not to much, taste and mouthfeel are really good just still very high in tannins and tastes a touch acidic

 

[dswendell]

Im also making this kit, going to bottle tmrw! I actually called WE about the extra headspace, all my other kits instructed me to top off with H2O but not this one. The WE representative said it was normal to be low for the 28 day period, but he did say if I wanted to do any bulk aging I needed to A. Fill with marbles in current carboy to limit headspace or B. transfer to a smaller carboy.

Im trying something, picked up a 3 gal carboy to age awhile, maybe 6 months to a yr before bottling, then bottling the remaining wine left in the original carboy. Has anyone tried this? Do you think I'll notice a difference in a yr or two?

 

[cimbaliw]

I frequently downsize the carboy and bottle the rest. It's a great way to sample along the way.

 

[SouthernChemist]

Im also making this kit, going to bottle tmrw! I actually called WE about the extra headspace, all my other kits instructed me to top off with H2O but not this one. The WE representative said it was normal to be low for the 28 day period, but he did say if I wanted to do any bulk aging I needed to A. Fill with marbles in current carboy to limit headspace or B. transfer to a smaller carboy.

Im trying something, picked up a 3 gal carboy to age awhile, maybe 6 months to a yr before bottling, then bottling the remaining wine left in the original carboy. Has anyone tried this? Do you think I'll notice a difference in a yr or two?

You can certainly do it. You might see a slight difference between what you've bottled and what's in the carboy depending on storage conditions. But if they're stored under the same set of conditions any differences should be minimal. Always make sure it is thoroughly degassed before you bottle, however.

 

[dswendell]

Thanks guys for the input! I'll let you know how it goes in a few years!