WineXpert Flat, bodyless, WE Pinot Grigio

[marino]

Hi everyone, in May 2013 I pitched yeast on my first kit, a WE Selection Pinot Grigio kit. Everything went well: sg to .996, waited, clarified, bullk aged 2 months on Biolees(experiment) racked off, filtered with AIO whole house setup and bottled. In late August, we opened a couple of bottles and we're really pleased with it, especially for being so young. I've given some away and everyone has talked about how refreshing it was and asked for more.
I've gel on to about 16 bottles hoping it would improve with a little more time. I got my wife some new wine glasses and opened a bottle of the PN to try them out. What a disappointment. The wine was flat, lifeless, disappeared mid taste only to show back up at the end with a nasty acidity that felt like someone had mixed it with old water.

I thought about oxidation, but the wine looks bright and very clear, but now has no nose at all, and has gone lifeless.

Can you think of what might've happened and how I could save it? I don't think I could give any more of this away if they're all going to taste like this.

I appreciate all your help.

Marino

 

[deRicardo]

Who can say for sure, but it sounds like the wine is old, even though it's not that old age-wise and not oxidized.

During its aging, did it ever get overly warm? Excessive heat will really flatten a wine quickly.

 

[marino]

Hm, I think it fermented cool.. And has always been at 60f or below.

I guess it could be old, but that quick shift seems odd. New in May, great in August, flat in November.. I thought white kits could take a six month bulk aging...

 

[deRicardo]

That's typically not too old for a white kit; not even close. Temperature sounds just fine. I would contact WineXpert and ask them, they know their kits better than anyone else. Let everyone know what they say.

The Biolees should not have have any negative affect, if the wine was good in August. It will take the bite out of the wine, but shouldn't leave it lifeless.

Maybe open a few more bottles and try them. Sounds like the wine might be throw-away at this point, anyway.

Wish I could help more.

 

[marino]

Ok. I'll call winexpert and report back on what they say. This does not bode well for what people will be willing to drink coming out of my house...

Ugh.. So no chance of a reawakening?

 

[calvin]

My very first kit was a WE vintners reserve Pinot Gris. I thought it was way to acidic before it aged 3 months. After that it was great. I don't think you could buy any better Pinot for less than $15 a bottle. Needless to say it didn't last more than 6 months. So the first thing that came to mind is it is aged too long??? I'm still new at this so take my opinion lightly. Just my $.02

 

[acorn]

I would have said it were "bottle shock," but this doesn't really tend to happen to wines as young as yours.

 

[jsiddall]

Just to clarify: you stated in your first post you started the kit in May 2013. That would make it 18 months old now. Is that correct?

 

[marino]

Sorry. I started it may 13 of 2014.. It looks like I was a little too specific but not specific enough.

 

[jsiddall]

I don't have a good explanation for the downturn other than to echo others recommendations to try another bottle.

I have heard of some people finding that their wines sometimes take a temporary turn for the worse as they age. Hopefully this one will come around. If you didn't add sulfites when you bottled maybe it is simply starting to degrade, though it seems too early for that. I seem to recall some manufacturer that states states that without extra sulfites at bottling they should be good for 6 months.

 

[Buehler91]

I had the same exact thing happen to my WE Italian Pinot grigio. Flat with a very odd taste and aroma. It too was fermented cool.
I fermented it in Jan 2014 and bottled in mid august, with regular so2 additions at 3,6 months and bottling.
I'm about to dump it all but can't bring myself to do it, hoping it will be better at one year, but I highly doubt it.

 

[marino]

Thanks, everyone. I haven't heard anything from the kit guys but this is not looking good. It looks like this might be some kind of acetobacter from oxygen exposure. I do remember getting a lot of air in my system when I was first using the all-in-one pump.

In either case, I'll wait and see what the wine expert people say and report back.
Do you think that adding more sulfite at this point would do any good?

 

[marino]

So I just got home and I think I have bad news. Of the seven bottles I opened, forward to tasting flat to some degree or another whereas the other three were nice and bright in flavor.

I think this means I have to take them as they come and be glad when I open a bottle that hasn't gone flat? Is that all I can do? Should I add sulfide to the ones that haven't completely gone flat? How much?