Mosti Mondiale MM Renaissance Australian Chardonnay

[robie]

Mike,
Just took a look at your vacation photos from your "chateau" link. Quite nice!
getting to visit Stag's Leap and Ch. Montelena is something very special.

 

[ibglowin]

Yep,

We definitely hit some nice places both in Napa as well as WA state. Have the CC receipts to prove it!

I brought back a jar of "holy dirt" from Ch. Montelena..... Spread it around the base of my vines in my little vineyard while I whispered "grow strong and tall my little ones"........

 

[robie]

Yep,



We definitely hit some nice places both in Napa as well as WA state. Have the CC receipts to prove it!

I brought back a jar of "holy dirt" from Ch. Montelena..... Spread it around the base of my vines in my little vineyard while I whispered "grow strong and tall my little ones"........

Now why is it so easy for me to picture you actually doing that!!!

 

[tonyt]

Mike, et al, I have just received this same kit on sale from George. Any warnings or tweaks you would make? How about some golden raisins?

And Mike, how did you make the Limited Edition graphic on the label. Is that a jpg unto itself that could be emailed to a friend?

 

[ibglowin]

Hey Tony,

I made mine w/o any tweaks. Ferment to dry in the bucket. I did keep the oak on for about 3 months. Don't add the sorbate for sure.

I get my labels from Wine Labels Direct. You can mock up your label and download it as a PDF and play with it if you catch my drift!

 

[tonyt]

Man, am I bummed out! Checking the kit ingredients label I see the juice is from USA. Not that I don't love US wine and juice but if the kit says Australian Chardonnay from Mosti that is what I expect. I went back to labels from recent Misti kits and see that the Italian kits have juice sourced from Italy but the Australian kits all have wine from USA. Then call it Australian Style! Or at least in the on line product descriptions say where the juice is sourced from. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Mosti is any worse in this regard from the others but I have come to expect more from them.

 

[ibglowin]

I agree with you Tony. Its false advertising to call something an Australian Chardonnay on the box and website, and not even use the word "style" anywhere that I can see and then the only way you know its not an Australian Chardonnay is the tiny country of origin sticker it says the juice is from the US..........

 

[tonyt]

Saddest part is that the other companies don't even provide the sticker admitting to the truth. Has anyone ever heard of Truth in Labeling laws? I can't even believe I just evokedgovernment regulations . . . me being just to the right of Attila the Hun.

 

[ibglowin]

Cellar Craft is very good about labeling IMHO. They will provide details all they way down to a specific vineyard. It's pretty easy to tell not only what country but also what state the juice is from.

 

[robie]

Tony,
That Australian Chard is likely a bigger, bolder chard than what you would get from Washington State or Oregon; that's why they refer to it as Australian Chard.

Mine- one gallon is in clearing and the other 5 gallons are part of a Lees aging/stirring experiment. The color is pretty dark, compared to what one would expect from a lighter chard. From what I have read, it might lighten up some after filtering. I hope so.

This is only my opinion, but I figure MM gets this type of chard by making a kit out of hot grown chardonnay grapes from regions like Lodi and the Central Valley. When one considers that the best Chard comes from cooler regions, just like Pinot Noirs do, one can only guess what the result of this wine will be. I was surprised when the starting SG was 1.100. That is pretty high for a nice chardonnay.

At least so far, I, for one, am very disappointed in my kit. I feel a little upset at MM. However, hopefully, when this wine is ready I will have to eat my words, which I will gladly do on this forum.

My Sur lees/Battonage experiment should have been conducted on a much lighter Chardonnay. I'll not be able to really get the full impact of what it could have been.

But, no one made me pick this particular kit; it was my choosing. I have made three MM kits. Two Ren and one Meg.

Personally, I feel they should be willing to disclose that their Australian Chardonnay is really made from American grapes. I hope George reads this, as I know he is a very honest man and not at fault here.

 

[tonyt]

I hope George reads this, as I know he is a very honest man and not at fault here.

Yep! I had an extensive conversation with George about a year ago about Mosti. I left the conversation convinced of his belief in their quality and trust in their integrity. That conversation was the basis for me buying 2 Megoili kits and 3 Renaissance kits over the past year. That conversation is also the basis for my shock and disappointment that the Chard is from California and not Australia. I will say also that I believe, with good reason, that George is on the up side of the learning curve trying to help Misti market to the American home winemaker. They are small and I believe willing to learn, and I believe George is committed to helping them succeed. That will be good for all of us.

 

[robie]

Those meglioli kits, where ever they are from, are really nice kits.