WineXpert New Limited Release: Eclipse Nocturnal Wine Making Kit With Grape Skins
- Thread starter rustbucket
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I'd bet not.
I have yet to make a wine that I didn't used clarifiers of some stripe. But, I think I might start. Since I have committed to letting my wines bulk age for 6-12 months, I'd bet the wine would be perfectly clear at bottling with or without the clarifier.
I'm thinking you're right I'm only 11 months into wine making but I've also started to let my wine bulk age for 6+ months.
I left all clarifiers (Bentonite, and Chitosan) out of a LE Vermentino Kit I'm doing, so far just to experiment. It looks just as clear as the Blanc De Noir kit I did put the clarifiers in. I'd have to go back to my notes but I think I started the Blanc Noir 2 month after the Vermentino.
I am wondering about the time frame on the Nocturnal for clearing without clarifiers just because it came with twice the about of Bentonite and Chitosan than any other LE or Eclipse kit I've done.
pillswoj
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Frosty - No I do not Filter any of my good reds, that definitely strips colour and body.
I filter my whites and if I am making a lower end red (10L Kit) for quick drinking (to avoid dipping into the good stuff that s aging) I will filter that.
I filter my whites and if I am making a lower end red (10L Kit) for quick drinking (to avoid dipping into the good stuff that s aging) I will filter that.
I don't filter and I limit racking. I will try leaving the Sorbate out. I do like carboys to ensure the wine is super clear. I was pretty low on wine and put a big push on. Now I have to limit my production. I have 9 batches between 1 and 2 years old. I did rush a few bottling to get started but never felt I was drinking raw wine. We did find the Eclipse Zinfindel and Shiraz our favorites in that order. Although they remain our favorites many are still not ready. The Eclipse Cab, Fortitude, and Bravado all look pretty promising but still need bottle time. They were just bottled after a year in carboys. The oak still needs to integrate. Patience is still a struggle but much easier if you have aged reds.
I did do a quick intermediate
Sauvignon Blanc (World Vineyard, SB France). It stayed in the carboy a couple of months and was just bottled. I want my whites light and fruity. See if this fits the bill. I'm more confident in my reds than whites. I have done somewhere between 100 and 150 kits. Before you do the math we did give our fair share away. About 95% were reds.
I did do a quick intermediate
Sauvignon Blanc (World Vineyard, SB France). It stayed in the carboy a couple of months and was just bottled. I want my whites light and fruity. See if this fits the bill. I'm more confident in my reds than whites. I have done somewhere between 100 and 150 kits. Before you do the math we did give our fair share away. About 95% were reds.
joeswine
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Remember,these kit manufacturer don't know your wine making conditions or your skill and abilities so your kit is setup for veriables, you can chose to follow the process or move sideways along it process that's up to you and so is the end result,good ,bad or excellent.
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It’s been some time since this kit was released. How is everyone doing with theirs? Is this a disappointment or the best kit you’ve ever made?
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Mine is still sitting in the box unopened. I gotta bottle some of these I have before starting any more.
I had to wait until I got my power back and the house repairs going after Hurricane Irma so I didn't start the Nocturnal until the beginning of October. It will complete the clarification stage tomorrow, according to the kit instructions, and I will be racking it for the final time before bottling this weekend.
As a practice, I generally filter all my wines and will do the same with this Nocturnal. The last batch I made, an RJ Spagnols Cru Select Australian Cabernet Shiraz Merlot, was started in June then filtered and bottled at the end of October. Based on the condition of the filters, however, it really didn't need filtering.
LouisCKpasteur
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I ended up buying two of these kits because Rhone/Chateauneuf du Pape variations are my favorite blend. Tossed the yeast on one on July 30th, on the other September 30th. The older one is bulk aging until February when I'll see what I've got. Primary fermentation was particularly violent and I lost some juice. The latter batch is because when I taste the first in February and if it's any good I doubt I'll be able to muster up the discipline not to drink most of it and give some away before Spring even arrives. I have been following this thread so I hope to hear some more from others who have made this kit.
Louis CK,
I had very active fermentation initially but it was non-evident once the specific gravity got to 1.000. The SG was 0.996 when I racked and stabilized the wine a few weeks later. I checked the SG today after racking the wine again and it was still at 0.996 as expected.
What SG did your wine get down to?
I had very active fermentation initially but it was non-evident once the specific gravity got to 1.000. The SG was 0.996 when I racked and stabilized the wine a few weeks later. I checked the SG today after racking the wine again and it was still at 0.996 as expected.
What SG did your wine get down to?
LouisCKpasteur
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I'm digging around for my notes - the second batch had a more 'normalized' primary but the first week of October vs the first week of August are part of the story I'm sure. I had bubbling on the August batch I went to bed after tossing the yeasts close to noon.
Six months in since this kit showed up in stores. What are your thoughts? Is this kit a WOW, or a MEH?
pillswoj
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I went to bottle it last week, it had dropped more sediment, it is getting another 3 months bulk.
Had about a half bottle after racking down, decanted about 2 hours. It is going to be very good but it needs a lot more time.
Had about a half bottle after racking down, decanted about 2 hours. It is going to be very good but it needs a lot more time.
With most of the eclipse reds they need a year to really mature. The Super Tuscan special edition and the Fortitude (selection spring release) for example are really good now but weren't integrated at 6 months. I have moved to bottle aging rather than bulk aging but set them aside and don't touch them for a year.
I really understand your curosity but you may be disappointed now in a wine that will be awesome in another 1/2 year. None the less I'd love to hear from those who cannot wait.
I really understand your curosity but you may be disappointed now in a wine that will be awesome in another 1/2 year. None the less I'd love to hear from those who cannot wait.
I can wait. But typically at 6 months, you usually have an idea about the wine’s potential. Some exceptions to that rule (Lodi Cab for example), but I was hoping for someone to chime in with their view on this wine’s future.
I agree with you, too, on the Super Tuscan (if you’re talking about the Bravado) and the Fourtitude. Had a Fourtitude last weekend and it was very good. My Bravado is still a little oak-heavy and could use another few months aging at least.
Did you use the oak in the kit or additional? I bottled the Fourtitude and Bravado, and don't think either is especially oaky...
I added some.
I didn't add oak and don't stray too far from the kit instructions because the flavour profile usually works for me. Early on I found the oak in Bravado and Fourtitude a bit strong (not integrated). They are now 17 & 18 months old and nice. Jgmann I agree the Cab did take some time to mature as well. The Zin and Shiraz did mature earlier and incidentally are my favorites. I have tried all of the red Eclipse kits except the Merlot and Pinot Noir.
