New Vadai barrel

[tonyt]

Quick update. Barrel number three joined numbers one and two yesterday. Racked the already fermenting Chardonnay Del Venento. As I sit here typing I can hear it fizzing across the room.

 

[tonyt]

Those look amazing!! I have one Vadai barrel, but I was looking for a different oak profile so I went this time with a 5 gallon/20 liter French oak barrel. Man o man I wish I liked Hungarian oak better!!! The French barrel is literally 5 gallons. Where as the Vadai is let's say more like 5.3+ much stouter and thicker staves. Live and learn. Wish you luck and long life on those long awaited barrels!!


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But how do you compare the taste? I am planning my number four being French oak.

 

[ColemanM]

Just tossed my WE LE Cab/Syr into it a week ago. Will plan on leaving it in for 4 weeks. Then switch. I am a little disappointed at the medium toast, would prefer a medium+ but I will update when I give it a taste. I felt the Vadai was more of a full dark smokey oak flavor that seemed to overpower my wines early on, though pull back nicely after a year.


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[ColemanM]

Update::: so I tasted my LE cab:Syrah and the oak is barely there!!! It has been almost 4 weeks in the new French barrel and barely a depth of oak. By this time my nero D'avola was timber juice in my Vadai barrel even after a white ferment. I can tell you that the French barrel, though not imparting ridiculous amounts of oak early, has really really smoothed out a 3 month old high end kit!! I will be tasting again next week but I anticipate up to 8 weeks in this barrel. Maybe need to add oak to kits while fining as the instructions say, if you use a new 20 liter French oak barrel.


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