WineXpert Old LE Brunello kit

[tonyt]

The back story - WineExpert sent me a letter for a free WE kit as a reward for winning a metal with one of their kits in the Wine Maker magazine competition. I had done their LE Brunello back when it came out and loved it. So I found someone that still had one of the LE Brunellos from last year. Date code says it was packaged in April of 2010. Started it last Saturday, the juice has a slight brownish tint and an ever so slight musty smell. I started it according to instructions and it is coming along nicely. Still a brown tinge but the musty smell is completely gone. Any worry of the kit being old is gone. I didn't keep as good of records back then, it was actually only the second kit I have ever made. I would love to know the color and smell of that kit. Given the questionable color I know this will be a stay-at-home wine, won't be giving any of this away.

Finally the question - It has been in primary 8 days, I usually ferment to dry in primary. Instructions call for 2 stage fermentation for a total of about 15 or so days. Last night SG was .998 and this morning .996. Can I assume it to be finished enough and move to clarify? Or do y'all think I need to wait for two days of the same SG? After today I will have two horrendously busy days at work and don't really want to clarify when I get home. Then out of town the rest of the week. (four days of silent retreat in Southern Louisiana)

 

[v1rotate]

Rack it to a carboy today and let it sit until day 20. Then stabilize, let it sit for 3 weeks and THEN rack to clarify. No sense in rushing the kit through the steps. I almost always follow this regime and I am very pleased with my results.

Enjoy the retreat, Tony.

 

[robie]

If you just can't do as Jim suggested, keep primary sealed until you can get to it. It won't hurt to let it set for a few more days, as long as it is sealed with an air lock installed. You should be good up to day 15 or so.

For the WE kits I had done in the past, I didn't ferment to dry in the primary; I pretty much went by the WE instructions, because they rack to clarify a little differently and use a different clarifier.

As far as the color and starting smell, I can't much say. I did that kit and don't remember the must being brown or musty smelling. I would assume the must should have been a nice, clean, dark (not brown) grape juice tasting and smelling must. It might be interesting how it turns out. Might taste it after clarifying and degassing; of course it will be very green, but if the underlying taste is not good, might think about how good it will taste later on.

A kit like that one will not be truly ready to drink for at least 18 months, IMO. That's a long time to wait. Of course if the wine is not good, you will certainly know in six months or so.

 

[tonyt]

A kit like that one will not be truly ready to drink for at least 18 months, IMO. That's a long time to wait. Of course if the wine is not good, you will certainly know in six months or so.

I knew this kit may be suspect when I got it but chanced it anyway since it was free. But as you might agree it was a terriffic kit and there are not a lot of Brunellos available. I got a RJS Brunello from George when I was there and will let that one age longer than the WE. I figure I will drink the WE starting at six months thinking that it may not hang well for 18 - 24 months. I absolutely love Brunellos. I even toted 18 bottles back from Italy several years ago. Still have most of them, 1997's and 1999's, both classic Brunello years.

 

[Rocky]

You are right, Tony. Nothing like sitting in Montalcino sipping a great Brunello. I did not bring any back from Italy due to the price and exchange rate at the time. I think the price for the Brunellos were in the 40 to 60 Euro range and the exchange rate was $1.55/Euro, so we were looking at about $65-95 per bottle plus the hassle of carting it back. We sure drank a lot when we were there, though.

 

[vcasey]

That WE Brunello will still be pretty green at 6 months, I would wait at least 2 and if you can 3.

 

[tonyt]

You are right, Tony. Nothing like sitting in Montalcino sipping a great Brunello. I did not bring any back from Italy due to the price and exchange rate at the time. I think the price for the Brunellos were in the 40 to 60 Euro range and the exchange rate was $1.55/Euro, so we were looking at about $65-95 per bottle plus the hassle of carting it back. We sure drank a lot when we were there, though.

Me, my wife, college age kids and my mother went the summer after 9-11. a bottle broke coming down the luggage shoot. As I wheeled the bag with the broken bottle through customs leaving a distinct red wine trail behind, no one paid any attention. All they were worried about were bombs, white powder and so on. We laughed when we noticed my wine trail in Bush International. Loosing what surely was a great wine was not as funny. They disn't even care about all the cheese and cured meats we snuck back either.

 

[ibglowin]

Hmmmm Are you saying you lied on a government form Tony.......

Surely not!

 

[tonyt]

Hmmmm Are you saying you lied on a government form Tony.......

5th Amendment . . .
I understand that the price of silence in New Mexico is a bottle of Brunello?

 

[ibglowin]

Hmmm.....

Now trying to bribe a government official........

This from the guy who brought back Cohiba's from the Bahama's last Oct.

 

[tonyt]

Hmmm.....



Now trying to bribe a government official........

I didn't do it . . . Neither did Casey Anthony nor O.J Simpson.

 

[robie]

Wow, Brunello that old might be better as collectors' items. If it is still good, and I assume it is even more excellent by now, it would be worth a pretty penny today. You are probably more like me, I'd just as soon enjoy drinking it myself...

Since I have never tried a commercial brunello, I don't know how "true" brunello kits actually are to the real thing. I probably won't find out until the wife and I take our dream vacation to Italy someday.

My brunello from kit is a year old; I tried a bottle about a month ago; it's just simply not pleasant at all, yet.

My take on drinking such wine too young is this: at such an early stage, it really is not any better than a nice boxed wine. (I can picture some of you saying, "Boxed wine? Yuck!") Decent boxed wine is not very expensive. Since that's the case, given the choice, I'd just as soon drink the boxed wine now and save my homemade wine for when it is really nice. Add to this the fact there are some pretty good, inexpensive bottled wines, which are generally better than boxed, I just can't justify drinking a nice wine, which I have made, before its time.

 

[vcasey]

My take on drinking such wine too young is this: at such an early stage, it really is not any better than a nice boxed wine. (I can picture some of you saying, "Boxed wine? Yuck!") Decent boxed wine is not very expensive. Since that's the case, given the choice, I'd just as soon drink the boxed wine now and save my homemade wine for when it is really nice. Add to this the fact there are some pretty good, inexpensive bottled wines, which are generally better than boxed, I just can't justify drinking a nice wine, which I have made, before its time.

Well said!!!

 

[tonyt]

Wow, Brunello that old might be better as collectors' items. ... it would be worth a pretty penny today. You are probably more like me, I'd just as soon enjoy drinking it myself...

Since I have never tried a commercial brunello, I don't know how "true" brunello kits actually are to the real thing.

Well as far as being collectors items, yes I imagine each would bring a pretty penny at auction given their age and the vintage quality. All were rated in the upper 90's by one or more of the rating services. Given the cost of acquiring them (I had to go to Tuscany to get them you know, about $1100.00 per bottle) I doubt they would bring quite that much at auction.

As far as the taste of commercial Brunello as compared to what we can make from kits I think the kits come pretty close. Especially close to the younger $40.00 per bottle Brunelos. An excellent comparrison would be a Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (aged 2 years in oak) or a Rosso di Montepulciano (aged 1 year in oak). Both of the latter can be had for under $25.00 per bottle, you could even find a Rosso for under $20.00.

 

[Rocky]

Tony, whree did you stay in Italy? We were just outside of Pienza, in a village called Castelmuzio, between Montepulciano and Montalcino. Loved the Vino Nobile and the Brunello.

 

[tonyt]

Tony, whree did you stay in Italy? We were just outside of Pienza, in a village called Castelmuzio, between Montepulciano and Montalcino. Loved the Vino Nobile and the Brunello.

Sorry, Rocky I missed your question. We spent several days in Florence (many wine purchases there) and then traveled to Rome stopping in Civita di Bagnoregio and Orvietta along the way. I had a list of wines from the 1997 and 1999 Brunello vintages that I was seeking. I handed my list to the shop keeps who would usually roll their eyes then locate a bottle or two on my list. One of the shop owners refused to sell me one of the wines on my list. He didn't trust me to hold it long enough and doubted I would appreciate such a special bottle. I assured him I would not open the bottle for the minimum ten years he suggested. Check this out, http://wikitravel.org/en/Civita_di_Bagnoregio

 

[ibglowin]

Wow thats crazy but so cool as well!

Shop keeper must have been from France to have that attitude!