Powerful Pinot noir

[yanick]

Would like to hear from the pros on what to do with this
Did 2 runs with 2021 grapes last year of around 200 Liters each:
1 cab-merlot-syrah blend and 1 Pinot Noir.
"New" this year for me was addition of a little wood chips during primary ferm followed by MLF fermentation on both.
The blend is pretty much bang on (started with SpGr at 1.107 and pressed at 0.995) and seems balanced today.
PN however had fairly high starting SpGr. at 1.117, and I thought I brought it down and read 0.995, so I pressed.
Since its PN, and didnt want a super dark colour, I stopped punching 2 days before, and I think this led me to have higher SpGr than what I was reading (got like 0.999 today).
11 months later, I have a super dark, sweet, and strong Pinot noir (almost port like)

Should I have "ameliorated" (added water to must) at beginning ?
Is this done often with PN ?
Any thoughts on what to do ?
Is diluting it at this stage a faux pas ?
Does adding chips during Primary fermentation give alot more aroma?
I usually added chips in the second year while its ageing, and with a bigger amount, and never get this type of aroma

Thanks !

 

[winemaker81]

Reducing the OG would have been a good idea. My 2019 Merlot and Zinfandel came in around 15.7% ABV and both are finally mellowing. If you have a lower ABV PN, try bench testing blends. Reducing very high OG can be done with any wine.

I would not add water now -- you're diluting the character. Blending is a better choice.

Sweet? What yeast did you use? If it's got residual sugar, make a starter with EC-1118 to finish it.

Fermentation oak stabilizes tannin (oak tannin drops post-fermentation instead of grape tannin), stabilizes color, and improves mouth feel and fruit. I'm not sure about aroma, but that does fit.

Fermentation oak and aging oak have different effects.

 

[Tripstobaltimore]

Another possible strategy for dealing with high SG/overripe grapes would be to crush, run-off a certain percentage of free run, then bring back up to the original volume with acidulated water. This would obviously need to be done prior to fermentation, but may give preferable results over diluting the entire must. It would also give the option to create a lighter rose type wine with the free run.

 

[Tony Rose]

Would like to hear from the pros on what to do with this
Did 2 runs with 2021 grapes last year of around 200 Liters each:
1 cab-merlot-syrah blend and 1 Pinot Noir.
"New" this year for me was addition of a little wood chips during primary ferm followed by MLF fermentation on both.
The blend is pretty much bang on (started with SpGr at 1.107 and pressed at 0.995) and seems balanced today.
PN however had fairly high starting SpGr. at 1.117, and I thought I brought it down and read 0.995, so I pressed.
Since its PN, and didnt want a super dark colour, I stopped punching 2 days before, and I think this led me to have higher SpGr than what I was reading (got like 0.999 today).
11 months later, I have a super dark, sweet, and strong Pinot noir (almost port like)

Should I have "ameliorated" (added water to must) at beginning ?
Is this done often with PN ?
Any thoughts on what to do ?
Is diluting it at this stage a faux pas ?
Does adding chips during Primary fermentation give alot more aroma?
I usually added chips in the second year while its ageing, and with a bigger amount, and never get this type of aroma

Thanks !

Would like to hear from the pros on what to do with this
Did 2 runs with 2021 grapes last year of around 200 Liters each:
1 cab-merlot-syrah blend and 1 Pinot Noir.
"New" this year for me was addition of a little wood chips during primary ferm followed by MLF fermentation on both.
The blend is pretty much bang on (started with SpGr at 1.107 and pressed at 0.995) and seems balanced today.
PN however had fairly high starting SpGr. at 1.117, and I thought I brought it down and read 0.995, so I pressed.
Since its PN, and didnt want a super dark colour, I stopped punching 2 days before, and I think this led me to have higher SpGr than what I was reading (got like 0.999 today).
11 months later, I have a super dark, sweet, and strong Pinot noir (almost port like)

Should I have "ameliorated" (added water to must) at beginning ?
Is this done often with PN ?
Any thoughts on what to do ?
Is diluting it at this stage a faux pas ?
Does adding chips during Primary fermentation give alot more aroma?
I usually added chips in the second year while its ageing, and with a bigger amount, and never get this type of aroma

Thanks !

I'm in the Vancouver area and I had almost the opposite experience. 2021 grapes from the Okanagan. I'd like a little more color and body but it may be a little premature. Where are you located exactly?

 

[CDrew]

Your starting gravity was quite high, giving you a theoretical alcohol percentage near 17%. Few yeasts can go that high and you may have significant residual sugar. Though if SG is .999 it can't be much. I think that anything you do now will likely make it worse. I would age and enjoy as is, and absorb this a lesson learned. In retrospect (always 20/20) the right move would have been to water back to 24-25 brix at the start of fermentation.

 

[yanick]

I'm in the Vancouver area and I had almost the opposite experience. 2021 grapes from the Okanagan. I'd like a little more color and body but it may be a little premature. Where are you located exactly?

That would have been a great idea ! I'm just on the other side of the country in Montreal, so might be tough...
I'll Look to age it more as suggested by CDrew. I'll be starting to drink my 2020 soon, so will have time to figure out what to do with it.
Thanks all !