Interesting- the sediment now has two strata. The lower which is the typical rouge, and the upper which is an egg shell color.
At the time of the 2nd racking I was all set to make some modifications . . . adding more oak, F-pacs or possibly dark chocolate. Upon tasting and seeing my wife's positive reaction I decided that no mods were needed. I hope I find similar results in the future.
Just checked the carboy this weekend and the SG has not moved a bit, still at 1.010 and the wine is still sweet. The underlying flavor is good and I don't want to mess with it, but I do want it to dry out. I just started the 2nd kit of the same style on Sunday.
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I'm still holding out hope that the original batch goes dry so I am not adding sorbate unless it becomes my last resort. I am seeing positive air pressure in the airlock, but I have yet to witness an actual bubble passing through.
I also started an RJS Eclipse Merlot this weekend so there will be blending possibilities down the road.
Thanks for the tip. I actually put the carboy on the warming mat (plant seed starter) a few days ago to bring the temp up. I think I will follow your advise and drop some EC-1118 in.
Would you hydrate the yeast or pitch it dry?
BTW ... I have a 2nd batch just finishing up primary (hit .998 on Saturday) and I tried innoculating the stuck batch with some active must from the 2nd. So far no action. I was considering splash racking to a fresh carboy and then pitching the EC-1118. Your thoughts?
I'm trying to think of a bottle I can trade for one of those, but I think my best candidates are still in the carboy. Maybe a Pinot Noir, Vieux Chateau du Roi or a straight Lanza Zin? I think the local Cab Franc is too light, would have to give you two bottles of that one...Oh or maybe a WE SE Int'l Malbec, but I think you still have some of those...Six months later and the RQ French Cab is in the bottle. We're 10 months into this project. I added 2gr of Tannin Riche Extra about a month of so ago.
The yield is pretty good, too. 27 bottles of 750ml, and 8 bottles of 375ml.
I'll let this sit on the shelf to age another 8 months or so... maybe get a taste at 1.5 years old.
I'm trying to think of a bottle I can trade for one of those, but I think my best candidates are still in the carboy. Maybe a Pinot Noir, Vieux Chateau du Roi or a straight Lanza Zin? I think the local Cab Franc is too light, would have to give you two bottles of that one...Oh or maybe a WE SE Int'l Malbec, but I think you still have some of those...
Already invested in the 2018 Carmenere.
I just pulled the trigger on purchasing the RQ 2018 Carmenere. It doesn't really fit in my finances at the moment, but I've just recently discovered Carmenere, and $123 delivered for an 18L kit with skins was too good to pass up.
After doing a 9 week EM on mine and letting it clear I thought it needed more oak, gave it 65 grams french medium toast, it will have sat on oak 3 months this weekend. Time to rack and taste.I hope you enjoy it. I started the Carmenere just after it arrived in late February (notes say a 2/21 yeast pitch). I let it sit on the skins a while and did the first 3 month racking at 6/9. Tasted it last weekend and I think it has very good flavor. Deep and rich with some spiciness. Almost makes me want to skip the bulk aging and bottle it right up. Of course, that would lead to premature consumption. The next tough decision will be how much (if any) oak to apply.
After doing a 9 week EM on mine and letting it clear I thought it needed more oak, gave it 65 grams french medium toast, it will have sat on oak 3 months this weekend. Time to rack and taste.
Got the final blend bottled. Somehow I ended up with 31 bottles . . . not complaining. Really delicious now and likely to improve with time. About 13 months old at this point.
I'm very happy with this kit and there's a good chance I will pony up the $$ for RQ kits from RJS in the future. Already invested in the 2018 Carmenere.
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