Well, okay. four starters later, I think I finally restarted it! I think I can boil this stuck fermentation down to 4(ish) critical mistakes.
Mistake #1: I checked my logbook and one of the last entries (about 6 months ago) was me feeding the must with a little over 2 cups of sugar water. I had to do this because the must was stuck, and the volume of the carboy was low enough that when strong weather fronts came through, (or my neighboring apartment tenants slammed their doors) the bottle would suck the contents of the airlock in. So I had to do something to reduce the air volume inside.
I had originally added just enough sugar that the montrachet yeast would just about max-out. Adding this next batch of sugar would eventually bring them over the edge. That would explain the initial fermentation (the water would have raised the really acidic PH to tolerable levels for a spell) that then became a very very slow fermentation later. (the montrachet would have gradually gone up to ~8 - 10% before shutting down)
Mistake #2: not realizing #1, I pitched again with montrachet. Then assumed something was critically wrong because i had so much sugar left over.
Mistake #3: I pitched EC1118 before checking the PH (the 2.4 value was just killing it all).
Mistake #4: I used my 'ancient wisdom' to remember how to make a mixture starter. I added 1part water to 1part must, and a small amount of yeast energizer. The starter would run for a couple of hours, then die off. I assumed that based on the other problems above, something in the must was killing the yeast.
A few days, and 3 starter attempts later, I realized - in my usual 4am wake-up jolt way - that I had completely forgotten to add sugar to the starter. I pulled out my refractometer, and checked the gravity, and sure enough, it was ~1.015 (which after alcohol correction is just about dry). I added sugar, brought the inactive starter up to 1.05, and about 30 min later, boom. it was running using the ec1118 yeast.
About 3 days ago, I pitched half of a semi-active starter with EC1118 into the carboy in the hopes something would take hold, but there was 0 activity after that. Around the same time I realized the starters were starving, I noticed a couple of very tiny bubbles starting in the carboy too. I fed the starters, cranked them up, and started putting half the starter in the must, and pulling an equivalent portion of must out and back in to the starter (the hope was to gradually raise % must to starter to prepare the colony for the main gig).
As of today, it looks like the must has some steam and is going again; the starter is ready to go in too.
This thread (and a few others on stuck blueberry wines) has been super helpful in this process. Thanks everyone!
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