Label Peelers is definitely the place to buy Winexpert kits.
RJ Spagnols The chase begins.... 2019 RQ
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En Primeur used to be exclusively dried skins before they blended the line with their second tier Winery Series kits, which came with wet skins. Both lines have been consistently good, although I do prefer the dried skins.
vabeachbear
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Some of RJS kits also have it, believe it was the Gewurztraminer I made had it. Barolo, usually has a hint of Rose pedals in it, I would assume this is what they are trying to recreate. Will definitely try the Nebbiollo, the Winexpert one I made was the only kit I ever had an issue with, so I need to try again.
Jon Hunwick
Aspiring Somm
I'm a bit curious about the addition of elderflower into the Nebbiolo, and the notes are very different to what I'd be used to in a traditional Nebbiolo. No leather or truffle? 
Spanish wines are always a favorite, especially the reds, so that one is a must-buy, but I have to say the first two don't excite me nearly as much.
@Grabo The only other kit I've done with Elderflower was the old Selection Piesporter from Winexpert. Discontinued now, but I've used some excess packs in other wines to curious effect.
Spanish wines are always a favorite, especially the reds, so that one is a must-buy, but I have to say the first two don't excite me nearly as much.
@Grabo The only other kit I've done with Elderflower was the old Selection Piesporter from Winexpert. Discontinued now, but I've used some excess packs in other wines to curious effect.
I suspect the white would be not be dry. I did a limited release Sauvignon Blanc Semillion. It did not have a sweetener but was too sweet for my taste. It is the only batch that I don’t seem to run out of. I’m still looking for that ideal white that is fruity but tart. Any thoughts?
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vabeachbear
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I'll preface this by saying that I have made probably 30 RJS kits (all En Primeur or or Winery Series), about 4 per year, and I couldn't be happier with the end product.
All have been successful, and I even had a tasting with a couple friends who drink a lot of high end wine, with a 2011 and 2013 Amarone I made. Both were exceptional after 5 and 7 years.
So I don't think it was anything I did. I usually put my reds in the barrel for roughly 4 or 5 months. Wine seemed good when it went in the barrel. Kmeta'd it after every racking, and before it went in the barrel. Top roughly once a month with a split that I bottle at different bottlings. I topped 3 times, tasted wine in, tasted wine out of barrel each time. When I pulled it out, it had kind of a "sour" hint to it, but not too bad.
After 6 months in the bottle, it got worse, and never recovered. It was the only wine I ever had an issue with, so not sure if it was something I missed, something with the kit, or just Nebbiolo itself.
That's why I'm going to do this one, and see what I get.
Do you like the top end RJS better than the Eclipse? The Eclipse Zin has been our all time fav.
Jon Hunwick
Aspiring Somm
I think the difference is something to do with dry/wet grapeskins, but I haven't made enough RJS to be 100% sure. My Piedmont Nebbiolo is a happy year old now, and the harsh tannins that were very prevalent at first have quieted down, but are still nice and chewy. It is, admittedly, very different from a real Barolo. (but the truffle notes come close)
@Frosty Maybe try a Riesling, Muller-Thurgeau, or Moscato (of the dry variety/either single vareital or bland with something else). They have higher acidity, and each have their own fruitness.
It's really hard to say how sweet the Semillion will be, since we can't be too sure how ripe the grape is. The more ripe, the sweeter, basically. I'll probably get one of them as well just for next summer's drinking, but I'm fine with however way that ripeness pendulum swings.
@Frosty Maybe try a Riesling, Muller-Thurgeau, or Moscato (of the dry variety/either single vareital or bland with something else). They have higher acidity, and each have their own fruitness.
It's really hard to say how sweet the Semillion will be, since we can't be too sure how ripe the grape is. The more ripe, the sweeter, basically. I'll probably get one of them as well just for next summer's drinking, but I'm fine with however way that ripeness pendulum swings.
Was thinking of doing all four, until I saw the new pricing. Now I'm thinking of narrowing it down to maybe one or two, and waiting to see what the other brands offer.
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Regardless of the copycatting of the 19 Crimes label concept, the Cab-Merlot-Syrah was too much to resist. I had to place the pre-order today and stop thinking about it.
My son-in-law is going in 50/50 on this batch and I intend to make that more than just a monetary investment. We'll split the duties. He can be in charge of cleaning, sanitizing, lifting and stirring and I'll handle adding the oak chips, tasting and quality assurance. Seems like a fair allocation of duties.
My son-in-law is going in 50/50 on this batch and I intend to make that more than just a monetary investment. We'll split the duties. He can be in charge of cleaning, sanitizing, lifting and stirring and I'll handle adding the oak chips, tasting and quality assurance. Seems like a fair allocation of duties.
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We recently split the WE eclipse zinfandel kit with some friends. After waiting 8 weeks, coming out with only 12 bottles was kind of depressing. lol
You messed something up, you should have come out with 15 bottles each, and you should wait at least another year and a half before you start drinking them.
The Eclipse.Zin is awesome. I do find I don’t get the 30 bottles because there is a lot of sediment. I also top up with wine so the net is less than the final bottle count.
I do agree that the wine improves over 18 months but there are no harsh edges even when first made.
I do agree that the wine improves over 18 months but there are no harsh edges even when first made.
Yes, a bottle or two is usually required for topping up along the way, but @szap somehow came up 8 bottles short. Something was obviously messed up during the process.
Was the carboy topped up completely? Do you have room to bulk age some of it, rather than bottle right away?
The carboy way topped off. Not sure where I lose it but have never got 30 full bottles from a batch. Usually 28 and just short of a 29th. I do have room to bulk age, just need to get an additional carboy.
