WineXpert WE Selection International Argentine Malbec

[JimCook]

On 5/31/07, I added1.5 ounces of French House Toast oak cubes and 1.5 ounces of American Medium Toast oak cubes. After letting the wine sit in a carboy with the oak cubes for the minimum contact time of 8 weeks, I tasted the results. At this point, the Malbec continues to have it's rich, dark berry nose but is now mixed pleasantly with a toasty smell that is just awesome together.The mouthfeel is great-a silky tannin feel with nice length.In my opinion, this wine can stay onthe oak for a while longer, as theoak hasn't gotten as much into the flavor compared to the fruit that's already there. The sharpness from the tasting on 5/12/07 is gone, by the way.


- Jim

 

[nasv]

dude, this sounds awesome! I'm was thinking about the Argentine malbec as my first kit wine!!! Thanks for sharing your progress here!

-Nico

 

[Jack on Rainy]

JIm,

Thanks for documenting this project for us. Nice work!



and Peter, once more you give us all good avice, Thanks.

 

[JimCook]

You are quite welcome - just working to help share my experiences one kit/bottle/glass at a time.


I'll be giving this another taste at 10 weeks on oak to see how it's progressing.

- Jim

 

[dfwwino]

On Saturday, I bought this kit from George's shop. (George, I understand you were at your daughter's college helping her move in. You missed me actually buying a decent kit, given my history of making fruit and fresh grape wines). I'm looking forward to starting it tomorrow night.

 

[geocorn]

First day of college for my oldest daughter

. I can't believe she is that old. I must be close to

.


You will really like that kit. I only receive excellent feedback on it. BTW, are you going to make the bottling party on Saturday night? Already have 22 signed up. Looks like I won't have to bottle, again.

 

[JimCook]

On 7/25/07, this wine had been sitting on oak for 8 weeks. It had a dark berry nose with some toast coming through - had a great mouthfeel and has smooth tannins. The length is nice, but there is definitely much more berry than oak. I decided to keep it on the oak.


On 8/19/07 and one more time splitting the difference in dates, I tasted the Malbec again and at this point, the oak has definitely come through. A taste right out of the carboy and into a glass presented a tight tannic feel. The toast aroma has mixed well with the dark berries to almost present a 'jam on toast' kind of nose. After swirling the glass to soften those tannins, the wine is tasting very well and the oak has integrated in both the dark berry flavors as well as themouthfeel. I racked the wine off of the oak.


- Jim

 

[dfwwino]

George,


I do plan to be there for the bottling party. It looks like it will be quite an event.


Jim, your posts have me salivating, anxious to get this wine fermented, aged and bottled. Malbec has always been a favorite of mine, so when I saw it on George's shelf, I bought it immediately. I had been planning to get an all juice MM, but that will have to wait until next time.

 

[JimCook]

dfwwino,


I hope you enjoy it - from the moment I opened up the concentrate bag and was greeted by that wonderful dark berry (mulberry/blackberry) aroma, I have been anticipating the maturity of this kit. And to keep things rolling, I just did my part to help George pay for his eldest daughter's college education experience and have three more kits en route from Texas. Viva la Vino!


- Jim

 

[dfwwino]

Tonight, I started this kit. I agree about the aroma. I was licking my chops stirring the must. I am feeling a bit guilty, having made primarily fresh grape and fruit wines for the past 13 years. This was almost too easy; no picking, no crushing, no pressing and even no acid testing. No sweat on my brow. I have a starting gravity of 1.090, which should leave me with just over 12 % alcohol. As I've told George, I cannot wait until my house construction is complete so I can gear up my winemaking again. My spouse is now having to tolerate three gallons of blanc du bois, 10 gallons of syrah/carignan, five gallons of zinfandel, five gallons of mead, five gallons of peach mead, five gallons of peach wine and now six gallons of Argentine Malbec, all crammed in the small dining area of a temporary two bedroom apt. Edited by: dfwwino

 

[geocorn]

You neglected to mention the beer you are making for your wife!

 

[dfwwino]

Yes, you are quite right. But at least that sits in my chest freezer on tap. I kegged five gallons of Kolsch ale two months ago for my wife and we are still working on it. I brewed five gallons of Altbier last Friday to replace it when the tap runs dry. Edited by: dfwwino

 

[dfwwino]

I just completed step 3, adding the pot. metabisulfite and pot. sorbate, stirring two minutes to degas, and then adding the fining and stirring two minutes ..... NO WAY my a**. I stirred with my drill stirrer and used the Vacuvin for ONE hour to degas the wine. I wore out two battery packs on my drill, got blisters on my hand, and worked up quite a sweat pumping that vacuvin. I got a vast amount of CO2 out of solution, but there's still some more. What a work out! Edited by: dfwwino

 

[JimCook]

dfwwino,


I'm in accordance with your observation and I don't even stir any more, as my Fizz-X seems to be a No-Fizz-X, especially considering that it specifically notes (as to not destroy the drill) not to reverse the direction after the liquid has reached a state of movement/momentum. I use the Vacuvin and I make sure that the temp is at 75 degrees. I also hit it a couple times over two days instead of trying to do it all at once. To be sure that once the small bubbles aren't coming up that you've got it - otherwise, you'll be vacuum pumping forever as other gas bubbles (larger) keep surfacing.


- Jim

 

[trashy]

And to keep things rolling, I just did my part to help George pay for his eldest daughter's college education experience and have three more kits en route from Texas. Viva la Vino!
- Jim

Didn't she get a scholarship?

 

[JimCook]

Tasting Date: 10/17/07
Age since start of fermentation: 6.5 months
Oaking: 1.5 oz. French House and 1.5 oz. American Medium Toast for11.3 weeks


Notes:With a deep ruby color and great clarity, this Malbec has a nose of mulberry, raspberry and toast. The berry taste is up front and fruit forward with this light oak/toast flavor permeating in the undercurrent. It has a silky medium tannin level and has a nice, smooth mouthfeel. The length is medium and the finish is very smooth with a graceful fade.


- Jim

 

[dfwwino]

This weekend, I bottled the Winexpert Selection International Argentine Malbec. It has a very deep purple color, faint nose, and good taste. The KT I detected a few months ago has subsided at 10 months of age. But the wine is not spectacular, just very drinkable. It does not compare at all to the Mosti Mondiale Alljuice Castel del Papa, which I also bottled this weekend. See my post in the MM forum.


From this point forward, I intend to primarily stick with MM products. TheArgentine Malbec and Castel Del Papa were approximately the same price, but there simply is no comparison to the superior quality of the Castel del Papa.

 

[JimCook]

Dfw,
Of the three wine kits that were my first to bottle, the Mosti product is a class above the other two WE products. I had high hopes for this Argentine Malbec, but the wine didn't seem to really come alive yet. We'll see how my bottles taste over the next several years, but at this point, I'm agreeing with you.


- Jim

 

[jjk1991]

Hi Jim,


I looked over your previous discussions in this chat and had to chuckle about the blistered hand and my a**. I really do my kits the same way and they closely resemble the MM directions. However, I still tweak the MM directions. First, I let my primary go until it looks like it is finished. My readings are generally .992 or less by this time. I then rake it to my secondary with the lees as well. I don't top off to make sure the fermentation is done which I do "eyeball" my airlock. Once the air lock levels are close to level, I then add my MetK and clarifiers (I use my drill with an attachment which I use a medium speed for 3 or 4 minutes). I'll let it sit for 24 hours and then top off with the same wine if I have any or one very close to it. From here, I add my oak spirals (med. toast) and let it sit for 2-3 months. Once this time period is done, I rake it to another carboy to start clarifying for bottling. I top off and let sit for 2 weeks, then rake again for bottling. I DO NOT use water even though this is a concentrate kit. What I ended up was a very full and complex wine with a hint of residual sweetness. My wife loves this one more than my Amarone, Zinfandeland Reisling.

 

[joeswine]

jim nice work i'am doing a clilean melbec will compare taste notes at the end,may be a taste swap////////jp