WineXpert WE Selection Luna (avec battonage)

[motherofgallons]

Wine is racked to carboy. Have stirred every few days for the past week, starting on saturday will be following this schedule: Once each week for the first 4 weeks, then once fortnightly for the next 6 weeks, and monthly thereafter.http://www.brsquared.org/wine/Articles/surlie/surlie.htm
as suggested under common practices in this article http://www.brsquared.org/wine/Articles/surlie/surlie.htm
(Because it seemed to be a good compromise between extremes in listed practices)
Now i am wondering when/if to add oak. It tastes really nice already, so i will just sneak tastes upon each battonage and see if it seems desirable. I love oak, but it already seems very vanilla-y. Will see if it decreases with age. Hoping to enjoy a bottle by my birthday in june.

 

[motherofgallons]

The 23L carboy was not full even with the whole kit so I just got around to getting storebought wine to top off with. It took 1 1/2 bottles!! I used a sur lie aged chardonnay from Washington state called Chateau Ste Michelle, a full bottle of 2016 and when that wasn’t enough I went back and bought a bottle of 2017 (no more 2016 left on the shelf) and used half of that. Of course the tiny taste of the 2016 was delicious and the 2017 a bit less so but still good. Idly wondering if Washington’s weather in 2017 was hotter because the 2016 was listed as 13.5% and the 2017 as 14. I certainly tasted the difference. Trying to console myself with the fact all that 2016 goodness is in my wine now... beautiful big buttery flavor with notes of pineapple, lemon, and yellow apples and a bit of nuts, bread, and vanilla oak on the finish. I hope my kit ends up similarly. The 2017 is sharper, with more alcohol burn and perceived acidity, and seems a bit less complex. Maybe it will round out in the bottle after sitting for a day or two? Anyway I am by no means a wine expert so I enjoyed seeing the differences between years.

 

[sour_grapes]

I don't know anything about the different vintages, but Chateau Ste. Michelle is certainly a favorite of mine, especially from a QPR standpoint.

 

[motherofgallons]

I had to google QPR but yeah, even here in Sweden with our state monopoly I thought the price was reasonable: 119 sek/$12. Will definitely buy again if I am headed to the state store. Is the finished Luna Bianca comparable in profile?

 

[sour_grapes]

I forgot you were in S! Sorry about that.

Yes, I think Luna Bianca will be comparable to the Chateau Ste. Michelle. At least for my batch, that was a fair comparison.

 

[motherofgallons]

I forgot you were in S! Sorry about that.

Yes, I think Luna Bianca will be comparable to the Chateau Ste. Michelle. At least for my batch, that was a fair comparison.

I actually lived in SE PA for a long time, practically neighbors wasn't into winemaking at that time though.

Well that is great news. I really loved the taste I had. Makes me even more excited for bottling day.

 

[sour_grapes]

I actually lived in SE PA for a long time, practically neighbors wasn't into winemaking at that time though.

More like neighbors than you know! I grew up in Philadelphia.

 

[pbacbell]

I recently started a batch of Luna Bianca and I am concerned about the color. I just transferred it from the primary to a glass carboy and it is an amber brown color. I am wondering if the bentonite and the oak dust may be attributing to the color. I expected it to be more golden. So, I guess what I'm asking is...what color is your Luna?

 

[motherofgallons]

Mine was dark brown at the beginning. I think it's common for white wine kits to be brownish to start with. Now it's sort of medium amber in the carboy (hard to tell since I'm doing batonnage which affects the color temporarily), but wine is always darker in the carboy than in the glass.

 

[sour_grapes]

I agree with @motherofgallons . I think what you are experiencing is just the Beer-Lambert law in action, along with the fact that there are some suspended solids in your must at this point that will drop out in time.

 

[ZebraB]

I had another WE white wine kit that the coloring was way darker than previously experienced. Plus there was a dark caramel sludge at the bottom of the juice bag. I called WE and they told me that the coloring is the nutrients. Sometimes they get out of solution. They stated that all is normal and I should have pitched the caramel sludge

 

[pbacbell]

Thank you for the responses. I’ve made several whites and this is the darkest one. I won’t worry now. Thank you!

 

[motherofgallons]

Bâttonage and a little taste today. Really nice! Fresh pineapple, biscuit, fresh bread and a hint of butter. Feels like I am on the right track.