What's in your glass tonight?

[Hazelemere]

Marechal Foch 2023

Home grown organic hand-destemmed and uncrushed with RC212/71B yeast combo with medium toast American oak during malolactic fermentation. SG 1.092 at ferment (no chaptalization). Grapes were in really nice condition.

Here are my comments on this wine:

Appearance: inky purple

Smell - rich cocoa and venison

Tannin - good

Acid - good (usually Marechal Foch is too acidic but 71B with MLF seems to fix that problem)

Flavour - this is the best Marechal Foch I've personally made. I've tasted lousy and stunning Marechal Foch. Most crappy Marechal Foch is too acidic. I personally don't like the flavour of chemically de-acidifed wines. On a scale of fair-good -very good-excellent I'd rate this as good right now but it tastes like it could improve to good-very good. This Marechal Foch was grown on glacial moraine soil (powdered rock with sand and a bit of clay with about 4 inches of natural humus on top) mulched under the rows with grass clippings to kill weeds under the wires and rototilled (early) and hoed (late) to killed weeds in the rows. I'll use this yeast combo again to get the acid level where it is on this wine. I think that adding pitted wild cherries to it with or without wild blackberries+dried elderberries could improve it a lot to at least "very good". PS I never used 71B yeast until logging on to this site and didn't know that RC212 needs nutrient to avoid MLF stink until logging on to this site. So for all you beginners read the entire site to learn the best ways to experiment with your ingredients and technique. There are some very dedicated winemakers on this site all of whom as far I can tell are really trying to get better at their craft and more than willing to give you their best guidance. The people in this room considering the size are almost unaffected by their egos e.g. you'll get really good winemakers telling you about their mistakes and what they learned. If you can actually digest everything there is to learn on this website it is almost certain that your winemaking will improve.

PSS - tomorrow I'm cooking 2 freezer chilis which will use some of this wine together with 1) chorizo, lean ground beef, jalapeno peppers, cremini mushrooms, garlic, fire roasted tomatoes dices and crushed, unsalted beef stock, organic onions, black beans, kidney beans, maybe garbanzos, cilantro, cumin, worcester sauce, tamari sauce, hot chili powder 2) same as 1) but no chorizo or jalapenos

retaste:

Marechal Foch 2023

Home grown organic hand-destemmed and uncrushed with RC212/71B yeast combo with medium toast American oak during malolactic fermentation. SG 1.092 at ferment (no chaptalization). Grapes were in really nice condition.

Here are my comments on this wine:

Appearance: inky purple

Smell - rich cocoa, plums and venison

Tannin - good

Acid - very slightly high but that should let it age

Flavour - this is good decent house red, the best unblended one I've made. 71B/RC212 yeast combo seems to improve it. This was oaked with medium toast American oak and went through natural malolactic fermentation.

 

[Hazelemere]

Regent 2023

This is homegrown organic hand destemmed and uncrushed Regent grafted onto SO4 rootstock at 91% blended with my Siegerrebe-Ortega 2nd run (no water or sugar added) both fermented with a RC212-71B yeast blend. This has almost finished malolactic fermentation and will soon be ready to be racked and sulphited at 50 ppm (1/8 tsp per Imperial gallon) to drop tartrates in my cooler. I have 60 bottles of this. Here are my comments:

Appearance - inky purple

Smell - slightly stinky until it is swirled in a glass at which point it is fine and interesting. Racking and sulphiting it should improve it a lot.

Tannin - fine, more than the Marechal Foch described above

Acid - good (lowest I've ever had without any chemical treatment over 10 years)

Flavour - this is decent with an interesting aftertaste which is totally different than the Marechal Foch.

Bottom line - this is the best Regent I've ever made. Adding low acid 2nd run white and using 71B yeast looks like a winning recipe going forward. I think that it will improve over time and become more complex. I never heard of 71B until this year on this website. I'll absolutely use 71B yeast on Regent in the future in combination with RC212.

Attachments​

tasting from a bottle:

Regent 2023

Appearance - inky purple, slightly petillant

Smell - good nose, cocoa, cherries, prunes

Tannin - good

Acid - good (lowest I've ever had without any chemical treatment over 10 years)

Flavour - this is good with an interesting aftertaste which is totally different than the Marechal Foch described above..

Bottom line - this is the best Regent I've ever made. Adding low acid 2nd run white and using 71B yeast looks like a winning recipe going forward. I think that it will improve over time and become more complex. I never heard of 71B until this year on this website. I'll absolutely use 71B yeast on Regent in the future in combination with RC212.

 

[Hazelemere]

Regent-Marechal Foch 2023 (50/50 blend of the above 2 wines)

Appearance - inky purple

Smell - good nose

Tannin - good

Acid - very slightly high but not by much which means that this blend can age because of the tannin to get an even more complex smell

Flavour- this is good, the best Marechal Foch-Regent blend I've ever made. I attribute this success to Lalvin 71B/RC212 yeast combos. I've used RC212 for ages but never used 71B which I learned about from this website and will absolutely use again. If you grow hybrids consider RC212/71B yeast combos with nutrient. This year I'll try cutting this blend with 2nd run homegrown white viniferas with no chaptalization or water to improve the body i.e. Moraine 2024. I can try Moraine 2024 with Black Iris or not.

 

[Hazelemere]

last one for a while

Black Iris Moraine 2023

This my Marechal Foch grown on glacial moraine (powdery rock, clay, sandy) soil on a slight southeast slope (about 3 degrees) near the top of a hill 5 miles from the ocean blended with my Regent and Black Iris (my neighbout iris' wild black cherries, wild blackberries and dried elderberries). Now that I have discovered the value of 71B yeast I'm going for high-end homegrown reds in a cool climate i.e. ~1700 grape growing Fahrenheit heat units, very complex

Here are my comments:

Appearance- inky purple

Smell - good nose

Tannin - good

Acid - very slightly high but not by much (should age)

Flavour - this is decent, not great but certainly decent (i.e. good). In future I'll try cutting in 2nd run white wine grapes to give it a more interesting smell and to drop the acid and improve the body. As a cooking wine this should be good because the tannin isn't too high and it has an interesting flavour and aftertaste.

 

[Hazelemere]

Regent Black Iris 2023

This is a blend in a glass of 50/50 Regent and Black Iris:

Appearance - inky purple like the photo posted above

Smell - the wild cherries, blackberries and dried elderberries in the Black Iris improve the smell of the Regent to give it an intersting complex nose something to Spanish Tempranillo (or California Valdepenas)

Tannin - good

Acid - good

Flavour - this seems to be a really good way to make a house red (everyday drinking wine) from Regent. The flavour is complex and decent. On a scale of fair, good, very good or excellent I'd rate it as good and would definitely make it again as a way to enhance my homegrown Regent. I might try making some as a port (using EC1118 yeast) in which case I might add some homegrown raspberries e.g. Regent Black Iris Port 2023 and Regent Black Iris Framboise Port 2023 (say 15 bottles of each). I might even make a seedless grape liqueur (e.g. Reliance in vodka with corn sugar or even unpasteurized honey aka Drambuie - scotch and heather honey) or just use something like Metaxa (Greek raisin brandy to get the alcohol from 18 to 20%). Better yet I could soak the seedless Reliance grapes in Metaxa with corn sugar or honey to mimic Drambuie which IMHO is a killer top up for Port.

My wife finally tasted it and says she can drink it. What a relief! Now we can stretch her primo wines.

 

[Boatboy24]

On the road again and last night's dinner was Mod Pizza. I've never had wine in a can so just had to try this Rose. It wasn't bad at all. Slightly sweet, but not too much. Actually perfect after two baseball games in mid 90's heat.

 

[Hazelemere]

Pacific Chardonnay 2021-2022

This Brehm frozen California 2021 Chardonnay juice in a pail and cut with russet cyser about 85/15. The Chardonnay was a bit tangy and buttered popcorn like without any Sonoma or Carneros like fruit cocktail smell that I love in really good California Chardonnay. So I hit my apple honey wine from my organic russets ground and pressed with unpasteurized blueberry blossom honey. This worked!

Colour - nice lemon yellow

Smell - very nice and complex although this is more French style than California style which I like also.

Tannin - perfect

Acid - high but not crazy high (this wine should age like gangbusters for a long time - I'll let the rest age at least a couple of years maybe longer.

Flavour - rich, complex with a really nice finish. This would kill with Vongole Linguine which my daughter the gourmet might make on one of my birthdays. I make prawn linguine in a cream sauce with portabellas and fresh homegrown organic herbs, baby zucchini, bell peppers and tomatoes. I CAN'T WAIT TO MAKE IT! i.e. old dogs do learn new tricks from time to time.

Bottom line for me - make lots of russet cyser with blueberry blossom honey for blending with any white grape wine. This blend is an eye opener for me and I will absolutely do grape-cyser combos again. "Fusion" winemaking i.e. fruit+honey meets grapes.

Eureka moment - I have over 2 cases of this in my cooler. What a lucky day!!!

PS - If you've never made cyser and have the gear to grind and press apples with excellent unpasteurized honey I suggest that you try it. I make cyser every year. You can also make a pear equivalent from Anjous or Bosc pears or even yellow plum melomel which I don't have access too yet but would make in a heartbeat if I could grow enough yellow plums.

retaste:

Colour - nice lemon yellow

Smell - very nice and complex although this is more French style than California style which I like also. Similar to yellow plum wine.

Tannin - perfect

Acid - slightly high (French style) but not by much. This wine should age like gangbusters for a long time - I'll let the rest age at least a couple of years maybe longer.

Flavour - rich, complex with a really nice finish which it gets from the apple cyser minor component.

 

[Hazelemere]

Carol's Red 2020-2022

This is my wife Carol's house wine i.e. everyday red (I make it for her palate which is different than mine):

2020 - Washington Dineen Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Sheridan Syrah

2021 - Dineen Cabernet Franc, Amador Cabernet Sauvignon, Lodi Mettler Vineyard Petite Sirah

2022 - Marechal Foch, Regent (both homegrown)

My comments:

Appearance - purple

Smell - good, very complex, fruity, lingering

Tannin - really good (all grapes fermented uncrushed and hand destemmed)

Acid - very good (my wife is very sensitive to acid - the Lodi Mettler Petite Sirah drops the acid)

Flavour - this is rich and tasty without being too tangy or tannic. This is totally my wife's palate.

retaste of the last or nearly the last bottle of my wife Carol's "go to" red:

Appearance - deep purple, slightly petillant (bottle was open for 24 hours)

Smell - good complex nose

Tannin - fine

Acid - good

Flavour - this is rich, complex and balanced with a unique finish. It must have had a slight amount of residual sugar or malic acid which caused it to very slightly referment in an open bottle I'll be more careful in the future to prevent petillance even very slight petillance in red grape wines.

 

[winemaker81]

We arrived home late this afternoon after spending 10 days traveling, visiting family between VA and NY. Got home, unloaded the vehicle, did some basic unpacking, went grocery shopping, and how I'm sitting. As commonly happens, I need a vacation to recover from my vacation.

So ... I'm relaxing with an Aussie blend of 60% Durif and 40% Shiraz. Other names for these grapes are Petite Sirah and Syrah, respectively.

This one is definitely jammy -- a heavy mixture of dark fruits that are not easily definable as tasting exactly like any fruit except "dark".

 

[Hazelemere]

We arrived home late this afternoon after spending 10 days traveling, visiting family between VA and NY. Got home, unloaded the vehicle, did some basic unpacking, went grocery shopping, and how I'm sitting. As commonly happens, I need a vacation to recover from my vacation.

So ... I'm relaxing with an Aussie blend of 60% Durif and 40% Shiraz. Other names for these grapes are Petite Sirah and Syrah, respectively.

This one is definitely jammy -- a heavy mixture of dark fruits that are not easily definable as tasting exactly like any fruit except "dark".

View attachment 113539

This sounds like a blend of Lodi Syrah (Shiraz) and Lodi Durif (Petite Sirah). Positives - these combos tend to be really rich i.e. super dense but not very complex e.g. like the bass guitar in a band. They also can be high in alcohol. These are perfect blenders IMHO with lower alcohol, higher acid hybrids.

 

[winemaker81]

This sounds like a blend of Lodi Syrah (Shiraz) and Lodi Durif (Petite Sirah). Positives - these combos tend to be really rich i.e. super dense but not very complex e.g. like the bass guitar in a band. They also can be high in alcohol. These are perfect blenders IMHO with lower alcohol, higher acid hybrids.

My CA grapes come primarily from Lodi, and I am considering trying to duplicate the blend this fall.

Unfortunately for me, I have more great ideas than I have room for the wine I'd love to make!

 

[Hazelemere]

My CA grapes come primarily from Lodi, and I am considering trying to duplicate the blend this fall.

Unfortunately for me, I have more great ideas than I have room for the wine I'd love to make!

Make small batches e.g. 15 bottle carboys (or even single 6 bottle gallons) of everything you could imagine trying e.g. 1) Lodi Syrah-Petite Syrah-Chambourcin 2) Lodi Syrah-Petite Syrah-Chancellor 3) Lodi Syrah-Petite Sirah - Marechal Foch 4) Lodi Syrah-Petite Sirah-Baco Noir 5) Lodi Syrah - Petite Sirah- Petit Verdot and on and on it goes.................... e.g. We cut Lodi Petite Sirah 76% with Regent (homegrown) 24% and got a much better wine than either varietal on its own. The advantage of Lodi Syrah and Lodi Petite Syrah vs grapes like Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon is that these 2 varietals can take the heat without shriveling into raisins. e.g. we had 29 brix Mettler Petite Sirah grapes that were slightly shrivelled but unraisined. We had a blacker than black Lodi Syrah that was sky high in sugar and un-raisined. The base guitar in a wine band needs its opposite - lower brix, higher acid, less one dimensional i.e. rhythm and lead guitars.

 

[winemaker81]

Make small batches e.g. 15 bottle carboys (or even single 6 bottle gallons) of everything you could imagine trying e.g. 1) Lodi Syrah-Petite Syrah-Chambourcin 2) Lodi Syrah-Petite Syrah-Chancellor 3) Lodi Syrah-Petite Sirah - Marechal Foch 4) Lodi Syrah-Petite Sirah-Baco Noir 5) Lodi Syrah - Petite Sirah- Petit Verdot and on and on it goes.................... e.g. We cut Lodi Petite Sirah 76% with Regent (homegrown) 24% and got a much better wine than either varietal on its own. The advantage of Lodi Syrah and Lodi Petite Syrah vs grapes like Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon is that these 2 varietals can take the heat without shriveling into raisins. e.g. we had 29 brix Mettler Petite Sirah grapes that were slightly shrivelled but unraisined. We had a blacker than black Lodi Syrah that was sky high in sugar and un-raisined. The base guitar in a wine band needs its opposite - lower brix, higher acid, less one dimensional i.e. rhythm and lead guitars.

My primary focus in the fall is keeping three ~55 liter barrels full, so a lot of small batches is not in my cards.

I checked my notes from 2022, the "Rhone Blend" was a bit on the hot side:

Mourvedre: 1.095​

Petite Sirah: 1.110​

Syrah: 1.104​

When blended with Grenache that started at 1.097 (75% Grenache / 25% Rhone Blend) the overall ABV was good for a heavy red.

We're not going to make a Petite Sirah/Syrah blend this fall ... but maybe next ....

 

[Hazelemere]

My primary focus in the fall is keeping three ~55 liter barrels full, so a lot of small batches is not in my cards.

I checked my notes from 2022, the "Rhone Blend" was a bit on the hot side:

Mourvedre: 1.095​

Petite Sirah: 1.110​

Syrah: 1.104​

When blended with Grenache that started at 1.097 (75% Grenache / 25% Rhone Blend) the overall ABV was good for a heavy red.

We're not going to make a Petite Sirah/Syrah blend this fall ... but maybe next ....

Grenache Mourvedre with Syrah or Petite Sirah is classic. Even Malbec if you can find it can work.

 

[Hazelemere]

Grenache Mourvedre with Syrah or Petite Sirah is classic. Even Malbec if you can find it can work.

What if you cut a hybrid in a small amount to drop the alcohol of your GSM blend with or without Malbec

 

[winemaker81]

What if you cut a hybrid in a small amount to drop the alcohol of your GSM blend with or without Malbec

It's worth trying. Depends on the hybrid. I'm giving thought to buying a couple of buckets of Pinot Noir this fall and fermenting with the pomace from 300 lbs of Chambourcin.

 

[winemanden]

View attachment 113552

 

[Hazelemere]

new blend in a glass:

2/3 my son in law's Petite Sirah (2021)-Dineen Cabernet Sauvignon-Dineen Petit Verdot (both 2023)

1/3 Regent/Black Iris (wild black cherries, blackberries, dried elderberries) 2023

Here are my comments:

Appearance - purple ink

Smell - good, very complex

Tannin - slightly high (my son in law likes a lot of medium toast American oak (more than I do)

Acid - very slightly high but ok

Flavour - rich, hard to define, this experiment is "overblended". I wouldn't make this.

Bottom line - over-blending can dilute better flavours. However, IMHO these single glass experiments are always worth it because they always teach you something. Blending should improve the sum of its parts. Sometimes it doesn't. This was one of those times where blending didn't improve flavour.

 

[winemaker81]

Bottom line - over-blending can dilute better flavours. However, IMHO these single glass experiments are always worth it because they always teach you something. Blending should improve the sum of its parts. Sometimes it doesn't. This was one of those times where blending didn't improve flavour.

Knowing what doesn't work can be more valuable than knowing what does.

Glass-blending is the wisest choice!

 

[Hazelemere]

retaste:

Dineen Cabernet Franc 2020

This is hand destemmed, uncrushed Washington Dineen Vineyard Cabernet Franc in perfect condition in boxes fermented with RC212 yeast for 22 days before pressing at 14.9% alcohol i.e. dead ripe Cabernet Franc. I have 9 bottles left.

Here are my comments on this wine:

Appearance - deep purple red

Smell - good intense fragrant nose - lavender, lilacs, toffee, cocoa, caramel, blackberries, black currants

Tannin - perfect

Acid - perfect

Flavour - rich, complex, tasty. This is really good, with an intense yummy aftertaste.

Attachments​

• 
  20240101_155532.jpg
  1.9 MB · Views: 0

retaste:

Dineen Cabernet Franc 2020

This is hand destemmed, uncrushed Washington Dineen Vineyard Cabernet Franc in perfect condition in boxes fermented with RC212 yeast for 22 days before pressing at 14.9% alcohol i.e. dead ripe Cabernet Franc. I have 5 bottles left after opening this one..

Here are my comments on this wine:

Appearance - deep purple red

Smell - really good intense fragrant nose - lavender, lilacs, toffee, cocoa, caramel, blackberries, black currants, sour licorice, coriander

Tannin - perfect

Acid - perfect

Flavour - This is delicious Cabernet Franc with a really good aftertaste. First class! Washington Dineen Cabernet Franc kills!