Winexpert LE18 thoughts?

[ras2018]

I am sure you are correct and the color is from the extra time on those oak chips. I fermented mine for maybe 2 weeks and it’s golden yellow.

 

[crushday]

I am sure you are correct and the color is from the extra time on those oak chips. I fermented mine for maybe 2 weeks and it’s golden yellow.

Can you post a pic?

 

[Rocky]

George, I was not aware of the oak chips in the Fume Blanc. That would be consistent with the history that Fume Blanc was created by Robert Mondavi who oaked Sauvignon Blanc and called it Fume (smoky) Blanc. My understanding is that it was more a marketing strategy to take advantage of the popularity of Sauvignon Blanc and people who like a little oak.

I like oaky whites (I think I was a squirrel in a prior life) so your wine should be spectacular.

 

[Brettanomyces]

I started a Barbaresco and a Corazón within the last couple weeks. So far, so good.

The Corazón doesn't come with skins or oak cubes, which is a little odd, but the juice smelled amazing when mixing it. It's also kicking up a lot of solids at the top, almost like a cap. I'm guessing the juice contains more solids than most to account for the lack of skins. Could be wrong, but that's the way it seems.

The Barbaresco started putting out some sulfur odors today (about day 4), so I added a bit of nutrient and stirred like crazy. I'm hoping that keeps it away. Time will tell.

 

[Trevor7]

I did my Fumé Blanc, pretty well following the instructions. I suck at record-keeping, so not sure if the kit included oak or not. I'd attribute George's amber color to the wine being exposed to oak for that period of time.
Mine's also a golden yellow.

 

[Brettanomyces]

I did my Fume Black, pretty well following the instructions. I suck at record-keeping, so not sure if the kit included oak or not. I'd attribute George's amber color to the wine being exposed to oak for that period of time.
Mine's also a golden yellow.
View attachment 55802

Looks pretty light for a Fumé Black, buddy.

 

[Trevor7]

Looks pretty light for a Fumé Black, buddy.

That'll teach my to type sober...

 

[Swedeman]

That'll teach my to type sober...

But it was funny! Very light for something BLACK ;-)

 

[joeswine]

here's how mine turned out.....

 

[crushday]

I can’t wait to taste mine. Just as an FYI, I won’t bottle until next May/June 2020! However, @trever7’s wine is looking really great!

 

[motherofgallons]

I'm doing the Barbaresco with EM. It was my first kit and I mostly followed the directions to a T when putting it together. I'm sort of regretting pitching both the 212 and 1118 simultaneously as the directions said though. If I did it again I'd only pitch the 212 or even a BM 4x4 and save the 1118 as a last resort if it didn't go to dry. I do plan on skipping the sorbate and finings (I also wish I had left out the bentonite, I'm afraid it will strip flavor over the 8 week EM).

I'm still pretty new to winemaking and as I said this was my first kit though I've done a number of country wines and meads with TOSNA. On about the third day I caught the beginnings of sulfur smells so I'm proud to say I got right on top of it with some Fermaid O and no more problems yet. I've been afraid to open the bucket in case of oxidation so I haven't taken an SG in a few weeks. I just slosh the bucket a bit to wet the skins from time to time. After 8 weeks I'll rack to a carboy and bulk age for about a year.

My next kits are a Luna Bianca (CY3079, sur lie, bâtonnage, bulk age 9-12 months) and a WE Eclipse Nebbiolo with skins (BM4x4, 8 week EM, 12 months bulk aging). I will apply what I learned from this kit to those ones and minimize my regrets (well, we will see in 2 years if I had cause for regret) hopefully. I also got a 7 gallon Fermonster so I thought I'd start using that for primary/EM instead of a bucket even though the lid seals airtight.

 

[Cellar Vader]

@motherofgallons If you have not yet tasted your Barbaresco, and it sounds like you haven't, you should be amazed at what it is like right now. Mine is only on the 4th week (post-fermentation) of my "planned" 6-8 week EM and it is wonderful. Yes, still VERY young but indicates that we can expect a VERY good wine in 12 to 18 months. I removed my oak chips after ten days because it was REALLY oakey at that point, and I didn't want it overpowered.
Question to all: Regarding the Eclipse Nebbiolo, can anyone tell us the difference between this Barbaresco and the Eclipse?. They are BOTH made from the Nebbiolo grape, and both come with skins, so what gives?

 

[Brettanomyces]

Wasn't the Eclipse Nebbiolo the one that used to be marketed as Barolo? Maybe it's still sourced from that region? Or blended to taste like it. Just a guess. I have no firm knowledge about this.

 

[motherofgallons]

@motherofgallons If you have not yet tasted your Barbaresco, and it sounds like you haven't, you should be amazed at what it is like right now. Mine is only on the 4th week (post-fermentation) of my "planned" 6-8 week EM and it is wonderful. Yes, still VERY young but indicates that we can expect a VERY good wine in 12 to 18 months. I removed my oak chips after ten days because it was REALLY oakey at that point, and I didn't want it overpowered.
Question to all: Regarding the Eclipse Nebbiolo, can anyone tell us the difference between this Barbaresco and the Eclipse?. They are BOTH made from the Nebbiolo grape, and both come with skins, so what gives?

Well that's exciting to hear! Are my worries non-worries after all? Did you follow the directions as I did? Is it ok to open the bucket just for a taste real quick?

I think my Nebbiolo does say "formerly Barolo" on the box in fact.

 

[Cellar Vader]

Ahhh, then that explains it. Thank you @Brettanomyces and @motherofgallons. Two different styles. Now I HAVE to get a batch of the ("formerly known as Barolo") going, just to compare.
I also pitched both of those yeasts at the same time (after serious contemplation of swapping out for BM4X4) and also had that sulpher/sewage odor after 2 days of fermenting. All I did was aerate mine two times (AM & PM) and that took care of it. I was actually expecting it, based on what I read here regarding the RC-212. Nipped in the bud!
Edit: Sorry, I didn't address your other Q's. I say you should be ok, but I am still very much a newb. Others here can offer you excellent advice.

 

[ras2018]

I have made both wines and even from my initial taste of the barbaresco I believe it’s going to be far superior to the eclipse Nebbiolo.

 

[motherofgallons]

Ahhh, then that explains it. Thank you @Brettanomyces and @motherofgallons. Two different styles. Now I HAVE to get a batch of the ("formerly known as Barolo") going, just to compare.
I also pitched both of those yeasts at the same time (after serious contemplation of swapping out for BM4X4) and also had that sulpher/sewage odor after 2 days of fermenting. All I did was aerate mine two times (AM & PM) and that took care of it. I was actually expecting it, based on what I read here regarding the RC-212. Nipped in the bud!
Edit: Sorry, I didn't address your other Q's. I say you should be ok, but I am still very much a newb. Others here can offer you excellent advice.

@Cellar Vader I'm so sorry, I just double checked the boxes and it was in fact the Selection Sangiovese with skins that was formerly known as Brunello! I totally misremembered. I hope this doesn't upset your plans. There was no "formerly known as" on the Nebbiolo box.

 

[Swedeman]

A quick search an the internet:

Winexpert Eclipse Italian Nebbiolo with Grape Skins (Formerly Eclipse Italian Piedmont Barolo)

 

[motherofgallons]

Ok maybe I didn't misremember after all strange it didn't say so on the box, maybe I saw it online.

 

[motherofgallons]

By the way, I did taste my Barbaresco today. I'm 5 weeks into the planned 8 week EM. The skins were at the bottom. It smelled nice and the color is very dark and rich but I was kind of let down by the flavor. I thought it was watery and uninteresting. Not much body either. Is this normal? I made it up as directed, but I did add 100mL extra water to rinse out the stubborn skins pack. But that couldn't possibly have watered it down significantly. The OG was 1.098. What should I do? Is this something that will change with age and oak additions?