Would you use this fruit?

[crushday]

Good morning,

I'm waiting for some Malbec to ripen at a vineyard I'm working with. I was sent these numbers on October 14 from two areas of the vineyard:

22	3.23
21.6	3.17

I received a phone call yesterday asking me to come get the grapes on Saturday, October 19. I'm inclined to pass as I don't think the pH is at a level I want to make wine with. I'd prefer the Brix to be in the 24 range minimally but 22 is a concession.

My contract states that I'll be able to get professional quality grapes and the price per ton is $3200. I don't consider these grapes ripe enough. Am I wrong?

Looking for your opinion.

 

[crushday]

I found this website that seems to indicate my resistance might be ill placed:

https://www.smartwinemaking.com/post/optimal-sugar-and-acid-levels-for-popular-wine-grape-varieties

Malbec:

Harvest pH 3.2-3.4, 23-26° Brix, .65-.8 TA

Final pH 3.55-3.65

 

[mainshipfred]

Is there a reason they are not letting them hang a little longer?

 

[mainshipfred]

I commented before I saw your second post. It is interesting but I still wonder why they aren't letting them hang longer. Could it be due to weather?

 

[crushday]

I commented before I saw your second post. It is interesting but I still wonder why they aren't letting them hang longer. Could it be due to weather?

Yes, Fred, weather is determining the schedule. It's supposed to start raining (Pacific North West) with no clear end is sight!

 

[mainshipfred]

Good luck, I'm sure you'll make the right decision.

 

[ibglowin]

Good morning,

I'm waiting for some Malbec to ripen at a vineyard I'm working with. I was sent these numbers on October 14 from two areas of the vineyard:

22	3.23
21.6	3.17

I received a phone call yesterday asking me to come get the grapes on Saturday, October 19. I'm inclined to pass as I don't think the pH is at a level I want to make wine with. I'd prefer the Brix to be in the 24 range minimally but 22 is a concession.

My contract states that I'll be able to get professional quality grapes and the price per ton is $3200. I don't consider these grapes ripe enough. Am I wrong?

Looking for your opinion.

I made 6G of Malbec years ago and it was ~24brix andpH of 3.8 IIRC. Turned out fantastic. It came from Lodi grapes however. I just saw that SOH cellars in WW are waiting for the weather to clear on some of their late harvesting red varietals. Giving them more hang time. They did not seem too worried about the rain.

 

[StimVino]

Good morning,

I'm waiting for some Malbec to ripen at a vineyard I'm working with. I was sent these numbers on October 14 from two areas of the vineyard:

22	3.23
21.6	3.17

I received a phone call yesterday asking me to come get the grapes on Saturday, October 19. I'm inclined to pass as I don't think the pH is at a level I want to make wine with. I'd prefer the Brix to be in the 24 range minimally but 22 is a concession.

My contract states that I'll be able to get professional quality grapes and the price per ton is $3200. I don't consider these grapes ripe enough. Am I wrong?

Looking for your opinion.

My Malbec from Lanza this year came in at just under 25 brix with a 3.45 pH and required no adjustment. I currently have it blended with 15% Cab Sav and I’m loving the bold rich flavor. Big and bold is the theme for me this year. That said last year, all of my grapes were in the range you indicate above, with the exception of Petit Verdot. Luckily, I was able to make Bordeaux blends and adjust percentages of the Petit Verdot to get the wines where they needed to be. My point is, if Malbec is the main feature then I would probably pass or wait. However, if going into a blend then the numbers are workable, but you may need to find some high brick cabernet or something else to find balance. I also have much less options than you west coast guys!

 

[winemaker81]

My contract states that I'll be able to get professional quality grapes

What is the definition of "professional quality grapes"?

Fruit is rarely perfect. Low brix is easily fixed with chaptalization, and the difference between 21.6 and 24 is a low amount of sugar.

pH is ionization level, and it can vary. There's no perfect value, as all the numbers that can be measured for a grape exist within some type of balance with each other.

 

[StimVino]

One more thing… if you decide to go for it with that high acid plan to go heavy on the oak; something i recently learned doing finishing trials is that my high acid red not only could handle more oak than my other reds, but really needed it to eliminate any sour notes and really complement the wine. Good Luck!