WineXpert Winexpert Eclipse Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel

DocDRB said:

Jumby I think I'll try 3 months in the carboy for my first try.
Jim I like your math. I better start clearing storage space in the basement now.

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Personally 3 months is the sweet spot for me when making a kit.

It's happened... I bought my seventh glass carboy today... Along with an Eclipse OVZ. I've sufficiently lost my mind.

jgmann67 said:

It's happened... I bought my seventh glass carboy today... Along with an Eclipse OVZ. I've sufficiently lost my mind.

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No, no! You're just catching up! I've got the OVZ cleared, no chems other than KMS, waiting on a barrel, samples very nicely already.

I've so wanted to get this kit. I love a good middle of the road Zinfandel, but for some reason I never bought the kit. I guess we ignore the ones we love.

Oh well, maybe if I beg and seem pitiful enough, Jim will send a bottle my way in a year...oh bother.

Egg whites?

jgmann67 said:

It's happened... I bought my seventh glass carboy today... Along with an Eclipse OVZ. I've sufficiently lost my mind.

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I'm up to 3 carboys now but I can see where it's headed. My eclipse OVZ is beautiful in its Carboy bulk aging. But not very engaging. It is now sharing the work bench with a Carboy of Chilean Carmenere from RJS Celler Classics. It's a blend with Cab and Malbec. Still clearing stage. Based on the advice of their email support I used egg white with the kit kielselsol in place Chitosan as a vegetarian option. Anyone with experience with egg white fining? I used Sparkalloid with the OVZ But it left a bit of fog that I'm hoping to clear with bulk aging.

ceeaton said:

Oh well, maybe if I beg and seem pitiful enough, Jim will send a bottle my way in a year...oh bother.

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Wait - are you Eeyore or Winnie the Pooh?? LOL.

The kits are stacked right now - the IM, then the Malbec AND THEN the Zin. So, it'll be fall before it sees the bottle (earliest). But, yes - there will be sampling.

I have the WineExpert Eclipse Barossa Valley Shiraz (I've loved all Barossa Valley Shiraz that I've tasted) and it's very aromatic too. (just started it, it's my first winemaking experience)

The Zinfandel sounds fantastic and lately I've tasted several extremely tasty ones. I think I may go that route next.

Bulk aging huh? ...sounds like I need to buy Carboy #2.

dcbrown73 said:

Bulk aging huh? ...sounds like I need to buy Carboy #2.

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May as well go ahead and get #3 and #4 while you're at it.

^^^that's a fact ^^^

Or 5 or 6.... Or 7.

Or #18, #19 and #20.....

I've got the Island Mist in the bottle and the Malbec in a carboy.... I'm going to kick this on off tonight. My question is about yeast. I was a little disappointed to find an EC1118 in the bag. I have an extra BM4x4 that might do well. Thoughts?

I saw a post above that said theirs came with oak powder AND oak cubes. Really? I found only cubes in the goodie bag.

jgmann67 said:

I saw a post above that said theirs came with oak powder AND oak cubes. Really? I found only cubes in the goodie bag.

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I only had 1 (perhaps 2) bags of oak cubes with the Eclipse OVZ to add for the 8 day period of stabilizing and initial clearing stage. At least, that's what my memory tells me. I've now started to note down exactly what's in a kit!

Probably right with just one bag.

Any takers on the yeast question? I didn't start the kit last night after all. Watching the premiere of GoT instead.

So yeast: BM4x4, EC1118 or something else (like RC212)?

jgmann67 said:

I didn't start the kit last night after all. Watching the premiere of GoT instead.

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We need to work on your priorities!

jgmann67 said:

Probably right with just one bag.

Any takers on the yeast question? I didn't start the kit last night after all. Watching the premiere of GoT instead.

So yeast: BM4x4, EC1118 or something else (like RC212)?

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I'd definitely go with the BM4x4 over the EC1118. I used BM45 on my Eclipse OVZ. Fermented with no difficulties.

jgmann67 said:

Probably right with just one bag.

Any takers on the yeast question? I didn't start the kit last night after all. Watching the premiere of GoT instead.

So yeast: BM4x4, EC1118 or something else (like RC212)?

Click to expand...

Second vote for BM 4x4, used it on my OVZ, went off without a hitch.

Was a little disappointed that Game of Thrones season started off kinda slow, but it was ok, took me a while to remember where we left off anyway..........

Just did double batch of WE Old Lodi Zin. Used RC212 one batch and BM4x4 on the other. Racked this weekend as it had dropped lots of sediment (didn't use sorbate or clarifiers except bentonite). Pulled a sample of each and tasted with three others. I know its still very young be we could not taste any difference between the two yeast selections. I think either would work well as they both went to dry. Did add a little fermaid when it got near the bottom to push it to dry.

Thanks all. I'll use the BM4x4 when I start this one tomorrow morning.

You get more holidays than someone who works at a bank...