WineXpert LE 15 Mosaic Red Shipped

I just got my shipping confirmation from Label Peelers that my LE Mosaic Red has shipped. I should have it by the weekend and will get it bubbling on Saturday. As a dry Red lover it sounds pretty good to me:

"Mosaic Red
LE15
Ready in 6 weeks
Like a true mosaic, the varietals in this wine each contribute their individual personality to create a harmonious blend. Merlot and Zinfandel bring round fruit notes while Petit Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon provide structure and complexity. Mosaic Red has aromas of red fruit with an undertone of smoke and spice. Flavours of juicy blackberry, raspberry, spice and smooth tannins give way to a lingering finish.
Available February 2016
Alcohol: 14%*"

Just a warm up though for the Fourtitude due in April.

Ted

AZMDTed said:

Just a warm up though for the Fourtitude due in April.



Ted

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The internal struggle... 4 kits purchased in 2016, and it's only February 2nd. I have room for 2 or 3 more for the year. I'm really feeling a Fourtitude should be among them.

Just picked up this kit today...comes with 2 packs of yeast, EC-1118 and RC 212, 60g medium french oak chips....looking forward to getting this one going!

When they include 2 different packs of yeast ,are they expecting both of them pitched at the same time or is the EC-1118 just for insurance ?

It says to pitch all the yeast at the same time. Since this is a blend perhaps some grapes favor one over the other.

They said to pitch both at the same time....one type will bring out the different varietal character of the grapes and visa versa!
Rob

When I saw these were out, hopped on the LP website and ordered one. I'll pitch the RC 212 or BM 4x4, add the EC 1118 to my ever growing fridge stock of 1118.

Johnd said:

...add the EC 1118 to my ever growing fridge stock of 1118.

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I actually will be using one of the 18 I have in the fridge, I'm making a batch of Raspberry wine from concentrate. It's either that or a Cotes de Blancs that has been hanging around since last spring. I think they are both Champagne type, so maybe I'll just pitch both. Or better yet, I could throw all 18 of the EC 1118's in, bet it would start up pretty quickly!

So.... The Mosaic Red came in today, it's all prepped in the fermenter, oak dust and bentonite mixed in, SG at 1.100. I'm still where I was last post, the EC 1118 has already made its way to the fridge, and I'm sitting here with RC 212 in one hand and BM 4x4 in the other............

I pitched mine Sunday at 1.095. On Monday I had a nice foaming fermentation. Today, Wednesday, I'm at 1.03 and the foam is gone but I still have very active fermentation with individual pin head bubbling. I used the kit yeasts, I'm not sophisticated enough to out guess Winexpert on that yet.

AZMDTed said:

I pitched mine Sunday at 1.095. On Monday I had a nice foaming fermentation. Today, Wednesday, I'm at 1.03 and the foam is gone but I still have very active fermentation with individual pin head bubbling. I used the kit yeasts, I'm not sophisticated enough to out guess Winexpert on that yet.

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LOL! I'm not really sure it's about out guessing the fine folks at WE, just kinda understanding where they are coming from.

The RC 212 coupled with EC 1118 is a safe bet, the 212 alone probably better, but not as safe. The 1118 is a very reliable fermenter under most conditions, and is considered neutral in terms of enhancing tastes and aromas. Kit makers can't be having stalled fermentations, but I'm willing to take the chance, so I won't use the 1118.

The BM 4x4 is reported to increase mouthfeel in reds and whites, something I feel that kits in general lack, even more so in kits with no grape pack, like the Mosaic Red. That's one reason I'm leaning toward the BM 4x4.

Just started the passport 2016 cab franc /cab sauv yesterday and that comes with just the RC-212. I guess the kit manufacturer must be confident with it to finish.

Johnd said:

The BM 4x4 is reported to increase mouthfeel in reds and whites, something I feel that kits in general lack, even more so in kits with no grape pack, like the Mosaic Red. That's one reason I'm leaning toward the BM 4x4.

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John,
That's good info. I guess the only way to know for sure would be to make up a couple batches from the beginning with different yeasts and then see. That certainly is another step that I will want to take one day. For now, I'm branching out at the other end of the process and will be playing with finishing tannins to see what that does. It's the old engineer in me, only tweak one thing at a time

I agree completely that the kit manufacturers are not necessarily shooting for the best finish rather they are going for the best finish they can get with nearly foolproof products and techniques. That does leave some room for improvement.

Ted

AZMDTed said:

John,
That's good info. I guess the only way to know for sure would be to make up a couple batches from the beginning with different yeasts and then see. That certainly is another step that I will want to take one day. For now, I'm branching out at the other end of the process and will be playing with finishing tannins to see what that does. It's the old engineer in me, only tweak one thing at a time

I agree completely that the kit manufacturers are not necessarily shooting for the best finish rather they are going for the best finish they can get with nearly foolproof products and techniques. That does leave some room for improvement.

Ted

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Ted:
We're on the same page, the engineer in me tells me the same thing, if you allow multiple variables, you can't be sure what affected the outcome. Unlimited budget and space would certainly allow for some awesome experimentation, but a kit can be broken into multiple batches for experimentation, I guess I just don't have the energy for that.

Thankfully, there are some folks who post here and share their experimentation results for the rest of us to learn from.

In the end, the BM 4x4 was the choice that was made.

I had my first bottle of this last night. I wasn't impressed. Next bottle will be in six months and hopefully it will come around then.

The body was medium. I think my wife and I are heavy body snobs now so that could be part of tasting attitude.

Oak. I put this one in my Vadai when the barrel was new and it has a very nice noticeable but not over strong oakiness to it.

Flavor/mouthfeel. Not much there, just nothing grabbed me about it. The most dominant note was the oak, then a slight burn up the back of my throat. Not an alcohol burn down the throat but up. I think it might still have a tiny bit of gas in it, but after I did my usual post bottling degassing stuff it had the same thing. So I don't know.

For the record, I beat this with a whip in the spring, transferred using my AllinOne several times, and then used my new dedicated electric vacuum pump on it for 30 minutes after it came out of the barrel this summer when I noticed it still had gas.

Has anyone else had a taste of theirs yet, I'd like your impressions. I know it's still young, but I needed the carboy and bottled it about a month ago.

Bottled this one today at 11 months old. Wasn't really too excited about this one initially, but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Nice wine, should be excellent in another year or so.