Finally recieved word Sunday that the grapes were ready to be picked, here's the plan for the '18 Cab.
The grapes are on the way, harvested yesterday, loaded into the refrigerated truck, and on the road. BRIX is reported to be in the 26 range and pH in mid / upper 3's, pretty much par for the course for Lodi Cabs. The supplier said that when they picked, the grapes had "perfectly ripened" this year with good warm sunny days and cool nights, beautiful fruit. Time will tell.
Fruit is scheduled to arrive on Thursday, my plan is to be there when it does, bring it home to C/D, hit with some enzyme, and make any needed adjustments, pitch yeast, and head up to the property for a few days, expecting to return home to newly forming caps.
Will be fermenting half the batch with BM4x4, the other half with D254, and coinoculating with VP-41, may hold out a few gallons for a little native yeast experiment as well.
Should be pressing by the middle / end of next week, racking off of the gross lees next weekend, and finishing up MLF sometime around the end of October. After sulfiting and sitting in the wine room for a month or so to degas some and drop some sediment, it'll be going into a 60 gallon Alain Fouquet Prestige Margaux barrel with M+ toast for a couple of years. The barrel is scheduled to arrive before the end of October.
Got all the gear and supplies in order, ready to rumble, few more days til showtime......
The grapes are on the way, harvested yesterday, loaded into the refrigerated truck, and on the road. BRIX is reported to be in the 26 range and pH in mid / upper 3's, pretty much par for the course for Lodi Cabs. The supplier said that when they picked, the grapes had "perfectly ripened" this year with good warm sunny days and cool nights, beautiful fruit. Time will tell.
Fruit is scheduled to arrive on Thursday, my plan is to be there when it does, bring it home to C/D, hit with some enzyme, and make any needed adjustments, pitch yeast, and head up to the property for a few days, expecting to return home to newly forming caps.
Will be fermenting half the batch with BM4x4, the other half with D254, and coinoculating with VP-41, may hold out a few gallons for a little native yeast experiment as well.
Should be pressing by the middle / end of next week, racking off of the gross lees next weekend, and finishing up MLF sometime around the end of October. After sulfiting and sitting in the wine room for a month or so to degas some and drop some sediment, it'll be going into a 60 gallon Alain Fouquet Prestige Margaux barrel with M+ toast for a couple of years. The barrel is scheduled to arrive before the end of October.
Got all the gear and supplies in order, ready to rumble, few more days til showtime......