WineXpert Started my Napa Valley Stag's Leap District Merlot

[DirtyDawg10]

So this morning I started my first red wine kit. The starting SG was 1.100

I added the 60g of oak chips and 60g of oak dust that came with the kit. This is the first time I have used Bourgovin RC 212 yeast. This is what came with the kit and I'm just wondering if this is a common red wine yeast and why. Just trying to continue the learning process for future wine making. This kit smells so good right now with all that oak.

 

[ibglowin]

Yes, RC-212 is a very good red wine yeast. Its not as bullet proof as EC1118 but pretty close.

 

[DirtyDawg10]

Thanks for the response.

 

[DirtyDawg10]

She's bubbling away in the primary. How will I ever wait at least a year for this stuff to age properly?

 

[ShaunDanz]

I had a bottle of my 6-month old Stag's Leap Merlot this weekend and it's finally tasting really good. I plan on waiting a year to drink the majority of it, but I've been sampling every month. This is the first month that it's tasted good, so do yourself a favor and wait to sample. I wish I had some of those earlier tasted bottles back now.

 

[winemaker_3352]

Patience is a virtue...

 

[tdgreenland]

I have made 2 to 3 kits of the stags leap district merlot for the last 4 years in a row. It is good after 6 months, great after 12 months BUT it is OUTSTANDING after 2 years. I found this out the hard way - by tasting too often. Now I will not touch it until 2 years old. I have a few bottles that are 3 years old. Can't wait to try them on a special occasion!

 

[DirtyDawg10]

So now I have to wait 2 yrs? Good thing I made 3 other batches before this one and I am planning another for when this one is done in the primary.

Did you guys follow the kit directions or did you modify it at all?

 

[ShaunDanz]

Derek,

In all honesty, I'm happy that I tasted my wine early. I'd like to think of each tasting as an educational experience. Now that I know what the wine tastes like at 2,3,4,5, and 6 months old, I probably don't need to taste it again. I also learned that this wine can go through a really awkward stage -- at months 2 and 3, I was considering dumping it out because I thought I had somehow ruined it. It had a bit of a rubbery taste to it and I thought it was contaminated. Nope. So, glad I didn't dump it!

I did not modify mine at all but bulk aged it longer than the directions specified. Speaking of the RC-212 yeast. It's not as fool-proof at the EC-1118, but I went out and purchased several packets. I substitute it in all my reds now that include the EC-1118. I only use the EC-1118 for my whites.

While I've been waiting for my Stag's Leap and Grand Cru Pinot Noir to age, I purchased three inexpensive red kits from Amazon. These wine's can easily be consumed in six months but require some alterations.

 

[robie]

The way you can deal with waiting is to make a lot of wine, a lot of varieties and styles. If you make some early drinkers, you can drink them and leave your nicer wines to age out.

Sort of like making a wine pipe line to keep it flowing. Otherwise, if you make a batch, let it set for 2 years, then drink it all in 2 or 3 months, you have to wait another 2 years for some more to replace it. Keep it flowing!

 

[DirtyDawg10]

Luckily I have about 60 to 70 bottles ready to consume while I wait. I purposefully held off making this one till I had some reserves on hand.

 

[DirtyDawg10]

Checked the SG today and it's down to 1.002...almost there. It's still bubbling but slowing down for sure.

 

[DirtyDawg10]

So 4 days later and the SG is only down to 1.000

The kit says it needs to go to at least .996 before I proceed to the next step. I splash racked it to a carboy to see if it will go lower but I'm not sure it will. I'll have to wait and see. How long should I wait?

 

[ShaunDanz]

According to my records, I stabilized and clarified on day 17 and my specific gravity was 0.992. You could try bringing the temperature up to 75 degrees to see if that helps speed things up. Do not stabilize yet, you have time on your side. This wine will benefit from going slow.

 

[DirtyDawg10]

Thanks! I read the instructions again and it said it would be slower the colder it got. It has been cold here the last few days. I'll check it in a few more days.

 

[derunner]

I'll be interested in how this goes for you. I intersted in makin a merlot and a zinfandel after I get a few more whites aging. Good Luck.

 

[ShaunDanz]

DirtyDog,

Here is what I use to keep my fermenter temperatures between 72 and 74 degrees. I then wrap the fermenter in a blanket.

http://www.amazon.com/FermWrap-Heater/dp/B0064O92WS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1350218876&sr=8-1&keywords=fermwrap

http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPRTC-Digital-Thermostat-Heat/dp/B000NZZG3S/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1350219014&sr=8-7&keywords=temperature+controller

In the winter my basement is often 65 degrees, which makes fermentation slow. For a $60 investment, I'm able to bring the temp up about 10 degrees. When it comes time to degas the wine, I bring the temp up to 78 degrees. I've found it extremely laborious to degas at cool temperatures even using a drill.

 

[DirtyDawg10]

Thanks for the tips. I let it sit until tonight. I checked the SG and it was at 0.992. I stabilized, degassed and added the clearing agents. It says to wait eight days and rack it. I think I'm going to wait longer than that.

 

[Wade E]

Yeah, after adding a fining agent I always let it sit about 2 weeks. I also always bring the temp of of all my wines when they are in the very beginning and at the very end so they start good and finish properly.

 

[JellyDonut]

Just bottled my kit after bulk aging it for a year. Not sure if that is good or not, but the wine tastes pretty good right now. A lot of fruit flavor, but a little thin in my opinion. I'm planning to let it age another 6 months in the bottle and try it again.