RJ Spagnols Tweaks for Cru Select Val Ripassa

[Bacci]

This kit is a bit different from other Cru Selects or other Skin pack kits of eitherlower or higher quality. Thinking about going only 7 days on primary vs. 14 day Cru Select instructions. I guessing the SG will be at least 1.00 at that point and transfering to Secondary for 15 days, then adding sulfites and finings. (no P. Sorbate) racking in 30 days, then bulk aging. Any thoughts on the kit.

 

[patc]

I have not made this kit but know of it and all the threads that i have read on it say it's great!!!! My opinion is do not rush it especially i believe you should have the winery grapskins with this and going 14 days is going to extract as much goodness that those grapeskins can offer. I think if you rack it sooner you will lose a lot of potential from letting it ferment on the skins as long as possible. Making wine has shown me a competely new level of patience i never new existed, sit back and let that baby do it's thing!!!!!!!! you will be rewarded for your paitience.

 

[Comet in TX]

I just finished my first Cru Select, the LE Ehrenfelser. I was very impressed with leaving in the primary for 14 days. It had virtually no gas upon racking! And talk about easy! Just start it and go (although it was hard giving up my only primary for 2 weeks).

I'm about to start a CC Showcase Cab, and they recommend weighting the grape pack in a bag and then leaving in the primary for 10-12 days.

Based on the experience with the Ehrenfelser, I will definitely be following those directions. Seems like this would work with any skins kit as long as you have some way of keeping the skins submerged. If you have to stir, I'm assuming this is where you would lose your CO2 blanket of protection and have to rack into carboy.

Lara

 

[Dean]

this is an amazing kit, and quite frankly rivals and surpasses the Valpolicella in the Winery Series. It's very complex and quite tannic for a kit, which is nice!

Do the 14 day primary routine for sure! You want those skins to have as much contact as possible with this wine. You will be rewarded after 1 year of aging, and this wine will continue to improve into year 3.

 

[RJMehr]

I too recommend leaving the wine in primary for 14 days. In fact, I do this for ALL wine kits I make, regardless of the manufacturer. I never had any problems doing this method of fermenting.

 

[Bacci]

I was thinking with all the oak, 2 big packs and 2 infusion bags and the skins, there would need to be alot of stirring involved with this kit. I've been making Grand Cru Internations and just putting skins/oak directly into primary. I see going the full 14 days, opening and closing would risk oxidation.Would weighing down thehop sack filled with both oak and skinsandsnapping downlid for 14 days offer more flavor??I'm guessing the hydrated oak infusion bags would be added directly into the must.

 

[Dean]

certainly weight the hopsack down with marbles, shot glasses, or anything else that can be sanitized and is heavy. Don't worry about the oak. It will saturate soon enough and sink, and you do not need to worry about stirring after day 3 this way. Just leave it for 14 days, then move to glass after that. After 14 days, you will have sufficient alcohol in there to do the extraction from the oak and skins. They will be done offering what they can after that, so you can safely throw them out (compost). In my not-so-humble opinion, this kit needs no tweaks. Just make sure you keep your temps up during this whole thing. For reds, I like 74 to 76F as good temp range. It will spike as high as 86F during the hardest fermentation around day 3, but will soon drop after that.

 

[pao1x]

Any KIt Taste to this or other RJS products in this line?





Paul

 

[robie]

I second Dean's suggestions. Don't take the skins off the wine until after the 14 days. It's the skins that help make this a special wine... don't shortcut the time the wine is on the skins.
If you use marbles, make sure they are not painted on the outside. They should be plain ole glass marbles. Give them a nice cleaning, then a sanitizing bath before using them.

Those skins are going to try to float, even with the marbles attached. Example: If the marbles are in one end of the hop bag, the other end will try to float up onto the surface. I put the marbles in a separate small bag and tie that bag to the "Center" of the skin's bag. That pretty much keeps the skins below the surface at all times.

 

[Dean]

Any KIt Taste to this or other RJS products in this line?





Paul

I have not detected kit taste in any RJS product from Grand Cru International (I've only done the primitivo) and up. My main kits are all in the Cellar Classic Winery Series, Cru Select, and En Primeur series and there no kit taste whatsoever. I get KT in almost every Winexpert kit I've done, with the exception of the ruby port. It took about 3.5 years for the KT to diminish enough for me to enjoy my Luna Rossa, which is nice now, but still with just a hint of KT.

 

[Bacci]

sounds like a good plan. Do you snap lid on or just leave covered after stirring days are over. Also, would you go ahead and stablize/fine after 14 day primary

 

[pao1x]

Dean, good to know that abot RJS and CC. KIt taste is why abandoned WE. Since then I've only done MM(no kit taste there) and fresh juce in the fall. I'm going grab one of these.
Paul

 

[PeterZ]

Dean, how do you rate the Primitivo? Any tweaks I should make to the kit? I have it in secondary now (transfered from primary on Sunday).

 

[Dean]

Mine is still way under the 1 year mark, so I don't know yet. Initial tastes indicate this is one very surprising kit, and blows me away that this is a 12L kit. If anything, *maybe* it could use 1/4 tsp of Tan'Cor Grand Cru, but I'm not sure about that even.

 

[Bacci]

I made it to 14 days and did add the skins/oak directly to juice. After 14 days SG was .990 and racked to carboy. I was shocked, virtually no degassing to do. I have never gone the full 14 days on Cru Selects and usually have a hard time degassing. I starteda Gewurtz. Cru Select at the same time andracked to carboy on same day. I had to degass 3x over an afternoon at 76 degrees and still unsure about the CO2. Low drill battery and tried arms.


I toppedeach w/750ml of comm wine. I'll rack again tobulk age but topping up is always an issue. I guessanother 750 ml each?I've got a 2 liter pitcher of glass marbles and never used before. What's the routine for adding glassmarblesto glass carboys? Do I have enough marbles for this racking?