2017 Cab Blends

[stickman]

Starting two new Cab co-ferment blends; the must is up to 50F, pulling off a couple of gallons for a DV10 starter, adding 30ppm sulfite, these grapes had extra hang time and are mature. The following numbers are from the supplier, I'll run some numbers later once blended. Getting ready for the roller coaster ride.....

 

[Ajmassa]

Good luck with these. Frozen must? That’s interesting you’ve decided to co-ferment. Looking forward to following along the method to your winemaking madness. (I like the Tuscan ratios. Having just started one myself, in hindsight i would have went with less sangio and more cab similar to yours)
Nice and organized spreadsheet there. Having YAN #s is a great advantage. I’d assume it would add a whole new level of confidence in your nutrient decisions.

 

[stickman]

Added the starter to the pails at 55F earlier this morning. I'll probably dump to the vat tomorrow and check some numbers.

 

[jgareri]

Looks good. I'm curious about Brehm products and will give it a try one day. Problem being that it's so crazy expensive with the exchange and shipping. In the opinions of those on this forum, is the quality worth the price?

 

[vernsgal]

will definitely follow how these go. I blend, but always ferment singularly and age, about 3 months, then blend and age.

I do love blends!

 

[balatonwine]

I do love blends!

I also like blends. Especially red wine blends. And I am known to pay a premium for a blend if I really like it.

A few years ago, I was at a local winery. One of the larger ones. And they had a few red wine blends on the racks in the tasting room. I commented to my wife and our American guest who was visiting, that they might be worth a try. But the person behind the counter pouring, pulled a face, and said he did not like blends. The blends I wanted to try were actually priced more than the varietals. I was really taken aback by that. Not just lousy customer service, but disservice to his employer as I ended up not buying anything.

 

[sour_grapes]

Huh, I am surprised. I thought the single-variety fetish was an American thing. I thought that only because many old-world wines are (a) blends, and (b) just known by their locale, not the grape variety.

I have a French friend whose last name is "Sauvignon" (which is an interesting story in its own right). Anyway, she reports that, when in France, she is always asked to spell her name (like to a reservation desk). In the US, when she says her name, people say "Oh, like the wine? Okay." So people in the US know how to spell Sauvignon, but people in France often don't!

 

[stickman]

A few photos from yesterday, fermentation was just starting, Brix was closer to 27, so I watered back to 25 using about 2gal of 6g/l acidulated water for each blend.

 

[NorCal]

Nicely done. Looks like you have some nice wine in the works!

 

[stickman]

@NorCal Well...... I hope the roller coaster ride is in the right direction. I'm planning to bottle the Pinot and Sangiovese this Friday to open up tank space. These tanks are becoming like carboys, you never have enough.

 

[stickman]

Currently at 21 Brix or so, vats are full.

 

[Boatboy24]

Pucker factor 10! Not much headroom there, but looks great.

 

[stickman]

Yea, I keep looking for signs of the peak, which should be tomorrow, but it really is a massive amount of skins, I drain and return a few pails, and then keep one full pail of wine out, then add it back during the next cycle.

 

[stickman]

It has been busy here, yesterday added second dose of nutrients while doing a punch down, then spent the rest of the day bottling the Pinot and the Sangiovese. Got 60 gallons bottled and decided to call it quits for the day. There are a couple of 5gal carboys left to bottle. The 12 cases are my share of the 24 cases bottled.

 

[JohnT]

Very nice stickman.

I think that you will find that most wines are blends. Even if the label says Cab Sav, I believe that up to 20% of the wine can be made up of some other grape.

 

[stickman]

The brix is down to 7, actually a little lower depending on which pail I test. Looks good and smells good, nothing unusual, I may try to stretch this out and press this Friday.

 

[JohnT]

Got to say that you have a very nice color extraction there.

I do not seem to recall if you were using fresh grapes? Was this frozen must?

 

[stickman]

Yes, frozen must, it does give up its color more easily; I usually use enzymes, but this time I didn't due to the very ripe grapes. It is a contrast to the Sangiovese and Pinot Noir I did last year, which were significantly lighter in color using enzymes and the same fermentation techniques. When it comes to color, there is something to be said for Cabernet.

 

[stickman]

The sg is around .996 at this point; we're planning to press tomorrow.

 

[stickman]

Finished the pressing today, ended up with about 28gal free run on each batch and around 5 to 7gal press wine on each batch. Around noon, the work bench became the snack table. The wine is showing only minimal fruit at this point, but very dark rich and tannic, nothing offensive.