Mosti Mondiale AJ Chianti - peaked at 2 years

[Bartman]

For the Super Bowl, we opened a double bottle of my MM Alljuice Chianti, and I had high hopes for it to have really blossomed. It was started in Nov. 2008, and bottled in May 2009, so it was a little over 2 years old. I made it per directions, fermenting to dry in the carboy, only adding the supplied oak. Decanted for ~20 minutes before pouring glasses

The verdict: Pretty Good but not great. Tastes like Chianti should taste, but like a $10 Chianti. Pretty thin mouthfeel. I had hoped it would come along from the 1-year mark, but it really hasn't changed much. If anything, it's a little "flatter".

So, what should I do to make a better Chianti (apart from Master's Edition/Meglioli)?
1) Add grape pack or raisins at fermentation - which one?
2) Add some extra light toast oak spiral(s)
3) Bulk age another 3-6 months

Any other suggestions? Thanks for your input.

 

[vcasey]

I have been considering this kit or the Renascence version since it has raisins. Would love some feedback as well. I am also considering picking up some fresh juice when its available in September or October and using MM's cab grape pack to enhance the mouth feel and complexity along with some French Med toast oak.

Bart I don't think bulk aging would have made a difference other then allowing you to avoid bottling it for a bit longer.

 

[robie]

A grape pack will always help some, but when you consider how relatively small a single grape pack is, compared to a 23L batch of wine, it really is not that significant. (Wine made from fresh grapes of the same variety would have been loaded with crushed grapes. IMO, that's why W.E. is not that big on grape packs, even though I am not a big W.E fan.) Having said all that, I still do buy George's CC grape packs as extra additions to my kits, which don't come with a grape pack. Every little bit does help.

To increase the mouth fill, at least 12 to 18 months oak barrel aging would have helped. You can't beat the concentration effect that takes place in a barrel.

Just for grins, fill a plastic water bottle 3/4 full with some of the wine and freeze it for about 5 days. Take the rest of the same bottle of wine and put it in a small enough container that it won't oxidize while its counterpart is frozen. After the forzen bottle thaws AT ROOM TEMPERATURE, at the same temperature, taste both and see if the frozen portion is not better. There is a good chance the frozen portion will be better. If so, try another six months aging of the batch of wine.

See if there is any addition that might improve the wine:
Add a pinch of tartaric acid and compare it will an original sample. Do the same with some Biolees, next maybe a post fermentation tannin. The Biolees and tannins will need to stay in the wine 24 hours before you sample it.

Boil some oak and take a very small bit of the liquid and add it to the wine and sample it.

These are just simple experiments that might help you figure out what might have made it better.

Of course I would like to know the outcome of any such tests.

 

[ibglowin]

Since this is an italian varietal I would try 1-1.5lb Organic Flame Red Raisins from Whole Foods.

The other easy fix for a thin wine is Tancor Grand Cru. Always do a bench test and err on the "go easy" side.

 

[tonyt]

How about adding glycerin?

 

[Dean]

Tan'Cor grand Cru, Biolees, barrel aging and concentration, all will help with a thin wine. Personally, I think that adding raisins usually adds to the oxidized flavor of a wine, and unless the style you are looking for requires that (Amarone for example), you'd be better off with a grape pack, but again, only if the style you are shooting for is a heavier wine. When I think of Chianti, I think of nice light table wine to go with your meal of practically anything. Like Pinot Noirs, Chiantis are supposed to be light. I'd probably add some Tan'Cor (TC-GC) to up the mouthfeel a bit, but still keep the style of the wine true. The problem with TC-GC is that it takes about 3 weeks to fully integrate to see what you've done.

 

[Jwatson]

I am also making this MM AJ chianti. I have not tasted it yet. What are the recommended additions of biolees if it is thin?

 

[robie]

Jwatson,

Biolees will not be as effective at adding mouth fill as TanCor Grand Cru.
Read up on it on the internet before you try it.

There is a similar product called surlies or surlees, akin to the
surlies process, as that is the effect it has on a wine. It smooths out
the tannins. "This process can also give an added freshness and
creaminess to the wine, and improve color and clarity"

I don't know that this is what you want for your Chianti.

I am at work, so don't have access to the Bioless instructions. You probably can look it up on the internet and find out.

You can test its usefulness for any wine by opening a bottle and putting a pinch of Biolees in the wine; just a pinch. Shake it in well, re-cork it and try it in a couple of days against the same batch of wine without the Biolees.

The wine will have some chalkiness in it, due to the powder, but just ignore that for testing. Its difference can be tasted in only a couple of days, but it takes several months for full integration.

During bulk aging I sometimes will pour a small sample of the wine in several glasses. I'll keep one unchanged as a control sample. I'll add various additives, one to a sample, and see if it makes any positive difference. It takes weeks or months for the change to fully integrate, but most of the time you can get a good indication right away.

I would never advice adding it to a whole batch of wine without bench testing it on only a small sample,as you may not like its effect.

It really smooths out a kit wine. IMO, its usefulness is more for a kit wine than a wine made from fresh/frozen grapes. There are exceptions of course, as it is not made specifically for kit wines.

I advice you to read up on it before you try it. It is easy to get caught up in "doping" your wine kits with lots of additives. They are OK to tailor a kit to your individual tastes, but really, if such things were that effective across the board, wouldn't the kit manufacturer add them to all their kits.

Some like more tannin than others, same with oak. Make you wines your own, but don't think you have to change every kit.

 

[Jwatson]

DancerMan,

Thanks for the advice. I really like a wine with body, oak and a "mouthful' characteristic. My chianti is still in secondary fermentation. Just wondering what could be done to improve it, if it even needs improving, down the road. I definitely will taste test and use small amounts in small batches if it doesn't suit me after some bulk aging.

 

[Dean]

Sur Lie on red wines tends to give a greasiness and bacon quality. Not that great in Reds, and should be avoided. it's more of a thing for whites, while tanning additions is a thing for reds.

 

[Jwatson]

Thanks...that helps a lot on what to use for each wine.

 

[vcasey]

Thanks so much Dean I completely forgot about using Tan Cor! I agree with you that this is generally a light table wine. I'll buy the grape pack to have it on hand and after I taste the juice decide to add it or not. I am pretty sure the folks will give me a list of the grapes they use in the blend which will also help in my decision. Sorry Mike no raisins in the Chianti.

 

[ibglowin]

Let us know how it turns out!

 

[vcasey]

Let us know how it turns out!

Gonna be a while............ the juice will be available in the fall.