Barrel fermented Chardonnay in 2022!

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Since you have a whole barrel, why not do a bench trial? 3 or 4 dose levels (+ control) and select the highest level (by taste test) that has the least impact on the wine?
Good suggestion. I did a bottle trial at 2 grams per gallon and it turned out super clear. In fact the pic below was after day two. That is what lead me to try a minimal dose. I figured I could always do another fining if needed.
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In the past I'd read things like "0.75g/l" and think, "well, that's useless information", as I didn't have a scale and I'd jump through hoops to measure small amounts. Last fall I purchased an inexpensive electronic scale that does metric & US, and has a fine graduation scale. It's a lot easier and far more accurate to use the scale than it is to figure out how to translate a measurement into teaspoons. I have found that working in metric is far easier, although I still can't think in metric (but I'm getting fast at conversions).
 
Racked the Chardonnay today. Here are the results. The one on the left is .2 gams per liter of bentonite, the one on the right .6 grams per liter. The one on the right also spent a week in the fridge. The one with the higher dose of bentonite is clearer. I haven’t tasted them side by side to see if there is a difference. The .2 grams per liter resulted in a significant improvement, but if there are no significant taste differences, I would be inclined to use more next time.
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One last look.
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.2g/ liter left, .6g/liter right. I am able to pick out the taste difference blind. .6g/gallon tastes crisper, less weight/mouthfeel. Not better/worse, but noticeably different.

I prefer the taste of the .2g/l, I prefer the look of .6g/l. May split the difference next time.
 
One last look.
View attachment 98230
.2g/ liter left, .6g/liter right. I am able to pick out the taste difference blind. .6g/gallon tastes crisper, less weight/mouthfeel. Not better/worse, but noticeably different.

I prefer the taste of the .2g/l, I prefer the look of .6g/l. May split the difference next time.
Were these hit with Kieselsol/Chitosan too?
 
Super Bowl bottling day! Setting up the bottling line in the barn, with friends and an aspiring winemaker coming over to help. I promised to taste anything bottled or in the barrel in the winery, so we’ll see how many of the 8 wines we will try. The plan is to bottle the 58 gallons while we watch the game, with plenty of food nearby.

New green Burgundy bottles, vinyl removable labels and satin pvc toppers. Bottle sanitize station, drying rack, filling station, corking, laser guided label station and a topper shrink station. Historically I’ve averaged around 30 seconds per bottle with 4 or 5 people, but usually it comes down to how much socializing we do.

Pictures to follow.
 

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