WineXpert Eclipse Pinot Noir and Finishing Tannins Questions

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Cjk

Chris
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Hi Everyone,

I have an Eclipse Pinot Noir bulk aging in a Carboy waiting to be bottled. It is a little over a year since I piched the yeast. I did not vary from the instructions. I did however have this kit in my 23l Vadai for just under 8 weeks.

I tasted the other day, and while it tasted good, it seemed a bit flat to me. I have Tannin Riche Extra but have never used it in a kit yet. I was thinking of adding that to my Pinot Noir and letting it sit in the carboy for another 6-8 weeks before bottling. Directions say .2-.4 g/gal. I was thinking of starting with 1.5 grams.

Do you think this is a good idea for this kit?
This Kit has been filtered already. Will that be a problem to filter it again before bottling?
Do you guys just mix it it the wine or mix it with wine or water first?


Any other advice is much appreciated!

Thank,

Chris
 
Hi Chris,
I've never used tannin riche extra. I did use tannin riche and some French oak to a Pinot a couple years back. I did not filter, just mixed it really well with some red wine before adding.
I held some wine back that had tannins but no oak, recently tasted and compared to the Oaked and tannin version. We were all torn between which one we preferred so we did a 50/50 blend and we all preferred that one.
I find american oak to have a stronger flavor, then French oak, less in keeping with Pinot noir to me. I think tannin riche extra is suppose to be From Merican oak and so a bit different flavor profile, more vanillins. I personally like that in a cab or zin, but prefer my Pinot more subtle.
This is your wine. Whatever you choose to do, I would encourage you to split ur batch so down the road you can tell what the tannin riche extra added to your wine and if you like it..my 2cents only
 
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Thank you knockabout. I appreciate your advice. Splitting up the batch is a good idea.

Chris
 
Now I will preface this by saying what I added the Tannin Extra Riche to was a juice bucket/whole grape combo, but it is a Merlot based wine so not super heavy or overly oaked.

I made 10 gallons of a Merlot/Cab Sauv/Malbec blend (about 73/13.5/13.5) last Spring, split and bottled 5 gallons a few months ago, and added only about .2 grams/gallon (1 gram for 5 gallons) of the Tannin Extra Riche about six weeks ago to what I didn't bottle.

Just took a sample from my carboy and tasted (and was my first wine of the evening). There is definitely a difference, but it is subtle in nature. I notice a bit more vanilla on the nose and a bit of perceived astringency in the finish. It is not an in-your-face type of difference between the already bottled wine and the one still in the carboy. I think it would go fine with a Pinot Noir but I would aim at the low end, add and age a while, taste and if you think it needs some more, add a little bit more.

I think the Tannin Extra Riche is like a toothpick where as the Tannin Complex or FT Rouge is more of a baseball bat when it comes to noticeable changes.

I'm pretty new to wine making, so take this advice with a grain of salt, or a bottle of wine, your choice. If you go for the salt you can send me the bottle of wine!
 
Thanks for sharing your experience Craig. I think I'm going to try a small amount and taste from there. I appreciate it.

Chris
 
Thanks for sharing your experience Craig. I think I'm going to try a small amount and taste from there. I appreciate it.

Chris

Chris,
I hope you will post your results and impressions as you go. My wife and I ate at the Hitching Post in Buellton, CA last night (of Sideways fame). I got a three Pinot sampler. 2 of them were the normal subtle, meaning weak in my book, Pinot, but the other one had medium body, good aroma, and a very nice taste. The price of the third was no more than the other two so I don't think it was better from a vintage point of view. I certainly did wonder though if it had a finishing tannin added. As Cabernet drinkers we liked that Pinot best though a Pinot purist may not have liked it as much, I don't know.

I look forward to your results as I have a batch of WE Eclipse Pinot bulk aging that I may want to play with too.

Ted
 

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