Cellar Craft Impulse Buy: CC Showcase Argentinean Malbec

[FABulousWines]

Every time we go to Chima Brazilian Steakhouse I enjoy a glass or two of there Mendoza Argentine malbec. Absolutely my favorite. So I decided my first high end kit would be this. This one comes with the crushed grape pack and a couple of packs of Hungarian oak. Anyone here done this kit and care to comment on it?

Normally, common sense would have made me wait until I finished my first batch successfully, but what the hey? I have gained a true sense of confidence from all of you folks on here, and I am really not too worried about wasting my money. I really want to do high end kits and make some excellent wine!

I am also thinking ahead about where I am going to store and age all of this wine I plan to make. I don't have a basement and after 30 years of marriage the house is getting a bit crowded. My wife is really supporting me on this journey. Last night she suggested moving the freezer out from the closet under the stairwell and using that space as a wine cellar.

As it stands I probably won't even think about starting this one before the Memorial day holiday, but I just wanted to get it and be ready for when the inspiration hits me! Wish me luck!

 

[robie]

Well, if your wife is supporting you in your wine making endeavor, you are way, way ahead of the game! My wife wasn't at all supportive until some of my kit reds got to be about 28 months old. Now I can't keep her out of it!!!

I had ordered that same kit, well in advance, the year Chili had its terrible earth quake. When it came time for the kits to be available, they couldn't get the juice from Argentina. The probable cause was Chili lost so much of its wine which was still in barrels and tanks, that Argentina stepped in and sent much of their wine to Chili. I went ahead and bought another Malbec that I believe wasn't quite as good.

I have had good success with CC premium kits. Last evening I received two of the showcase Yakima Valley Chardonnay kits. A nice fruity Chardonnay from Washington State.

I would say you will be happy with that kit as long as you give it 18 to 24 months to mature. A little extra Tancor Grand Cru tannins during aging will also help.

 

[FABulousWines]

Ha ha, yeah, she's a keeper for sure. I've already started educating her on the whole notion of aging. Unlike the fruity Riesling I have going now, these kits need time! I suspect I will have to do an early drinker every once in a while to keep her out of the good stuff. We also do winery runs about once a month and that should help as well.

I am not too big on chardonnays but my wife is, so I may throw her a bone there too at some point. I did look at that Yakima Valley kit and that may be the one I do as well.

For this first premium kit I intend to follow the instructions, but I do like to tinker, so when time comes, I may come back and ask for ideas. Thanks in advance!

 

[SouthernChemist]

Argentine Malbec was one of the first wines I grew to love (the other was Pinot Noir). I haven't made the Argentine Malbec in the Showcase line, but if it is anything like the other reds, you'll want to be prepared to give it time to develop. 18-24 months is the general rule of thumb. I'm sure it will turn out great in the end!

 

[FABulousWines]

Lookie what FedEx left at my house:

Kit label is: 14063 3024 0261. I assume that means a production date of 1/24/2013?

The kit contains medium and heavy French oak chips and medium Hungarian oak cubes. The instructions call for the cubes in the step where clearing agents are added. Is this a good place to do this or wait until bulk aging on a clear batch?

Also the kit contains sorbate. Why? I intend to ferment dry with no backsweetening and bulk age for a minimum of 6 months. Do I really need to add the sorbate in this case?

Unless otherwise detained I hope to get this started this evening. Thanks for the help.

 

[SouthernChemist]

The sorbate is not necessary if you intend on fermenting to dryness. Many people simply do not use it for dry wines.

As for the oak, cubes can take several weeks to be truly extracted...up to 8 weeks from what I understand. It wouldn't hurt anything to add them after you have clarified the wine if you wish to bulk age it. The kits are intended to be bottled within 6-8 weeks, and so the instructions have you adding the oak after stabilization.

 

[Boatboy24]

I'd hold the cubes until bulk aging. At that point, you have a relatively finished wine, and can taste weekly to get the level of oak you want (know that it will fall back over time though).

I've stopped using sorbate on kits I ferment dry. My first good kit was done about a year ago (Showcase Old Vine Zin) and is just now starting to lose the sorbate taste. If you're fermenting dry and not backsweetening, you don't really need it.

 

[FABulousWines]

Thanks guys. I'll leave the sorbate out and hold the cubes until clear and ready for bulk aging. I appreciate the confirmation.

The hardest part of doing this kit will be to train my wife that this wine doesn't exist until 2015!

 

[SouthernChemist]

Thanks guys. I'll leave the sorbate out and hold the cubes until clear and ready for bulk aging. I appreciate the confirmation.

The hardest part of doing this kit will be to train my wife that this wine doesn't exist until 2015!

You can always bottle into a handful of split bottles. That way you can try the wine out as it develops and not lose as much.

 

[FABulousWines]

That's actually a pretty good idea. I will do that!

 

[roger80465]

"Lookie what FedEx left at my house:" - Hey FAB - thanks for letting me know where that went. It was supposed to be mine. Please forward ASAP. Thanks

Roger

 

[FABulousWines]

"Lookie what FedEx left at my house:" - Hey FAB - thanks for letting me know where that went. It was supposed to be mine. Please forward ASAP. Thanks

Roger

Yeah, OK. I just dropped it in the mail. Go down to your mailbox now and wait for it.

 

[roger80465]

WOO HOO! I'll be waiting!

 

[FABulousWines]

LOL.
Pitched the yeast last evening. The journey has begun. I am real excited about this one!

 

[Geronimo]

I've made the CC Showcase Argentine Malbec twice now and it's excellent. Once you make a CC Showcase kit you'll have a tough time liking any of the cheaper kits. However the high end RJS are easily as good. Congratulations!

 

[FABulousWines]

I've made the CC Showcase Argentine Malbec twice now and it's excellent. Once you make a CC Showcase kit you'll have a tough time liking any of the cheaper kits. However the high end RJS are easily as good. Congratulations!

Thanks for that! It sure was a blast putting it all that together last night. My wife gave me one of those weird looks when I dumped the two packs of French oak in there. Like, "Why are you dumping dirt into our nice grape juice?" Of course, I gave her one of my looks back. Like, "Hey, I know what I am doing here. Trust me."

After 30 years of marriage we can have entire conversations just by looking at each other, LOL.

Regarding RJS, yes, I've been looking there as well. My list is getting long...

 

[FABulousWines]

Racked off lees last night and added the Hungarian cubes. Did the taste and OMG! is this one good! I am really going to need some counselling to be able to keep from consuming this one until aged...

I'll just have to kick off more batches as a distraction...

 

[robie]

Racked off lees last night and added the Hungarian cubes. Did the taste and OMG! is this one good! I am really going to need some counselling to be able to keep from consuming this one until aged...

I'll just have to kick off more batches as a distraction...

Buy a case on the 375 ml bottles and fill about 12 of them, and the rest of the batch of wine into regular bottles. You at least can sample the smaller bottles periodically and leave the bulk of the remainder untouched (un-drank?) for a longer period.

Making lots more wine is also a very good method (probably the better method).

 

[FABulousWines]

He he, thanks Robie; I am thinking about doing just that (I seem to remember someone else suggesting that recently; maybe it was you).

I am also considering waiting until the new year to bottle. If this stuff is sitting around in bottles while I am off for the holidays; well you do the math...

As far as making more wine goes I am eager to do so, but I am really going to have to solve my storage problem soon. We just re-roofed the house and are getting it painted so construction will have to wait; I have some shorter term ideas and may post a thread soon on this subject...