MM Alljuice Barolo - bulk vs. bottle aging

[Bartman]

The question is, how much longer should I age this one? Started it on
September 1, 2009 and racked to secondary about 10 days later. It was
racked again in December and I am trying to decide whether to rack
again and bulk age some more, or bottle it now.

I know there are differences of opinion about the aging abilities/qualities of various wine kits, but I thought it would be helpful to gather some opinions on a specific wine and kit. The AJ Barolo is a higher end kit, but certainly not the most expensive.

For those who may not be familiar with Barolo, true Barolos are an Italian wine made entirely from the Nebbiolo grape, grown in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. They usually have (IMHO) a very rich, silky mouthfeel; unique, complex, hard-to-put-into-words flavors; and some oakiness to them as well. Most commercial Barolos I have commonly seen for sale start in the upper-$30 range and go up to over $100 (I'm sure there are some that fetch $1,000s for prized vintages - the 1974 and 1976 vintages were supposedly pretty good, as I recall). Many fine Barolos are aged 10-20 years (or more), but I believe most of that time is in the bottle.

Thanks in advance for your thoughtful input!

 

[grapeman]

I would bottle it now after being sure there is enough SO2 in it- probably add 1/4 tsp k-meta. I would then cork it with a high quality cork that can breathe a bit and leave it untouched for 12-18 months minimum (give one a try after 12 months). Keeping it in the carboy for a high end red won't do a lot and being in the bottle with corks will let a bit of microoxygenation occur to help mellow out the tannins.

 

[Scott]

My vote is to bottle it nowsince not aged in a barrel. I do like the last choice though!

 

[uavwmn]

Bart, this was one of the first wines I actually bulk aged. (I am a little stubborn) If bulk aging helped this wine, I will bulk age forever now. I never touched a bottle for a year. Opened one up and it is, as you say, an hard to express taste. It is a wonderful wine. I am sure you will enjoy it.

 

[vcasey]

My vote is to bulk age this longer but don't worry about racking it again until you bottle - no point and really not necessary.

 

[Joanie]

Awe heck! Just drink it all now! You know you want to. =)

 

[Bartman]

It has been one month since I posted this poll, and I have to say, I'm a little disappointed by the number of responses.

Of the 12 who did vote, the consensus is clear to bulk age another 6 months, and then bottle it (keeping myself out of the bottles as long as possible).

Part of my motivation to bottle immediately was to free up a carboy, but I bottled my Brunello first anyway, so that's not an issue. As I am now another month into bulk aging, it's really only 5 more months. If the need arises to "liberate" another carboy in a couple months, this may be the one, but otherwise I will bottle it around early September.

vcasey - your comment to not worry about racking is intriguing (who doesn't want to avoid that heavy-lifting chore?). I probably only need to rack once more before bottling, but why not do it sooner than later, in case more sediment settles out (or I let some escape after the "final" racking)? Moreover, what about sulfite levels? It's in a glass carboy with a water/k-meta airlock on it now, another six months could allow those to drop significantly.

 

[vcasey]

I add kmeta every 3 months, pull a little wine mix up the kmeta add it back, while I'm at it an nice clean airlock replaces the old one. You are not going to get a lot of sediment now and all you'll do is lose wine and need to top off, and you'll most likely get more sediment while its aging, which is why I would not rack until you bottle.

 

[Bartman]

Well, folks, it has been six months since I posted this poll, and I wanted to give y'all an update. I bulk-aged the Alljuice Barolo for another six months, for a total of one year, and bottled it over the weekend. Racked once more in early July, and it had very little sediment then or at bottling, even though I used no clarifiers (other than bentonite at the outset in August '09).

I will probably try the first bottle around Christmas, and hope to keep the rest out of sight until next March, if not next September.

Funny thing though, I have 5 full carboys again, and want to start another kit - I guess it is a good thing I got this one bottled, huh?

 

[robie]

You didn't sneak a sip at bottling time?

 

[tonyt]

Bart, how about a tasting report from your Christmas tasting. I love Barolo, King of Wine. I always keep one or two nice commercial bottle aging, usually cost me $90ish. I have tried less expensive ones but would rather have one superlative bottle from an outstanding vintage. I only have opened one every 3 or 4 years on very special occasions. I have never made a kit Barolo because when young (under 10 years old) commercial Barolo's have that floral (tiger lily) smell and taste, and I really can't stand it. I figure the kits would have that too but not age long enough to mature into that musty richness I love on older Barolo. would love to hear your thoughts.

 

[joeswine]

IT TAKES ME ONE FULLYEAR TO COMPLETE MY FRESH JUICE,AFTER THAT I HAVE ROOM TO BOTTLE AND LET IT SET IF I WANT TO,AND YES IT DOES FREE UP CARBOYS FOR THE NEXT ROUND,AT LEAST THAT WAY I CAN PARTTAKE OF THE PRODUCT OR GIVE IT AWAY WHEN TO TIME PRESENTS ITSELF..............................JUST THE WAY I WORK

 

[Bartman]

Can't say I noticed a tiger lily scent, although I am not sure I could put my finger on that scent anyway. A few weeks ago, it tasted very good, but still developing its nuances and subtleties. I'm trying valiantly to only open the very occasional bottle, although it does tempt me. So far we have opened three bottles, and I've given three away to family.
It has a good mouthfeel even without a grape pack or raisins in the kit.

We tasted it on New Year's rather than Christmas, as the Red Mt. Cab stole the show on Christmas day.