I just bottled half a batch of MM Renaissance Amorosso (AKA Amarone) I started mid November. The other half is back in an 11.3 L carboy with an oak spiral for bulk aging and later comparison.
However, what is notable about this kit is how overall good it is at just 2 months. This easily surpasses all of the other premium kits I have, including a 15 month old Showcase Cabernet Red Mountain and a 12 month old Winery Series Super Tuscan.
I would not go so far as to call it great, and probably not yet distinguishable as an Amarone, but it is genuinely drinkable -- something I have not been able to say about any other kits so far. There are plenty of fruity flavors, though somewhat confected tasting at this point and probably out of character for an Amarone. There is obviously a bit of alcohol heat but also some woody, vanilla and cigar notes and a nice bit of tartness. Although the flavors are not well integrated yet nothing stands out as being "off" and KT is minimal.
This is the first MM kit I have tried and so far I would say it easily competes with offerings from the other premium kit manufacturers. However, there are some notable differences between this batch and the others. My oldest premium kits were made at a FoP and, while I don't think they did anything wrong, they definitely cranked them out in the shortest time allowed by the instructions. I took a bit more time with this MM kit including extended time in secondary, a relatively low ferment temperature, and a very thorough degassing.
The MM kit also came with yeast nutrient, something none of the other kits did. I wonder if stressed yeast is responsible for some of the off flavors in the other kits. I recently made a Passport Petit Verdot and noticed about 4 days in it started smelling a bit farty. I added some nutrient to that batch also and it seemed to take care of the odor.
For anyone else that has made this kit, did it stack up well to others you have made?
However, what is notable about this kit is how overall good it is at just 2 months. This easily surpasses all of the other premium kits I have, including a 15 month old Showcase Cabernet Red Mountain and a 12 month old Winery Series Super Tuscan.
I would not go so far as to call it great, and probably not yet distinguishable as an Amarone, but it is genuinely drinkable -- something I have not been able to say about any other kits so far. There are plenty of fruity flavors, though somewhat confected tasting at this point and probably out of character for an Amarone. There is obviously a bit of alcohol heat but also some woody, vanilla and cigar notes and a nice bit of tartness. Although the flavors are not well integrated yet nothing stands out as being "off" and KT is minimal.
This is the first MM kit I have tried and so far I would say it easily competes with offerings from the other premium kit manufacturers. However, there are some notable differences between this batch and the others. My oldest premium kits were made at a FoP and, while I don't think they did anything wrong, they definitely cranked them out in the shortest time allowed by the instructions. I took a bit more time with this MM kit including extended time in secondary, a relatively low ferment temperature, and a very thorough degassing.
The MM kit also came with yeast nutrient, something none of the other kits did. I wonder if stressed yeast is responsible for some of the off flavors in the other kits. I recently made a Passport Petit Verdot and noticed about 4 days in it started smelling a bit farty. I added some nutrient to that batch also and it seemed to take care of the odor.
For anyone else that has made this kit, did it stack up well to others you have made?
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