Cellar Craft Old Cellar Craft Red Mountain Cab kit

[milbrosa]

I'm about to start an old Cellar Craft Showcase Collection Red Mountain Cabernet kit that has been sitting in a corner of my dining room for a long time. Lot #K12912SA translates to Nov 12, 2009, I believe. That's nearly 26 months old.

I haven't opened it yet, but the grape juice looks pretty normal in the bag. I'll taste it tomorrow when I mix it up. I just started two other old kits tonight, and I'm out of fermenters. I'm going to go pick up another one tomorrow and see about getting this kit on its way.

Altogether, I'll have thee kits from 2009 going at once. I'm hoping for the best.

 

[ibglowin]

Your going to be busy for awhile it looks like! You will be pushing the limits but as long as they appear, smell and taste ok they should be good to go.

 

[milbrosa]

I am a bit embarrassed to be pushing the limits this far! I didn't really intend to. The older I get though, the faster time flies, it seems.

Since Vineco bought CC, I am fearful that this legendary wine will change. So when I go to FVW tomorrow, I may buy another kit if George has one in stock. That will give me an opportunity to do two kits side by side, which should really help me see the effects of extended aging.

 

[ibglowin]

Last time I looked at the FVW's website it was sold out (like a lot of stuff after Xmas)

Assuming they got juice from this years harvest they should be able to crank it out and get it on the shelves pretty quick.

Lets hope they don't mess with this one for sure!

 

[robie]

Last time I looked at the FVW's website it was sold out (like a lot of stuff after Xmas)

Assuming they got juice from this years harvest they should be able to crank it out and get it on the shelves pretty quick.

Lets hope they don't mess with this one for sure!

I visited with George at last week at his store. He said he should receive a big shipment from CC by mid-January. Like the rest of us, he is not sure what direction CC will take in the future. CC's buyer apparently had previously bought another smaller kit producer and just shut it down. I guess they bought them to get their assets (equipment?), but who knows for sure.

CC is a pretty big producer to simply shutdown, but at this point it is hard to say what will happen to them.

 

[Flem]

Welcome back, robie! I've missed your commentary.

 

[robie]

Welcome back, robie! I've missed your commentary.

Thanks. Took a little R & R down in Texas during the holidays. A highlight was visiting George's store again. He and I sampled his Pinot Noir from fresh grapes, which he received/fermented in October. Any of you guys/gals, who also made wine from those Pinot grapes are going to be happy campers in a year or two. I was a bit surprised at how good that wine already is after only a few months.

 

[milbrosa]

I stopped by FVW today, as planned. It's true, George is sold out of CC Red Mountain Cab, but he told me it's on order and should be in by mid to late January. I plan to pick up one of them when they came in.

 

[milbrosa]

The CC Red Mountain CAB is fermenting like gangbusters. I am stirring it twice daily since the mesh bag with the grapes in it tends to float to the top.

 

[ibglowin]

Very good to hear!

 

[milbrosa]

This kit finally got down to 1.000 so I racked it yesterday. I used sanitized nitrile gloves to squeeze the grape pack bag, then discarded it and racked the wine to a carboy. I got 5.5 gallons, but there was a lot of thick slurry on the bottom of the fermenter, slightly more than a half a gallon. I poured that into a sanitized jug and put it in my fridge. If it settles out, I may be able to get another quart of wine out of it.

There was an envelope of powder labeled "enzyme mix" that the main instructions didn't mention, but a summary instruction card in the kit said to add to the wine at first racking. Does anyone know what is in this enzyme mix, and what it does for the wine?

 

[Flem]

The enzyme mix helps to further break down the remaining solids in the wine.
BTW, you did put an airlock on the sanitized jug in the fridge, didn't you?

 

[milbrosa]

Thanks for the info Flem.

Actually, no I didn't put an airlock on the jug. Just a cap. I transferred it from my covered primary to the jug just last night, and later tonight I'll siphon out the clearer wine from the top and add it to the carboy.

Do you think one extra day of being exposed to air (like it was in my primary fermenter) will cause a problem? Is there a way I can tell? Taste maybe?

 

[timber]

Hi milbrosa,

BTW, you did put an airlock on the sanitized jug in the fridge, didn't you?

I think Flem was concerned that fermentation could still occur and a closed container would not be good due to pressure build-up and the potential of a broken jug.

Correct me if I'm wrong Flem.

 

[Flem]

Actually, I was concerned that, if he left it too long, he would run the risk of oxidation of the wine. Overnight in a small necked container probably wouldn't cause a problem.

 

[milbrosa]

I just let it settle overnight in the fridge. Then the next day, I was able to siphon about a 1.5 cups, less than a pint more of clear wine using my wine thief, and I added that to the carboy. I'm not sure it was worth the effort, really.

Now I am left with a topping up dilemma on my next racking. This particular wine is wonderfully rich looking. I'm reluctant to top it with water because I don't want to thin it out. But if I top it with another wine, I'm afraid it'll change the character. These Italian 6 gallon carboys I have hold quite a bit more than 6 gallons, so I'll probably have to add a whole bottle of wine to top up for the clearing stage.

I have a couple of Merlot's and a Cab that I made a few years ago, but they are thin in body and a bit too sharp in taste, so I don't want to use one of them to top with. I have a decent Super Tuscan I made that is pretty good. I also have some Kirkland (Costco private label) 2006 Alexander Valley Cab that is good. I'm thinking the latter would be most compatible, but I wonder if there are any better choices?

 

[ibglowin]

Trust me two bottles of wine is not enough to change the profile! If that was true I would have 100% fantastic kit wines. Some are fantastic but some are not. All were topped off with good quality commercial wines. Since this kit is from WA State I would recommend at least going with wine from the same AVA or close. The best bang for the buck WA state wine in the sub $10 price point is the Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cab Sauv, the Columbia Crest Two Vines Cab Sauv or the Red Diamond Cab Sauv. All should be readily available and all should be in the 4.99 to 7.99 price range.

 

[Flem]

I've topped off virtually every wine I've made with at least 1 bottle of good commercial wine.

Remember, you also have the option of racking to a smaller carboy and saving the excess for future rackings.

 

[milbrosa]

Thank you both for the suggestions.

I'm going to look for one of those wines you mentioned, Mike.

To Flem's idea, I have a 6 gallon Mexican carboy that will be free soon. It holds a bit less than the Italian ones. Plus I have a couple 5 gallon carboys. I also have some smaller bottles (1/2 gallon growlers, various size wine bottles) I could put an airlock on if I get the right size drilled stoppers. It's just a little more maintenance and clutter, so I'll try looking for the compatible wines first.