WineXpert Pinot Noir following Brunello

[tbuck]

I've got a WE Brunello kit that I will start next week and am thinking of leaving the lees and grape skins in the bucket and following with the WE pinot noir. Why? Just because!

I'm thinking it will boost the Pinot Noir (not that it needs any boosting) and give it a little extra kick on the mouthfeel and depth.

I'd love any and all opinions on this, PLEASE!

 

[Brian55]

I've got a WE Brunello kit that I will start next week and am thinking of leaving the lees and grape skins in the bucket and following with the WE pinot noir. Why? Just because!

I'm thinking it will boost the Pinot Noir (not that it needs any boosting) and give it a little extra kick on the mouthfeel and depth.

I'd love any and all opinions on this, PLEASE!

I'm not sure that you could make a WE pinot any worse by tweaking it. They're already lacking in every respect.....

 

[roger80465]

I have done this several times but never with a Pinot Noir. For my palate, it could be a bit overwhelming for a PN. I would try a nebbiolo or a chianti or maybe a valpolicella. Could be interesting with a Cabernet Sauvignon. Just one guy's opinion.

 

[heatherd]

I've got a WE Brunello kit that I will start next week and am thinking of leaving the lees and grape skins in the bucket and following with the WE pinot noir. Why? Just because!

I'm thinking it will boost the Pinot Noir (not that it needs any boosting) and give it a little extra kick on the mouthfeel and depth.

I'd love any and all opinions on this, PLEASE!

It's a perfectly logical idea. That said, Pinot Noir is on the delicate end of the spectrum, so my concern would be that it's flavor profile might be changed by using the other bolder grapes.

 

[pokerinvite]

i've done WE and RJS and they both instruct to rack off the gross lees and skins after 1 week. i'm not sure i would add fresh juice to something the manufacturers are so eager to get wine off of.

I'm sure it has to do more with the spent fruit rather than the old yeast.

 

[PeterMills]

We recommend racking off the spent skins for two reasons. Firstly after a week pretty much all the benefits have been extracted from the skins. Remember that this is not like commercial production that needs to extract color. Secondly getting the must off the skins at that point actually makes clearing easier at the end.
So, by all means try it, but don't expect too much impact. Our Eclipse Pinot Noir is the only red in that line that doesn't have skins, because our trials show adding skins moves the finished wine away from our bench targets for style authenticity.

 

[pokerinvite]

We recommend racking off the spent skins for two reasons. Firstly after a week pretty much all the benefits have been extracted from the skins. Remember that this is not like commercial production that needs to extract color. Secondly getting the must off the skins at that point actually makes clearing easier at the end.
So, by all means try it, but don't expect too much impact. Our Eclipse Pinot Noir is the only red in that line that doesn't have skins, because our trials show adding skins moves the finished wine away from our bench targets for style authenticity.

Good to know Peter. Would keeping the wine and skins in primary for 3 weeks be detrimental in any way? Maybe Over-extract or cooked/rotten fruit notes? This could save a racking step and wouldn't hurt people who bulk age for months in regards to clearing

 

[PeterMills]

If your primary is sealed with an airlock, no issue. The skins and yeast won't affect the wine under these conditions as long as you don't stir it up or expose to excess air.