Just a personal preference but I choose not oak Pinot but rather use powered tannins.What's everyone's fav bulk aging oak(type & toast) for Pinot Noir?
Cheers!
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Barrel & Oak Alternatives for Pinot Noir Click here for larger view as a PDF. |
What's everyone's fav bulk aging oak(type & toast) for Pinot Noir?
Cheers!
Another option is to use adjuncts. FlexTank sells enough to simulate a 2nd year barrel in various sizes. There are many different adjunct options designed to simulate oak barrel aging. FlexTank link: Store - Flextank@crushday, thanks for posting that article, very informative!
I agree with the sentiment that restraint is in order. I use a neutral barrel so that it doesn't overpower the wine... but if I wanted some oak component it would be French or Hungarian, M+ toast. If I had enough wine I'd probably use 1 new barrel for every 3 or 4 neutral ones - but otherwise would limit the oak by contact time. As a rule of thumb, a 1-year old barrel (that has been used for the year!) will impart about 1/2 the oak characteristics of a brand new one and it'll decrease be half for every subsequent year of use until, say 4 yrs when it's considered neutral. So another option would be to get a somewhat aged (but not completely neutral) barrel.
Not an oak thing, I've never used FlexTanks -- do you and how do you like them?Another option is to use adjuncts. FlexTank sells enough to simulate a 2nd year barrel in various sizes. There are many different adjunct options designed to simulate oak barrel aging. FlexTank link: Store - Flextank
Could you elaborate?Part four:
How to buy, What to Choose, Tight Budget tips
With current exchange rates, there are no true bargains when it comes to French oak barrels. It's just plain expensive to barrel-age wines in any case, but there are a couple things one can do if trying to produce a Pinot Noir on a tight budget.
Perhaps the best value alternative to French oak is Central and Eastern European oak. Several of the larger coopers like World Cooperage, François Frères and Seguin Moreau, as well as several other coopers, all sell barrels made from these alternative sources.
Another, perhaps more widely used alternative, is to use French oak inserts in older barrels as a way to compensate for the loss of extractives in an older barrel. This is a well established practice. The biggest risk is more a problem of winery sanitation for the older barrel than anything else. The inserts do occupy some of the internal volume of the barrel, but losing a half-gallon or so per barrel of capacity is rarely a matter of concern except in very large barrel programs. That said, it's probably a good idea to remember that, with barrel inserts, 120 barrels are only going to hold about 119 barrels' worth of wine.
Another, albeit less efficient, way to make the most of one's barrel-dollar is to buy larger barrels. Ever wonder why the Australians have been using 79 gallon (300 L) barrels while we have been using 59 or 60 gallon (225 L or 228 L) barrels? The larger barrels occupy about the same floor space and require about the same labor as a traditional 59-gallon barrel. One has to check each cooper's price list, but in general, the cost per gallon of storage runs about one or two dollars per gallon less than for a traditional barrel.
Don't Overdo It
While some Pinot Noir producers use nothing but 100 percent new barrels with every vintage, in my admittedly extremely biased opinion, many of the very best Pinot Noirs use a fairly small percentage of new barrels each year. Josh Jensen at Calera Wine Company summed up my opinion better than I could when he noted: "We don't use too much brand new oak because we don't want to mask the true character of the wine. For our Mt. Harlan Pinots that means 30 percent brand new each year, and for our Central Coast it's 10 percent new--or less."
Mix it Up
Several winemakers interviewed for this story stressed that for them the most important aspect of their barrel programs was the fact that they used a mix of barrels from different vendors. Capozzi Winery winemaker Josh Hermsmeyersummed it up most succinctly when he said, "You need a good mix in my opinion."
Try New Things
I think it is critically important to keep trying to improve our winemaking. Keep experimenting. In my opinion, if anyone has Pinot Noir winemaking "dialed in" it's Calera's Josh Jensen. Jensen noted that about 10 percent of his new barrel purchases, "are from various Burgundy coopers my guys want to try out."
Don't Forget Hungary and Other Alternate Oak Sources
When I got into this business, French oak was held up as the paragon of oaks. I don't think this attitude has really gone away. The funny thing is that 100 years ago, French oak was viewed as being just average. In the 19th century, the best oak for cooperage was reputed to come from Central Europe including the Balkans and periphery of the Danube plain.
I just like Hungarian oak. I came across Budapesti Kádár barrels back in the early '90s. Hungarian oak has proven itself to be a real nice match with some of my Pinot Noirs. As I discuss this with other Pinot Noir winemakers, however, I have encountered some reluctance to give them a try. At a minimum, I think anyone that is already using François Frères barrels in their Pinot Noir program should try the François Frères Hungarian barrels.
Conclusion
I have described four ur-styles for Pinot Noir, but these should be treated as only the roughest of guidelines. Their real purpose is to emphasize to the winemaker the importance of determining what style Pinot Noir she thinks is best for a given vineyard and then purchase barrels which best match that style.
When shopping for barrels for Pinot Noir, a winemaker should: 1) Experiment as extensively as possible, but don't form opinions based on only one or two barrels; 2) note that there is more difference between coopers than between forests; and 3) remember that different vineyards may be better suited for different barrel selections even if they're in the same region or AVA.
I have one FlexTank - new to me. I'm going to put it to use in a couple of weeks. It's a 50 gallon tank. I do, however, have thirty Speidel tanks in various sizes ranging from 300L to 20L. The bulk of my fleet is 100L tanks (approx. 26 gallons). Although not the same as the FlexTank, very similar in function. The FlexTank was used and was too good a deal to pass up. Only paid $125 for it.Not an oak thing, I've never used FlexTanks -- do you and how do you like them?
Cheers!
Currently use 30L & 20L Speidels for everything....love em!I have one FlexTank - new to me. I'm going to put it to use in a couple of weeks. It's a 50 gallon tank. I do, however, have thirty Speidel tanks in various sizes ranging from 300L to 20L. The bulk of my fleet is 100L tanks (approx. 26 gallons). Although not the same, very similar in function. The FlexTank is used and was too good a deal to pass up. Only paid $125 for it.
I use the Speidel tanks as intermediate storage waiting for barrels. I'm about to turn over 6 barrels first week of December so I'm currently low on storage space...lol
Where did you find a used FlexTank? I have been looking for some, but I don't think I am looking in the right places.I have one FlexTank - new to me. I'm going to put it to use in a couple of weeks. It's a 50 gallon tank. I do, however, have thirty Speidel tanks in various sizes ranging from 300L to 20L. The bulk of my fleet is 100L tanks (approx. 26 gallons). Although not the same as the FlexTank, very similar in function. The FlexTank was used and was too good a deal to pass up. Only paid $125 for it.
I use the Speidel tanks as intermediate storage waiting for barrels. I'm about to turn over 6 barrels first week of December so I'm currently low on storage space...lol
Where did you find a used FlexTank? I have been looking for some, but I don't think I am looking in the right places.
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