'Sweet" smell from commercial wine

[geek]

I'd like to achieve the smell you get on those commercial wine bottles, even the wine is dry and once you drink it and bottle is empty it still has that aroma of sweetness with a combination of something else.

As an example, the Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi. I get these empty bottles from a local restaurant and even they've been sitting empty with the cork half way in, the aroma is there, do they add vanilla??
Their Cabernet Sauv is really good and tasty..!! I want to duplicate this with my home-made wine..!!

I never added oak power to my primaries in the past, just added oak cubes to a demi john and left it for over a month but flavor didnt' come forward. Is adding toasted oak power in primary the reason #1??

When I drink one of my bottles the empty bottle has a flat alcohol smell, not sweeteting flavor (if you can call it that way).
Obviously these wineries age their wine longer and use oak barrels which take away any off flavors.

So....what is the secret to achieving such a nice sweet aroma/flavor even though the wine is not back sweeten but just dry?

 

[geek]

bump....

 

[rjb222]

I would like to venture what you are smelling is the vanillin's from extended time exposed to oak during barrel aging. Staves might be a better method as there is not as much surface area exposed and it will take more time for the flavors and aromas of the oak to transfer. This should develop a more robust and complex oaking. Just a thought.

 

[tonyt]

Aroma is our biggest challenge. Of 30 kits I have only fad a very few (less than 5) that have noticable aroma. I guess I need to find a common thread in those.

 

[Runningwolf]

Pour yourself about 1/3 glass. Swirl and cover for a few minutes with something solid. Now swirl and smell.

 

[JohnT]

I would like to venture what you are smelling is the vanillin's from extended time exposed to oak during barrel aging. Staves might be a better method as there is not as much surface area exposed and it will take more time for the flavors and aromas of the oak to transfer. This should develop a more robust and complex oaking. Just a thought.

For vanillan, the bigger the siz of oak you use, the better.

You also need to check the amount of toast on the oak. For vanillan, you need to have either a medium or dark toast.

 

[geek]

Pour yourself about 1/3 glass. Swirl and cover for a few minutes with something solid. Now swirl and smell.

you lost me dan....

 

[Midwest Vintner]

you lost me dan....

I'm thinking dan was saying that the smell might be there (if you oaked), but the only way to notice it, is to swirl the wine in a glass, cover (to trap the released gas/smell) and then swirl and smell.

 

[Runningwolf]

Thanks midwest, that's exactly what I was trying to say.

 

[geek]

So the bottom line based on my questions is that oak is needed and then aging is the 2nd most important thing....