WineXpert Too late to add Oak?

[dburling]

I have a WE Selection Merlot that has been bulk again since May. I tasted it this past weekend to see how it is progressing. At this time it seems a little thin on body and light on oak. I have 3 oz of Med Toast American Oak Cubes available. How long would you recommend leaving it in the carboy? Anything I can do at this stage to build up the body a little?

 

[cimbaliw]

I know where you're coming from, unfortunately mine is already bottled. You certainly can oak at this stage. You can also add additional tannins if you wish. I suspect there are some other creative things to do like adding pom juice or pom concentrate which are fairly tannic. You may want to PM joeswine. My guess is that this is where, those of us who do not own oak barrels, wish we had them.

 

[Boatboy24]

3oz of oak cubes would be perfect. Add them and taste every two weeks. They will be fully spent in 6-8 weeks, but rack off the cubes when you think there is just a little too much oak. It should fall back and end up perfect after a few more months of aging. As Cimbaliw mentioned, some tannin, like Tancor Grand Cru might help as well. I add that to a lot of my red kits.

 

[dburling]

I added the oak a week ago along with 1 tsp tannin. Tasted tonight and the body does seen to be up a bit. The oak seems to be very woody at this point. I am thinking I should leave it for another week and sample again.

Thoughts?

 

[FTC Wines]

I add oak at many different stages, it's NEVER too late. Just yesterday while working in the winery, I said " why can't I put a oak cube in each bottle of Cab" like the worm in tequila, anyone ever done this?? Just a thought, Roy

 

[SouthernChemist]

It's never too late to add oak, but there can be a case of too much. It's all about your own tastes and the style of wine, though.