Other Who has the best Chardonnay

[BobbiOh]

Chard is my go to, kick back after work wine.

I tend to like fruity with oak as opposed to the buttery chards. (Think Toasted Head).

So, in your experience or opinion, who has the best chardonnay kit?

 

[ibglowin]

Can't go wrong with the Cellar Craft Showcase Chardonnay. All kit Chardonnays will be fruity with some oak since you don't put them through any malolactic acid fermentation.

 

[robie]

Yep, I agree, Cellar Craft Showcase Chardonnay.
The Mosti Mondiale Renaissance Australian Chard is also very nice, just a little heavier. Still fruity, though.

George at The WineMakers' Toy Store said he has a customer who buys 10 Mosti Mondiale Master's All Juice Chard kits every year. It of course will be more Italian style than Californian, but apparently, it is pretty good.

 

[fishonline]

I am a big chardonnay fan and my favorite kit is the RJS En Primeur.

 

[Flem]

I have the RJS En Primeur, Australian Chardonnay going right now. It's a little more expensive, but I have great hopes for it.

 

[robie]

Never tried the RJS EP Chard. Maybe that will be my next one.

 

[fishonline]

I also just started a frozen bucket of the Brehm's White Salmon Chardonnay. I have high hopes for this one as the distributor gave me 2 bottles of his own reserve he had previously made from the same supply. One oaked and one non-oaked, both were DELICIOUS! www.brehmvineyards.com

 

[shoebiedoo]

All Ivan say is, I have 4 batches of en premeur austrailian Chardonnay working. Have ready burned through 3. So as you might guess, its probably my favorite. I will say, the Sabina "dry creek" by WinExpert. Is a real good choice too!!!

 

[robie]

I also just started a frozen bucket of the Brehm's White Salmon Chardonnay. I have high hopes for this one as the distributor gave me 2 bottles of his own reserve he had previously made from the same supply. One oaked and one non-oaked, both were DELICIOUS! www.brehmvineyards.com

Since you have already tried the EP Chardonnay and are now making the Brehm frozen, you soon will have some very valuable experiences, which most of us don't have. I would surely like to know how you feel about these two after you have had a chance to compare.

How long are you going to age the Brehm? Oak? Lees aging and stirring?

From whom did you order the Brehm?

As you can tell, I am extremely interested in how they compare. I have lots of respect for RJS and the EP line, but I have a feeling the Brehm will win, hands down. We will see....

 

[fishonline]

I got the Brehm from a distributor in Lindstrom MN by the name of Joe Palla (651-257-8385). He was very helpful with giving me instructions and some supplies that I have not used before such as Opti-white and Fermaid. He also gave me some oak cubes that come from oak barrel staves to try. He claims the oak chips that are readily available are of the poorest quality oak and leave an undesirable taste. I have to admit the oak chips that I have used in the past haven’t given me the same taste that I was hoping for as in a wine such as Jlohr or Toasted head. The bottle of oaked Brehm that he gave me tasted wonderful and the oak had a flavor much more like the commercial wines I enjoy. I was able to pick the wine up at his home in MN and it was $135 for the pail. I had also found a distributor out of CA (MoreWine! http://morewinemaking.com) that would ship it to my house in WI for $149 which is pretty comparable to a premium kit. I plan on lees aging the wine but cautiously, probably for no longer than 4 weeks, bulk aging with oak till I reached the taste I desire, racking and bulk aging for another few months. Hopefully I will sample a bottle around the 4th of July and go from there. I really do enjoy the EP Chardonnay. As far as a kit that just seems to work easily, clears easily and tastes great I have to give it 2 thumbs up. I’m still trying to get my MM Masters Outback Chard to clear, it’s been a real bugger. I’m hoping that will be a nice wine as well. From the samples I have had it seems very fruity early on, with a strong grapefruit flavor.

 

[fishonline]

On a side note.. This Brehm juice is very different in appearance from any of the Chardonnay kits I have made in the past. The color is almost like a dark chocolate or dark brown/black coffee color, not the typical gold or yellow color. I took a photo of it when I first put it in the primary, I will have to post it when I get home. I’m not sure what that says about the juice if it’s of higher quality or what? It smelled and tasted great! He assures me that it will lighten up as it progresses. We will see..

 

[robie]

One of my kit chards was really brown and the other was much lighter. Both turned out nice, bright and lite straw colored, so just hang in there.

 

[robie]

You indicated you will do some lees aging. Are you going to stir (battonage), too? It will be nice and smooth without the stirring, but won't have any of the yeasty, biscuity, nutty, and buttery taste as with stirring. If you don't like those same tastes in Champagne, you likely should not stir, or you can lees age as long as you like, but not stir it as often or at all.

Some of the finest wines in Burgundy leave the wine on the lees for 2 years and never stir once. Others also stir. There will be a big difference in these two wines.

Do you intend to do an MLF on the frozen grapes? MLF will make a big difference in a Chard.

 

[fishonline]

I didn't realize that you would do an MLF on a white wine? I thought that was only for reds? I've never looked into this process because so far I have only made Chardonnay's and Gruner Veltliner.

All of the chards I have done in the past I have stirred every few days while aging on the lees. I haven't gone any longer than 4 weeks or so as I'm afraid that it will pick up too much of a champagne/yeast taste. Maybe I'll pick up another one of those $44 dollar Vino Italiano chard kits from Amazon and try battonage for a few months. The one I made previously tastes like poison. But that may be my fault as I only made it into a 5 1/2 gallon kit instead of 6 for fear it was going to be watery. It's only been in aging for a couple of months so maybe it will come around yet.

 

[robie]

I didn't realize that you would do an MLF on a white wine? I thought that was only for reds? I've never looked into this process because so far I have only made Chardonnay's and Gruner Veltliner.

All of the chards I have done in the past I have stirred every few days while aging on the lees. I haven't gone any longer than 4 weeks or so as I'm afraid that it will pick up too much of a champagne/yeast taste. Maybe I'll pick up another one of those $44 dollar Vino Italiano chard kits from Amazon and try battonage for a few months. The one I made previously tastes like poison. But that my be my fault as I only made it into a 5 1/2 gallon kit instead of 6 for fear it was going to be watery. It's only been in aging for a couple of months so maybe it will come around yet.

To get that heavy buttery taste in a Chardonnay, you do an MLF. Lees aging gives a little of the buttery feel, but not so much the taste.

Of course one should never do an mlf on ANY kit wine, white or red.

Chard is a popular wine for MLF. It also takes out the bite, similar to what lees aging does, but even more so. MLF converts the tart, malolactic acid (green apples have lots of it) to a much smoother lactic acid. The butteriness comes from another chemical that gets produced during MLF.

It is somewhat unusual to stir lees everyday, but that doesn't make it wrong.

Some pros stir once a week for a period of time, then go to once every two weeks, then once per month. There really is no wrong answer. I think cutting back on the stirring allows you to leave the wine aging on the lees longer.

I have found that lees aging for about 4 months, stirring once a week really gives the wine what I like. That's just my opinion, though. I think one can over do the yeasty flavor, myself.

Of course I would taste each week just before I stirred, so I could get it just the way I like it.

Lees aging and stirring tends to dull the fruitiness of a chard.

For thinness in the chard, use some gum arabic or glycerin. I think both of these products can do wonders for a kit wine, especially reds, which tend to come out a little thinner than their commercial counterparts. Other than a Pinot Noir, I just don't like the mouth-feel of a thin, watery red.

 

[fishonline]

Thanks for the tips robie! I will have to look into MLF-ing and see how to do it. I see that you live in Colorado Springs. There is a Brehm distributor in Denver I noticed when I was looking for a place to buy mine. Might be worth giving them a call if you are interested in trying a bucket for yourself. "Stomp Them Grapes" is the name of the place.

 

[shiloh]

Hello everyone, I am brand new to this hobby and this is my first visit to this fourm. I currently have a Cellar Classic Winery Series California Cabernet Sauvignon in stablization phase (this is also my first). Want to do a white next and would like to know if anyone has made the Mosti Chardasia All Juice Kit. It is a blend of Chardonnay and Malvasia grapes. Also would like to hear any thoughts on the all juice kits vs the 16 - 18 liter kits with grape pack. Thanks for any comments.

 

[ibglowin]

Welcome to Winemaking talk!

I have made a lot of Mosti kits but not that particular one. It sounds like a nice blend. If you can get it on sale or pick it up locally I would say go for it. I have personally found that the All Juice kits while good are not out of this world good and I am not convinced they turn out anything better than the Renaissance line which is usually cheaper in price and cheaper to ship as well because it weighs so much less. Anyways perhaps someone who has made this kit will pop in but that is my $0.02 on the matter. Again, welcome to WMT!

 

[tonyt]

I want to do the Mosti Meglioli Veneto Chard. BUT I would not / will not pay 200.00. Thought it might have made the FVW closeout sale but no luck. Maybe next year. I need to start a Chard later this summer so I will be watching this thread closely.