Chateau Ste. Michelle Merlot 2015
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Inside the box ($140 CDN):
About the Wine:Spainish Tempranillo, Grenache & Cabernet Sauvignon "This ruby-colored blend of Spainish Tempranillo, Grenache & Cabernet Sauvignon reflects the brightly colored red wines enjoyed throughout this cheerful festival. Rich on the nose and palate, it features black currant, raspberry, sweet spices and dried fruit." From the RJ Spagnols RQ2016 Handout |
Pitch Date: April 16, 2016 |
Changes made:
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48 hours post pitch |
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Day 7
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Day 14 - April 30, 2016 |
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Bulk Aging Timeline4 Months - Aug 15, 2016 - Add 1/4 tsp potassium metabisulfite to 5 gallon carboy. 8 Months - Dec 22, 2016 - Add 1/4 tsp potassium metabisulfite & bottled. Nothing added. Solid oak and tannins.
Final Gravity Reading0.994 SG |
1 Year Tasting Notes
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Coming Soon!
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Inside the box ($150 CDN):
Next time I'll ferment in a bucket with the skins/oak chips in a muslin bag. Or posibly use two carboys and combine the results into a single topped up 5 gallon (19L) carboy. |
Lalvin BM 4x4 |
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Day 2 (48h post pitch) |
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Day 3 |
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Day 4 |
No further Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) present |
Day 18 |
Added pectinase, kieselsol, chitosan into the primary fermenter. Unorthodox but the final step will be the last before a 6-9 month bulk age. |
Day 22 |
Racked, degassed (45 mins, drill stir), kmeta added. Rack 3 gallons to bulk age (carboy topped is around 3.5). Rack 1 gallon to a jug with 6g med french cubes and 6g french light(untoasted) cubes. Commence long term bulk aging. -Taste: plum, med oak, black cherry Full body, med to med+ tannins. Quite promising. |
Bulk Aging Timeline6 Months - Add 1/8 tsp potassium metabisulfite to 3 gallon carboy. 12 Months - Add 1/8 tsp potassium metabisulfite & bottled. Nothing added.
Final Gravity Reading0.993 SG
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15 Month Tasting Notes
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I'll be reviewing and comparing three different Lalvin yeasts using this kit. The goal is to compare the taste and aromatic differences between Lalvin BM 4x4 vs RC-212 vs EC-1118. Fermentation Temperature: 70F
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Inside the box ($140 CDN):
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Lalvin BM 4x4 |
Lalvin RC-212 |
Lalvin EC-1118 |
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Day 2 |
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Day 3 |
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Day 4 |
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Day 8
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Aroma:
Flavours:
Notes:
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Aroma:
Notes:
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Aroma:
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Day 14
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Day 21 |
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oak the leftover gallon with 10g medium french oak cubes
This was racked off the oak after 3 weeks into a fresh 3g carboy for the rest of the bulk age. (Should have left them in) |
combine leftover rc-212 with the ec-1118.
French Oak Cubes (rate 10g/gallon): 2 grams light3 grams medium 5 grams heavy |
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Tasting Notes for the un-oaked bottles 1 month after bottling |
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This yeast certainly takes over and imposes it's own flabour profile. Currently overwhelming and I wouldn't use it again. |
Preferred the rc-212 & ec-1118 blend |
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Bulk Aging Timeline4 Months - Feb 24, 2016 - Add 1/8 tsp kmeta to 3 gallon carboy. 7 Months - May 24, 2016 - Add 1/8 tsp kmeta to 3 gallon carboy. 8 Months - June 24, 2016 - Bottled and added 1/8 tsp kmeta. (needed the carboy, should have really bottled at last addition) 12 Months - Oct 24, 2016 - Drink. Tasting Notes from the BM4x4: -Taste: berry, cherry, concentrate juice Personal Rating: 2/5 |
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Update: 6 Months Later (2016-03): Taste: cassis, black tea, plum Smell: mulberry, blackberry, blueberry, cedar, tobacco
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Since my first kit of RJ Spagnols Aglianico 2015 tastes very good at 2 months (should be excellent with age), I figure it's time to start on a white wine. I've chosen an off-dry Riesling with juice coming from Washington, USA. Of course I'll be tweaking the kit. It's what I do (or can't not do)
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Inside the box ($75 CDN):
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This will be a split batch to try two different yeasts. One fermenter will receive Lalvin ICV D-47 and the other Lalvin QA23. Each will receive a 1/2 tsp dose of Wyeast yeast nutrient blend on day 1 and a 1/2 tsp dose on day 3. I will try and ferment these around 65F. Since there is an F-Pack (this wine is off-dry) I cannot skip the potassium sorbate addition as I do with wine that is fermented dry.
Lalvin ICV D-47 |
Lalvin QA23 |
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Day 11 |
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Week 2 |
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Week 3 |
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Bottled on Week 7
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Tasting Notes
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The aroma on this version is much better than the flavours. While it has a medium body the finish was a touch warm even though ferm temps stayed below 70. Try for 65F or less next time. I perfer the wine D47 made. Taste: mild peach, mild orange Food: pork cutlets, shrimp Sweetness: dry to off-dry What I'd pay per bottle: $8 |
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