1988 Leon Millot
September 2007 – This wine was a huge disappointment. It taught me to keep an eye on the airlock to ensure it’s full.
Ingredients
| Fruit | 6 gallons Leon Millot juice, 20.5 brix, 1.1 acid, 30ppm sulfite |
| Fermentation Oak | 8 oz oak chips (probably American medium toast) |
| Pectic Enzyme | 3 tsp |
| Yeast Nutrient | 4 tsp nutrient + 3 tsp energizer |
| Yeast | Lalvin KV-1116 |
| Acid | 1/2 oz ascorbic acid, 1 tsp citric acid |
Method
| Started wine with oak chips | 09/16/1988 SG 1.082 |
| Racked, oak chips removed | 09/19/1988 SG 1.022 |
| Racked, 1/4 tsp K-sulfite added | 10/04/1988 SG 1.001 |
| Racked, added 1/4 tsp K-sulfite, plus ascorbic acid and citric acid | 01/28/1989 SG 0.999 |
| Filtered, #1 filter pad | 03/27/1989 SG 0.999 |
| Filtered, #2 filter pad | 04/09/1989 SG 0.999 |
| Bottled carboy, partially oxidized | 10/05/1989 SG — |
| Bottled remaining gallon, in great shape | 11/14/1989 SG — |
Notes
| Yield | 29 bottles |
| Alcohol | 11.3% |
| Afterthoughts | This one was a great lesson — make SURE the airlock is filled with something besides air! I discovered the airlock in the carboy had been dry for a while, and it oxidized. The wine from the carboy was drinkable — I fed it to friends who had no palate, who typically loved it. If I recall I threw out the last few bottles.
The extra gallon? That made me cry! Not the wine, but the fact that it was wonderful and I lost the previous 5 gallons of it! |
| I recall discussing ascorbic acid with my business partner, Chris, but have no memory regarding why I added it instead of another acid. |