2023 Cabernet Sauvignon
October 2023
This fall’s plan for the barrel wines is to make 3 batches: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. The CS and CF will be barrel aged, and next fall we’ll make 2 blends. The current thought, that will be adjusted by bench testing in a year, are:
- Cabernet Sauvignon 60%, Cabernet Franc 30%, Merlot 10%
- Cabernet Franc 60%, Cabernet Sauvignon 30%, Merlot 10%
This will make two distinctly different wines.
Any leftover Merlot will probably be blended with the Chambourcin (French-American hybrid) that I purchased from Glade Spring Vineyards in Virginia.
Update, October 2024
The planned blends didn’t work out, we didn’t like them. The final result for the blend is Cabernet Sauvignon 80%, Cabernet Franc 10%, Merlot 10%.
Ingredients
| Fruit | 8 lugs Lodi Central Valley Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Maceration Enzyme | 8 ml ScottZyme Color Pro |
| Nutrient | 10 tsp Fermax 6 tsp YAN |
| Acid | — |
| Fermentation Oak | 4 cups American oak chips |
| Sulfite | as needed |
| Yeast/Starter | 3 tsp Renaissance Bravo, 1/2 tsp Fermax, 3 Tbsp sugar 3 tsp Renaissance Bravo, 1/2 tsp Fermax, 3 Tbsp sugar |
| Glycerin | 16 oz |
Method
| Crushed 8 lugs (288 lbs) of grapes, which will be fermented in two batches of 4 lugs each.
The intention was that CS #1 will be fermented with Bravo and CS #2 will be fermented with Avante. Made starter for each yeast with 1 cup water (~95 F), 3 tsp yeast, 1/2 tsp Fermax, 3 Tbsp sugar. [I made 6 starters, 3 Avante and 3 Bravo, with one of the Bravo being a smaller amount of yeast as it’s for a 1 lug batch.] |
10/28/2023 SG — |
| Checked the SG and pH on both batches prior to inoculation. The SG on both is good, although the pH is high on both (#1: 3.75, #2: 3.72). Since both are below 3.80, I will not adjust them at this time.
Added 5 tsp Fermax to each fermenter, then the starters. This is where I screwed up — I added a Bravo starter both batches because I was rushing and not paying attention as I should have. The larger Merlot batch got the Avante starter planned for CS #1. I was momentarily irritated with myself, but realize that in the grand scheme of this winemaking season, if this is my worst mistake I’m doing fine. |
10/29/2023 #1 SG 1.102 #2 SG 1.103 |
| Fermentation took off, as expected. I realized I did not add Color Pro or oak, so I added 4 ml Color Pro and 2 cups oak chips to each fermenter. | 10/30/2023 SG — |
| Added 3 tsp YAN to each fermenter at the morning punch down. I have not checked SG as it probably has not dropped enough to matter. | 10/31/2023 SG — |
| Yesterday I checked SG — 1.011 and 1.020. YIKES. While neither batch appears ready for pressing, everything is lined up.
We pressed 9 gallons from each 4 lug batch. The overall SG was 1.004, which is fine. Not optimal, but fine. |
11/05/2023 SG 1.004 |
| Racked the wine. The overall pH is 3.45, which dropped a low from 3.75 and 3.72.
Filled a barrel, and have a bit over 3 gallons leftover. Being out of 12 liter carboys, blending with the roughly 1.7 gallons of Merlot, producing a 19 liter carboy that is roughly 2/3 Cabernet Sauvignon, 1/3 Merlot. |
11/11/2023 SG 0.996 |
| Added 3/4 tsp K-meta. Topped with 1.35 liters of wine. | 02/05/2024 SG 0.996 |
| Added 3/4 tsp K-meta and stirred for the final time prior to bottling. Topped with 2.5 liters of Cabernet Franc. I’m out of CS for topup, and it’s going to be blended anyway. | 06/04/2024 SG 0.996 |
| Topped with 750 ml Cabernet Franc. | 07/04/2024 SG 0.996 |
| Topped with 750 ml Cabernet Franc. | 08/20/2024 SG 0.996 |
| Drained barrel. Added 1 tsp K-meta + 16 oz glycerin. The final blend is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot. | 10/26/2024 SG 9.995 |
Notes
| Yield | 81 bottles |
| Alcohol | 13.6% ABV. The ABV is calculated using a weighted average of the ABV of each wine. |
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