2023 Merlot
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.
This wine will be glass aged and used for blending. If there is any leftover following blending, we’ll probably blend it into the 2023 Chambourcin.
Update, October 2024
The planned blends did not work out, as described in the notes for the 2023 Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. We added 1.5 gallons Merlot to the CS, and were left with a 19 liter carboy of Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot (2:1 ratio), a 12 liter carboy of Merlot, and 4 liters of residue from the barrels (CF/CS, probably 3:1 ratio).
There wasn’t enough wine to bother doing any detailed blending, so we made a Frankenwine, just pouring it all together.
The CS/Merlot and Merlot were good on their own, but didn’t do as well as a blend. However, adding in the barrel residue changed the wine completely. Instead of being a “meh” wine, it’s quite good. We’ll be unhappy that we don’t have more!
Ingredients
| Fruit | 8 lugs Lodi Central Valley Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Maceration Enzyme | 8 ml ScottZyme Color Pro |
| Nutrient | 10 tsp Fermax 6 tsp YAN |
| Acid | 3 tsp tartaric acid |
| Fermentation Oak | 4 cups American oak chips |
| Sulfite | as needed |
| Yeast/Starter | 2 tsp Renaissance Avante, 1/2 tsp Fermax, 3 Tbsp sugar 1 tsp Renaissance Bravo, 1/2 tsp Fermax, 3 Tbsp sugar |
| Glycerin | 11 oz |
Method
| Crushed 4 lugs (144 lbs) of grapes, which will be fermented in two batches of 1 and lugs respectively.
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 different.
The pH is very high on both, 4.07 and 4.13, respectively. Since they are so high I added 2 tsp tartaric acid to the large batch and 1 tsp to the smaller. Added 2 tsp Fermax to the large batch and 1 tsp to the smaller. |
10/29/2023 #1 SG 1.103 #2 SG 1.108 |
| Fermentation took off, as expected. I realized I did not add Color Pro or oak, so I added 3 ml Color Pro to the larger batch and 1 ml to the smaller. Added 1 cups oak chips to each fermenter. | 10/30/2023 SG — |
| Added 1 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 — 1.012 and 1.010. YIKES. While neither batch appears ready for pressing, everything is lined up.
We pressed 9 gallons combined from both batches. The overall SG was 1.004, which is fine. Not optimal, but fine. |
11/05/2023 SG 1.004 |
| Racked the wines, consolidating carboys. pH is 3.77, which is a bit high, but this wine will be blended with the CS and CF, which have lower pH, so it’s unlikely to be a problem.
Filled a 23 liter carboy with Merlot, and blended the remaining wine with CS to fill a 19 liter carboy roughly 2/3 CS, 1/3 Merlot. |
11/12/2023 SG 0.996 |
| Racked the 23 liter carboy of Merlot into a 19 liter and 1 US gallon jug as I need the 23 liter for a different batch. I’m going to use the Merlot for barrel topup, so it made sense to use this one. | 12/24/2023 SG 0.996 |
| Added 1/2 tsp K-meta | 04/12/2024 SG 0.996 |
| Added 1 gallon of Merlot to the 2023 Chambourcin. | 10/22/2024 SG 0.996 |
| Added 1.5 gallons of Merlot to the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon. | 10/26/2024 SG 0.996 |
| Racked remaining 12 liter carboy Merlot, 19 liter carboy Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot, and 4 liters barrel aged Cabernet Sauvignon / Cabernet Franc into a single container. Added 1/2 tsp K-meta and 11 oz glycerin. Bottled. | 11/09/2024 SG 0.996 |
Notes
| Yield | 55 bottles |
| Alcohol | 13.3% ABV |
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