2006 Chenin Blanc Wine Making Notes

by Bradrick J. Pretzer
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    • Grape Information

    Date purchasedSeptember 16, 2006
    VarietalChenin Blanc - Lodi, California
    Number of cases18
    Price per case$24
    Place purchasedAmerican Winegrape, Everett, MA
    Phone #(617)-387-6107


    Destemming & Crushing

    Destemming notesDestemmed 1½ cases by hand. When we realized it was going to take another 9 hours to do remainder we decided to crush with stems on. Some stems were removed immediately after the crush
    °Brix after crush19° - As per refractometer & hydrometer
    pH After crush? - Meter broken
    SO2 after crush20ppm
    Potassium metabisulfite added9.8g
    Temperature of must?


    Pressing

    DateSeptember 16, 2006
    Amount collected130L
    Yield per case7¼L per case
    °Brix after pressing19°
    TA after pressing0.85%
    pH after pressing? - Meter broken
    SO2 after pressing100+ - Added potassium metabisulfite after crush; however, math error and added nearly twice as much as needed.
    NotesThe low yeild was due to a light to moderate press. We didn't want to extract too much astringency and desired a higher quality wine.


    Yeast & Inoculation

    Date of inoculationSeptember 17, 2006 11:30am
    Yeast40g Lallemand QA23
    Nutrient50g Go-Ferm
    Time before inoculation18 hours
    Temperature of must72° (estimated)
    °Brix19°
    SO250ppm
    TA1.13%
    Notes

    The yeast and nutrient were rehydrated for 15 minutes in 680ml water which had been boiled and cooled to 105°F.

    The TA was tested twice to confirm this high reading. Immediately after pressing it was 0.85%. I wonder about sample variations.

    The SO2 levels were a bit higher than I desired; however, they are in line with the inadvertent over sulfiting at crushing and I suspect the yeast should be able to tolerate them.



    Fermentation Log

    DateTimeTemp°BrixSO2TApH
    Sept 17 11:30am19°50ppm1.13%
    Notes:Pitched yeast
    Sept 18 6:00pm
    Notes:Yeasty aroma coming from airlock. No sample taken
    Sept 19 8:00am17.5°
    Notes:Sample tastes tart and fruity.
    Sept 20 8:00am82°F7°
    Notes: Added 40g Fermaid K
    Sept 21 6:00pmBelow0°
    Notes: Very sour tasting
    Sept 24 9:00am68°0.994SG35ppm1.18%
    Sour taste gone. Racked to secondary. Added 3.3g K-Meta for 125L
    Oct 20 2:00pm61°Below 0°30ppm1.18%3.15
    Added 4.3g K-Meta. Delicious, fruity, and a bit tart tasting. Great straw color. Varietal and small amount of yeast aroma
    Dec 22 1:30pm45°35ppm1.18%3.88
    Crystal clear. Perfect aroma. Great mouth feel. Only slightly acidic
    Jan 28 11:30am30°27ppm1.18%3.96
    Minute cloudiness so minor fining would be bad. Aroma is full of fruit, nice mouth feel, dry, crisp, lingeringering acidity and fruit. A bit tart but one taster thought it was appropriate.
    Feb 6 1:00pm28°1.06%3.98
    Added 4g K-Meta. Roger Savoy-"Bright, well balanced, crisp, brilliantly clear." Will Meyers-"Lots of apple & a bit of honey in the nose. Too puckering. Must reduce acid." Other tasters also thought too acidic. Added 100g potassium bicarbonate as a result.
    Mar 3 3:00pm65°35ppm
    Pumped upstaird previous day to warm up. Bottled 143 bottles. Corked with synthetic corks. Sanitized bottles with strong k-meta & citric acid solution.

    Bottle Cost Analysis:
    • Grapes - $3.02
    • Bottle - $1.34
    • Cork - $0.27
    • Capsule - $0.08
    • Label - $0.28
    • Total Cost / Bottle - $4.99


    Judging Feedback
    CommentsPointsAverage Points
    Appearance
    (Max 3 points)
    Judge 1: Whip of color in wine
    Judge 2: Very light color
    Judge 3: Light in color
    1.5
    2.5
    1.5
    		 1.83
    Aroma & Bouquet
    (Max 6 points)
    Judge 1: Fruit
    Judge 2: Pleasant, but barley perceptible
    Judge 3: Nice aroma
    3
    2.5
    4
    		 3.17
    Taste
    (Max 6 points)
    Judge 1: Light fruit
    Judge 2: Disagreeable off flavors
    Judge 3: Too light on taste
    3
    1
    2
    		 2
    Aftertaste
    (Max 3 points)
    Judge 1: Mid pallet
    Judge 2: Unpleasant aftertaste
    Judge 3: Too light
    2
    0.5
    1
    		 1.17
    Overall Impression
    (Max 2 points)
    Judge 1: Okay
    Judge 2: No comment
    Judge 3: No comment
    1
    0
    1
    		 0.67
    Total Points8.84
    Total Scores:
    18-20 Extraordinary9-11 Pleasant
    15-17 Excellent6-8 Acceptable
    12-14 Good0-5 Needs Improvement

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