Batch #7 – Started 2/2/2011 – Merlot, White Sands Vineyards, Yakima Valley, Washington
by Cellar Craft (Showcase Collection) Juice Lot#J14012SA, Grape Lot#109022
Day O – Primary Fermentation Started – 2/2/2011, noon – Specific Gravity = 1.090 (Don’t use for initial reading because Grape’s not saturated yet)
15 Grams bentonite mixed in 1L of hot water in bottom of Primary
18 liters grape juice + grape skins loose in primary
4 liters Nestle Drinking water
Added Non-toasted Oak sawdust and stirred
5 Grams yeast (EC-1118) (Stirred)
Day 1 (2/3) Specific Gravity = 1.094 / 12.4%PA Stirred
Day 4 (2/6) Specific Gravity = 1.050 /xx.x%PA Stirred
Day 6 (2/8) Specific Gravity = 1.015 /xx.x%PA Stirred
Day 14 (2/16) Specific Gravity = 1.000 /xx.x%PA Racked today (had to filter skins out of must, lots of filtering)
Day 21 (2/23) Specific Gravity = 0.998 /xx.x%PA
Day 28 (3/2) Specific Gravity = 0.996 /xx.x%PA
Day 31 (3/5) Specific Gravity = 0.996 /xx.x%PA
Day 33 (3/7) Specific Gravity = 0.996 Degassed
Degassed directly in Carboy leaving sediment
Added Potassium Sorbate and Potassium Metabisulfite
Added Kieselsol and stirred 1 minute and then waited one hour
Added Chitosan and stirred for 1 minute and reset airlock
Day 41 (3/15) Specific Gravity = 0.996 /xx.x%PA
Racked to clean carboy to get off sediment
Day 54 (3/29) Bottling Day ~ 28 – 750ml and 6 – 375mL bottles Clear
Final ABV is 12.9%