> wrote in message
ups.com...
> On Oct 30, 3:27 pm, pp > wrote:
>> Well, with those numbers you *are* making rocket fuel, so perhaps the
>> lack of said taste on the part of Cote des Blancs should be considered
>> a sensory defect?
>>
>> Pp
>>
> Hehe, sensory defect. I like that. I don't think you're joking, but...
>
> At this point, I'm not aiming for fine wine. I don't know if I'd
> recognize that if it hit me in the face. I like wines of all types,
> but my knowledge is limited to reading and the bottles I've bought
> after chatting with the wine store clerks (never paid over $25 for
> fear of being taken). A lot of people I would like to share my efforts
> with do not like dry wines so I'm practicing on sweet, fruity, high
> alcohol varieties that I hope to be a hit at "social gatherings".
>
> But I can taste more alcohol in this 2005 Chilean merlot I'm sipping
> than the CdB wines.
>

While the numbers you gave here are pretty vague, I think all you
are seeing here is how sugar can "cover" (balance) alcohol "heat".
The Merlot and 71B wines are dry while I would guesstimate the
CdB wine to have between 10 and 20 points of residual sugar.

Easy enough to check this. Take an end SG reading of that CdB
wine. If my guess is right it will fall between 1.000 and 1.010.

Also, take a single glass of that 71B that slapped you in the face
and stir in a little sugar. You will find that the "heat" is diminished.

Should you decide to sweeten that 71B batch before you bottle,
make sure you add sulfite and sorbate. HTH

Frederick