Tom:

You've already received some advice that I agree with. There's
nothing wrong with extending the time frames once the wine is in a
carboy. Specifically I don't agree with the primary fermentation and
bentonite in the instructions on Jack's web-site.

Regarding the oak. This should be a fairly big red, so it should be
able to take extra oak. I have used the cubes on three wines, and am
not happy (so far) with the results on the lighter two. Although the
Merlot is starting to come around, it's still a bit oaky for me. The
heavier red is just great with the cubes.

If you are going to add the cubes, 2 questions to ponder...do you like
oaky wines? are you willing to age for a while to allow the oak to
mellow?

Good luck, and hope you enjoy the results.

Steve