"Michael Brill" > wrote in message
om...
> Now mind you that most of these conversations have been
> about pinot (which is mostly what I've made), but the process I've
> heard basically looks like this:
>
> Ferment
> Rack directly to barrel
> Let it sit for a long time without stirring or racking
> Gently (e.g., bulldog pup) rack into nitrogen sparged tank to settle
> Bottle
>
> What gives?

If you have been successful with this approach, you've been lucky. FWIW,
I'd recommend that you make a few changes:

> Ferment
> Rack directly to barrel

Obviously, you meant to include pressing. I'd **highly** recommend that you
press to a tank or some other large container and let the heavy stuff settle
out before racking to barrel. That only takes an hour or two, and you'll
leave a lot of potential big problems behind in those gross lees.

> Let it sit for a long time without stirring or racking

That may be OK, but you certainly want to maintain the free SO2 and zero
headspace in the barrel. BTW, tasting while you're topping is _mandatory_
during barrel aging. I'm sure you can live with that. :^)

> Gently (e.g., bulldog pup) rack into nitrogen sparged tank to settle

You forgot to mention fining prior to settling. Pinot Noir may not require
fining for excessive tannin, but I highly recommend a light bentonite fining
at least. There are two reasons for this: (1) Protein stability -
especially in the case of Pinot Noir. This wine tends to throw a protein
haze in the bottle, very much like white wines that haven't been bentonited.
Just 1 pound/1000 gal. of bentonite is sufficient to prevent that in most
Pinots. (2) Improved clarity is a nice side benefit from bentoniting.
Also, I've noticed that bentoniting tends to bring the fruit more to the
fore in Pinot Noir - most noticeably in the nose. Don't ask me why. I
can't rationalize that observation. It's just something I noticed.

> Bottle

Be sure to check and adjust (if necessary) the free SO2 just before
bottling.

Tom S