"Ben Rotter" > wrote in message
om...
> Epernay II is EC1118 right?

Wrong! EC1118 is Prise de Mousse, which is a very vigorous Bayanus strain.

Epernay II is also known as Côte de Blancs. It is a very slow, steady,
low-foaming strain that has a wonderful fragrance. I would use nothing else
for white wines - except that it tends to stick off-dry. It seems to have
low alcohol tolerance. That makes it a great strain for sweet wines, but a
PIA for dry wines.

> Have you ever used K1-V1116 for lees stirring?

No, I can't say I have. I'm experimenting with a couple of new strains this
year: D254 and VL2. I'll probably do the bulk of my Chardonnay with
CY3079, but these others sounded interesting.

I'm also experimenting with a new Hungarian barrel (François Freres, Medium+
toast) this year. French oak has gotten so ridiculously expen$ive that I'm
pursuing alternatives. Ask me in 6 months what I think of Hungarian oak.

Tom S