Organoleptic signatures of carbonic maceration
 

Hello,
Preparing for a tasting of modern Beaujolais, we opened two bottles of
the lower rungs, one of which was a Faiveley B-V 2009. This was a
pleasant enough wine with a good structure and clean acidity, but, on
the nose, a great deal of marshmallows/ripe banana - not like a Bojol
Noveau, but still, quite noticeable. We did not finish the bottle, but
after 4-5 days drank what was left and, the marshmallows had
disappeared, leaving undergrowth, possibly a hint of violets, and
blackberries.
According to at least three different sources, the marshmallow/banana
smell derives from an industrial yeast and is caused by isoamyl
acetate. So, not really caused by carb mac, then.
I would like to know what the carbonic maceration does to the
organoleptic qualities of wine, apart from lowering acidity (which
appears to be a given, and needful with Gamay which tend to produce
high acidity).

Organoleptic signatures of carbonic maceration
 

On 9/19/11 6:39 AM, NilsGLindgren wrote:
> Hello,
> Preparing for a tasting of modern Beaujolais, we opened two bottles of
> the lower rungs, one of which was a Faiveley B-V 2009. This was a
> pleasant enough wine with a good structure and clean acidity, but, on
> the nose, a great deal of marshmallows/ripe banana - not like a Bojol
> Noveau, but still, quite noticeable. We did not finish the bottle, but
> after 4-5 days drank what was left and, the marshmallows had
> disappeared, leaving undergrowth, possibly a hint of violets, and
> blackberries.
> According to at least three different sources, the marshmallow/banana
> smell derives from an industrial yeast and is caused by isoamyl
> acetate. So, not really caused by carb mac, then.
> I would like to know what the carbonic maceration does to the
> organoleptic qualities of wine, apart from lowering acidity (which
> appears to be a given, and needful with Gamay which tend to produce
> high acidity).

Yes, Nils, I don't consider banana to be associated with CM
vinification. There is, however, a distinct aroma profile that I
associate with CM, which I can best characterize as grapey, fresh and
forward. It's very evident in many Cru Beaujolais as CM is employed by
many vignerons there. One way to get a handle on what I'm referring to
is to compare another CM wine such as Marc Ollivier's Cuvée Granit,
which is a blend of Côt (Malbec) and Cab Franc, to a Cru Beaujolais and
see what they have in common despite their disparate encepagements.

Mark Lipton

--
alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.cwdjr.net

Organoleptic signatures of carbonic maceration
 

yes, I'm with Mark, I don't associate any particular flavor with CM, but instead a sense of fruitiness/grapiness. Plus, despite the fact it is a form of whole cluster I don't usually get "stemmy" effects. But I'm not a phyically gifted taster

Organoleptic signatures of carbonic maceration
 

On Sep 19, 5:20*pm, Mark Lipton > wrote:
> On 9/19/11 6:39 AM, NilsGLindgren wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > Hello,
> > Preparing for a tasting of modern Beaujolais, we opened two bottles of
> > the lower rungs, one of which was a Faiveley B-V 2009. This was a
> > pleasant enough wine with a good structure and clean acidity, but, on
> > the nose, a great deal of marshmallows/ripe banana - not like a Bojol
> > Noveau, but still, quite noticeable. We did not finish the bottle, but
> > after 4-5 days drank what was left and, the marshmallows had
> > disappeared, leaving undergrowth, possibly a hint of violets, and
> > blackberries.
> > According to at least three different sources, the marshmallow/banana
> > smell derives from an industrial yeast and is caused by isoamyl
> > acetate. So, not really caused by carb mac, then.
> > I would like to know what the carbonic maceration does to the
> > organoleptic qualities of wine, apart from lowering acidity (which
> > appears to be a given, and needful with Gamay which tend to produce
> > high acidity).
>
> Yes, Nils, I don't consider banana to be associated with CM
> vinification. *There is, however, a distinct aroma profile that I
> associate with CM, which I can best characterize as grapey, fresh and
> forward. *It's very evident in many Cru Beaujolais as CM is employed by
> many vignerons there. *One way to get a handle on what I'm referring to
> is to compare another CM wine such as Marc Ollivier's Cuvée Granit,
> which is a blend of Côt (Malbec) and Cab Franc, to a Cru Beaujolais and
> see what they have in common despite their disparate encepagements.
>
> Mark Lipton
>
> --
> alt.food.wine FAQ: *http://winefaq.cwdjr.net

That seems like a very good suggestion - I'm going down to Nice on
Saturday and will try to find the wine in question.
Cheers
Nils