I have some 2004 cab franc still in DJ. It still lacks oak and I have been
trying to find a reason to get started with an oak barrel. Would it be too
late to put this wine in a barrel?

I guess bulk aging is a subject with many ideas but if bulk aging after year
can you still work the wine as far as blending, oak ...?

Joe wrote:
> I have some 2004 cab franc still in DJ. It still lacks oak and I have been
> trying to find a reason to get started with an oak barrel. Would it be too
> late to put this wine in a barrel?
>
> I guess bulk aging is a subject with many ideas but if bulk aging after year
> can you still work the wine as far as blending, oak ...?
>


Go for it. I have the last 30+ gals of my 2004 Cab/Zin/Carignane blend
in a plastic barrel that will be transferred to a 120 liter French oak
barrel next month. Made 150 gals - keep the oak barrel filled with wine,
bottle every 3 months then transfer from plastic to oak.

This year's Cab/Zin blend is in primary now will probably press next
weekend.

Steve

Sure, now is fine. Just make sure that barrel is toasted... I started
a thread on my current barrel dilema. )

Joe

While there are those who say you should start oaking or adjusting pH or
acid on the day you start your wine, it is never too late to adjust it. I
have added oak to wine that was 3 years old.

Ray

"Joe" > wrote in message
...
>I have some 2004 cab franc still in DJ. It still lacks oak and I have been
> trying to find a reason to get started with an oak barrel. Would it be
> too late to put this wine in a barrel?
>
> I guess bulk aging is a subject with many ideas but if bulk aging after
> year can you still work the wine as far as blending, oak ...?
>
>
>

> "Joe" > wrote in message
> ...
> >I have some 2004 cab franc still in DJ. It still lacks oak and I have been
> > trying to find a reason to get started with an oak barrel. Would it be
> > too late to put this wine in a barrel?

Probably not, one thing that barreling your wine does more than just
add the oak tanning/flavor is that a micro oxygenation occurs that
caramelize your wine. Daniel Pambianchi wrote an article about just
this phenomenon in the Wine Maker magazine,
http://www.winemakermag.com/feature/111.html that might be worthwhile
having a look at.

SG Brix

wrote:
> Probably not, one thing that barreling your wine does more than just
> add the oak tanning/flavor is that a micro oxygenation occurs that
> caramelize your wine. Daniel Pambianchi wrote an article about just
> this phenomenon in the Wine Maker magazine,
> http://www.winemakermag.com/feature/111.html that might be worthwhile
> having a look at.

Do you have your references mixed up? Pambianchi doesn't is not of this
opinion, infact he even states "I'm of the opinion that the barrel is
essentially air-tight, and the only air that enters does so when the
bung is removed to top-up the ullage."

The topic remains debatable, however Pambianchi does ignore the
wine-air interface that exists inside the barrel staves in his
argument.

Ben

wrote:
> Probably not, one thing that barreling your wine does more than just
> add the oak tanning/flavor is that a micro oxygenation occurs that
> caramelize your wine. Daniel Pambianchi wrote an article about just
> this phenomenon in the Wine Maker magazine,
> http://www.winemakermag.com/feature/111.html that might be worthwhile
> having a look at.

Do you have your references mixed up? Pambianchi is not of this
opinion, infact he even states "I'm of the opinion that the barrel is
essentially air-tight, and the only air that enters does so when the
bung is removed to top-up the ullage."

The topic remains debatable, however Pambianchi does ignore the
wine-air interface that exists inside the barrel staves in his
argument.

Ben

wrote:
> Probably not, one thing that barreling your wine does more than just
> add the oak tanning/flavor is that a micro oxygenation occurs that
> caramelize your wine. Daniel Pambianchi wrote an article about just
> this phenomenon in the Wine Maker magazine,
> http://www.winemakermag.com/feature/111.html that might be worthwhile
> having a look at.

Do you have your references mixed up? Pambianchi is not of this
opinion, infact he even states "I'm of the opinion that the barrel is
essentially air-tight, and the only air that enters does so when the
bung is removed to top-up the ullage."

The topic remains debatable, however Pambianchi does ignore the
wine-air interface that exists inside the barrel staves in his
argument.

Ben

SG Brix,
Thanks for the url I found it a very good article on barrels!

How much oxynagetion is beneficial? Racking even with proper SO2 levels
exposes the wine to oxygen. How many times can you rack a wine during its
life cycle?

By mention the word micro oxygenation I too are stressing the
phenomenon that occurs inside the barrel and to the wine when it
evaporate and or breathe with the outside environment. If you think it
is just a one way of breathing you are totally off your mark. Just put
a full barrel in an environment with a strong odor and the liquid
inside will take up the flavor. Obviously, I too feel that it is
probably evaporation (expelling) more than it is breathing in. Prove me
wrong,

SG Brix

To me when a young wine seems tired, I feel this could be from over
racking. But I am no expert; maybe Tom could chip in here? I have @ 20g
of "old" wine that I am using for barrel wine. So that my barrels
mostly 5-10g do not sit empty. But I always rack it very carefully and
with both ends immerged into the wine. It will never be bottled, tired
& severely over oaked by now. But it still has no off tastes as of yet.
I also kept the SO2 a bit high. The wine is an accumulation for last 5
years.

So to answer your question, much depending on how carefully you have
been when racking in the first place.

SG Brix