Tasting Barrels
These days we are waiting for the harvest but there are several things to do in cellar. Besides to clean the tanks for getting ready to take in the grapes, we still have our Demencia 2011 in the barrels; and sometimes we need to check.
I have eight wine barrels finishing the Malolactic fermentation these days. So late but, I look to let the wine develop naturally, and this wine began this process after the last movement in August.
Malolactic fermentation is a process in winemaking where tart-tasting malic acid, naturally present in grape must, is converted to softer-tastinglactic acid. Malolactic fermentation tends to create a rounder, fuller mouthfeel. And that’s what I felt this morning!! Well-balanced, mature tannins, ensambled oak, fruit enough… so tasty!
I was talking about a 4-year old barrel (great moment for oak-ageing), and in tasting before it wasn’t really clear how the wine is going to grow up. Is the Malolactic fermentation so important?
Thinking about my biodynamic lunar calendar and the stars influence in the tasting, and remember my friend David Motion, I checked which date is today? Leave day! It expected to be a bad day for tasting!
Sometimes they said that leave days are lovely days for complex wines that are going to grow up after bottleling. Sometimes they said that it is a question about my mood this morning. Also they said I have tasted the wine in the best day-time: 11 a.m.
In any case, I respect and believe all these ideas, but we cannot forget the basic one: Malolactic Fermentation is helping in ageing to our Demencia 2011.
