Just a quick update on the 2013 Pinot Noir. Yesterday I spent the morning racking off the lees (dead yeast). Started with 73.5 gallons and after racking ended up with 71.5 gallons, enough for 30 cases. The only thing left to do before bottling in 6-9 months is sulfur to prevent spoilage, taste and make any small adjustments for acidity. How does it taste? Wonderful for its age! It has transitioned from fermented grape juice to young wine.
For those unfamiliar with the term, racking is the process of separating the liquid on the top from the solids on the bottom. You do this for several reasons; you want to end up with clear wine so you rack to get rid of the sediment, you need to get rid of the dead yeast because if you leave it to long it might give you a funky smell/taste. However, for Pinot Noir, you don’t want to rack it to much as this variety does not liked to be handled. Last year I racked the wine 3 times before bottling and this year I’m hoping that the day after pressing and this racking will be sufficient.
