Blending Question

Nov 16, 2004 2 Replies
M

Dear All



I have two different vintages of Pinot Noir with large differences and I am wondering should I blend them together.



The first wine is dark coloured, big fruit and very tannic. the second is almost the opposite being light coloured, and very supple and smooth in the mouth.



I did a little trail the other day mixing a bottle 50% - 50% for the two wines. The colour was good but the nose was blocked and didn't give much away. the palate was good and balanced. When blending two finished wines is there a time period that they should be together before bottling?



Any advice is greatly appreciated.



Marc


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R

Sounds to me like you answered your own question. You lost more than you gained. I would enjoy them separately for their own qualities.

They will change a little after aging together. But if it is not a good blend when you first do it, it will not be a good blend later. You might try some other proportions. 70:30 is common or even go 85:15. You might even have a friend over for his opinion on ratios.

Ray

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S

When blending two finished wines is

Marc,

You need to wait at least one month before you taste the blended wine.

2-3 months will be better. Try blending it in 375ml bottles for your test, it will aged a bit faster in a smaller container and you will be able to taste it twice at let say 2 months and maybe 4 months. It will give you a good idea of what the blended wine will really taste at around 6-8 months of ageing in 750 ml bottles.

Séb

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