Highest usable Brix for Cabernet

Brix alone is not all that definitive. Suggest you check the other parameters (pH and TA)

Precisely.

It's all about balance.

If the Brix is high, but there is enough acid and tannins to keep the wine balanced, then 24 brix is fine.

If you vinify the wine and find it flabby, you can always blend it later on to create a more balanced wine.

"Diamond Vintner" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@news.foodbanter.com...

The latest word I have on this is "26 is the new 24".

IOW, no, that isn't too high. If you want to make some really ass-kicking Cabernet you might want to wait. Keep an eye on the weather forecast and be sure to factor in the condition of the fruit. If it's nice and clean, and sunny skys are in the forecast you might want to wait a bit. OTOH, if there's already rot/botrytis at 24° you may have waited too long.

I've made some really nice Cabernet from fruit that came in at ~23° Brix.

Don't worry about that. You can fix that with tartaric if necessary.

Tom S

I'm doing a Merlot that came in at 24, buy it. The fruit was perfect and the acid was good enough, I touched it up with a little tartaric. Joe

If you really care about fruit ripeness then that statement is highly misleading. With regards to fruit maturity, pH and TA aren't just measures of acidity in their own right but also a measure of the overall maturity of the fruit.

For California, sure, that's the *trend*.

I'm not advocating 23/24/26 here, just that if you want a true picture of the quality of your fruit you need to have a wholistic view of fruit maturity to base your harvest decision on.

Ben