Red wine aged in bourbon barrels? Not for me ...

[Robin Garr]

Okay, I'm from Louisville, epicenter of the bourbon industry. I like bourbon. I also like wine. But aging wine in bourbon barrels? I'm not ready for that. Who thinks this is a good idea?

O'Neill Vintners & Distillers Launches Exitus
Leading California Wine Producer Expands Portfolio with New Bourbon
Barrel-Aged Red Blend

Larkspur, California (July 23, 2018) – O’Neill Vintners & Distillers, a family-owned and operated producer of fine wines and spirits, has announced the launch of Exitus, a Bourbon Barrel-Aged Red Blend. Available nationally, the 2016 vintage of Exitus, a blend of Zinfandel, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah and Merlot, is aged for three months in Kentucky Bourbon barrels.

“Bourbon barrel-aged wines are one of the fastest growing wine categories today and part of what makes them fascinating is that they appeal to both wine and spirit drinkers. Given our expertise in both wine and spirits, crafting Exitus has been one of the most rewarding projects I have worked on – it’s simply a stunning wine,” exudes Steven DeCosta, winemaker.

Fermented in American stainless steel, and then aged in Kentucky Bourbon barrels, Exitus is deep ruby in color with aromas of blackberry compote, leather and dark chocolate. Bourbon barrel aging imparts aromas of fire toasted oak, baking spice, caramel and loose-leaf tobacco. Exitus is the perfect wine for consumers seeking a bold, rich red blend combining the best of both worlds.

The Exitus packaging was designed to match the impressive wine quality. Bottled in an elegant, tall clear bourbon-style bottle with a sophisticated and premium label design in black and gold topped off with a traditional spirits-style ribbon seal, communicates sophistication, style and quality. Exitus retails at $25.99.

[Robin Garr]

Also, "exudes" as a synonym for "says"?

I recently had a Zin aged in Bourbon barrels...name was "Four Virtues." I was not all that impressed but several folks really liked it.

[Robin Garr]

Well, come to think of it, I interviewed an older Italian guy one time for a newspaper feature ... he made the wine for communion at his church out of cheap Zin grapes trucked in by a friend in the fruit business. He used his father's old recipe, and he aged the wine in used bourbon barrels. It WAS good, and people at his church reportedly circled around to the back so they could come through the line for seconds.

In the “olden days” used whiskey or bourbon barrels were much easier to come by. The major difference between casks destined to hold whiskey (or bourbon) or wine is one is “charred” and the other is “toasted”.

Salute

[David M. Bueker]

I have been served a couple of these bourbon barrel wines blind. Disgusting stuff.

Well, come to think of it, I interviewed an older Italian guy one time for a newspaper feature ... he made the wine for communion at his church out of cheap Zin grapes trucked in by a friend in the fruit business. He used his father's old recipe, and he aged the wine in used bourbon barrels. It WAS good, and people at his church reportedly circled around to the back so they could come through the line for seconds.

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Recipe? Grapes "trucked in"? Doesn't sound like "natural wine" to me, which is how old school wine was always supposed to be made.

“cheap Zin grapes”
By “cheap” I would assume you mean California Central Valley grapes. If treated like the most expensive Napa Valley grapes a “decent” wine could be made from them. Trucking and Shipping has come a long way in the past 70-80 years.

Salute

[Robin Garr]

“cheap Zin grapes”
By “cheap” I would assume you mean California Central Valley grapes. If treated like the most expensive Napa Valley grapes a “decent” wine could be made from them. Trucking and Shipping has come a long way in the past 70-80 years.

Victor, yes! I didn't mean to denigrate Mr. Tomasselli's home wine - the people in his church surely loved it! Only that the grapes trucked in to Louisville from the Central Valley by this local fruit company probably weren't the most expensive wine grapes ever grown.

[Jenise]

I've seen a number of the bourbon barrel wines around and tasted a zin with a name like 1000 Stories. For me, the tell-tale bourbon flavor wasn't as much a problem as the 16% alcohol. But hey, it's not just red wine. Saw a Mondavi brand bourbon-chardonnay last weekend. Didn't taste it, but yikes!

[Robin Garr]

Saw a Mondavi brand bourbon-chardonnay last weekend. Didn't taste it, but yikes!

[David M. Bueker]

Kluge (Trump winery before trump bought it) used to make a dessert-style Chardonnay aged in Bourbon barrels.

The first sip was intriguing. Every sip after that was horrifying.

What a lot of people don't seem to get is that wood is an adulterant in wine, despite a lengthy history of use. As is sulfur.

Many wine aficionados seem to have become used to both. That doesn't mean that either belong there.

[Robin Garr]

... wood is an adulterant in wine, despite a lengthy history of use. As is sulfur.

Many wine aficionados seem to have become used to both. That doesn't mean that either belong there.

Certainly a reasonable opinion. I'm no fan of excessive oak. But you'll have a hard time persuading the vignerons of Burgundy and Bordeaux about both those things, not to mention Piemonte, Tuscany, and elsewhere. In my opinion, moderation is a virtue.

I guess it depends on whether or not you believe in 'natural' wines, harvested, pressed and fermented racked and bottled.

Or if you think 'chemistry set' wines are just as good - not enough sugar, get out a sack and add some. pH too high or low - reach for the sack of chemicals (usually calcium carbonate).

Wine not clear? Run it through the old centrifuge a couple of times and when that removes things you wanted in there, just add them back again.

Not enough character in the wine? Get out the oak chips and dump them in.

And Chablis fanciers are so inured to SO2, they think there is something wrong with the wines of they don't stink of that additive.

I agree that the use of wood will never change, though I do like unoaked wines, particularly whites. But the other side of that coin is the Mondavi advertising campaigns about quality=oak (and the Hell with any other qualities).

Hard lines to draw.

Just to expand upon what Robin said. In modern winemaking (if you want to call it or label it wine) using oak is
the only acceptable way of adding flavors to a wine. Besides oak barrels do a lot more than add flavor.

Salute

[David M. Bueker]

I guess it depends on whether or not you believe in 'natural' wines, harvested, pressed and fermented racked and bottled.

Or if you think 'chemistry set' wines are just as good - not enough sugar, get out a sack and add some. pH too high or low - reach for the sack of chemicals (usually calcium carbonate).

Wine not clear? Run it through the old centrifuge a couple of times and when that removes things you wanted in there, just add them back again.

Not enough character in the wine? Get out the oak chips and dump them in.

And Chablis fanciers are so inured to SO2, they think there is something wrong with the wines of they don't stink of that additive.

I agree that the use of wood will never change, though I do like unoaked wines, particularly whites. But the other side of that coin is the Mondavi advertising campaigns about quality=oak (and the Hell with any other qualities).

Hard lines to draw.

And it's not remotely clear what point you are trying to make, as you are straddling multiple lines.

Believing in natural wines does not have to mean to the exclusion of all others.

In general (!) the use of SO2 has been reduced over the last several decades in most if not all regions. Given the vagaries of transport for zero SO2 wines, some usage seems like a good thing if one wants wines that are not spoiled by the time they reach the glass (exceptions for wines served where they are from).

Regarding the Mondavi campaigns, you are overgeneralizing to a fault.

Just a little rant about over manipulated (and adulterated) wines, David.

BTW, the level of sulfur in Chablis is still high enough for many of us to consider it a flaw, in that it reduces enjoyment of the wine.

And I know that the idea of any oak addition being an adulterating act won't get any traction, but I've see a fair bit of support for over-oaking losing support of the buying public - other than things like Woodbridge and their very successful ad campaign selling oak as the distinguishing characteristic of a good wine - at an under $5 a bottle price. They also made great use of 'family' and the landscape in California. Their ad men were brilliant, whoever they were.

[David M. Bueker]

Perhaps some Chablis. It’s certainly not all.

And regarding oak, that trend towards less has been happening for 15 years or so.

Perhaps some Chablis. It’s certainly not all.

.

I don't recall implying that it applied to all Chablis, David. But it is so common that real Chablis mavens expect and ignore it, while people that are not regular drinkers of Chablis roll their eyes and wonder how otherwise excellent winemaking can put up with that level of interference in their wine - the sulfur in high concentrations seems to just kill the flintiness in the nose that we expect (or hope for).

I'm aware that striking a balance isn't the easiest thing and sympathize with winemakers seeking stability as well as taste. See https://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles ... on-sulphur

Are you a taster that does, or does not get bothered with sulfur? Tolerance seems to vary all over the place.

As a wine consumer, one navigates the narrow strait between the Scylla of too much sulfur and the Charybdis of premox.....

'having lived through a huge loss in replacing poxed bottles, I am very reassured by a whiff of the sulphur which was prevalent 20 years ago when I first started in the trade. In fact the over-use of sulphur then partly explained the longevity of some wines. One had to wait four years for them to shake off the sulphur. One may have to do so again, but that is better than the whiff of oxidation!'

https://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles ... d-absurdum

I'd be interested in your views on this issue as you are an aficionado of white wines.

[David M. Bueker]

Regarding sulphur, of course I have the experiences with German Riesling, but it's not always easy to distinguish sulphur from the leesy/sponti aromas that come with many of the wines. I used to confuse it myself. Those sponti aromas are not unique to German Riesling. They show up in pretty much all white wines that undergo a wild fermentation (especially with any significant lees).

As I mentioned earlier, the use of sulphur is decreasing. That goes for pretty much every region in the world. Granted there might be a slight uptick in Burgundian Chardonnay regions to address premox (which Jancis seems to address), but I don't know that to be the case. And it is certainly not true for all producers.

This one was definitely worthwhile, although I'm much more open to the idea for port-style wines than for dry wines.

Cooper & Thief, Red Wine Blend, Cellarmaster’s Select, California 2014
A port style wine, aged 3 months in Bourbon barrels, and that comes through very prominently. Excellent nose of rich, heady, jammy blackberry, with dark chocolate, lots of vanilla, and bourbon notes. Same notes on the palate, with rich but very well toned blackberry, fleshy red plum, chocolate, charred oak, and bourbon; a very nice note of vanilla lingers on the finish. Intense, rich, dense, and penetrating. Just plain delicious stuff. Drink now or in the next 5, maybe 10 years. 3 Stars. [12/23/17]