The ID Malbec finally dropped below 0 brix and we pressed it Merlot today. We pressed moderately hard and got about 21 gallons. It's resting in a SS Keg and carboys until we have an open barrel from bottling the Cab reserve. The Merlot had been on the skins for about a month and picked up quite a bit of skins/seeds tannins. It took a long time to ferment because of the cool temperatures.
We racked the ID Malbec off the gross lees. It had a very bad rotten egg smell (HSO2) so we added 20ppm sulfites and racked it over copper flashing in and out of the barrel. That helped the smell some, but we'll need to rack it again in 2 - 3 weeks to get it off of the precipitants.
We also racked the WA Cab off the gross lees. It had been sitting for quite awhile finishing fermentation, as we pressed it with some sugar left. We were surprised to see the barrel down a good 3 inches. We didn't realize it was that far down. The taste in the barrel was OK, but not as much fruit as a carboy.
We still have the ID Syrah, Cab and Merlot to rack off the gross lees, and we need to rack the Malbec again.
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