2010 Madeleine Angevine taste notes
April 3, 2011
In my blog on 15 September 2010 I described how I macerated the Madeleine Angevine grapes and left the juice in contact with the skins during the first 36 hours of fermentation. I stirred the must around frequently, plunging the floating cap of skins below the surface. Usually I have pressed these grapes and removed the skins right away before fermentation begins. This year, however, I have been trying to extract more flavour from the skins for a sharper and more complex wine. And it seems to be working. I racked some of the wine this past weekend for a party and we drank a few bottles. All round, the comments were generally favourable: not only is it fruity but with stronger acidity and a greater viscosity. Someone asked if it was a riesling. Certainly, this wine is still raw, the sugar and acid competing for attention, with not much length or high notes at the end. Yet this wine certainly has potential to evolve into a harmonious and elegant drink while hopefully retaining some of its current bolder, extrovert features. It seems I’ve managed to bring out this potential by a longer period of contact of the juice with the skins. Let’s see how it tastes in a few months time.
