Clos Roche Blanche 2009 Tasting

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
originally posted by VLM:
No shit, that site blows.
Is it the soulless oaky flavor or just the box set?

that reference is still going to be alive and will bring smirks and chuckles to a very few *for years* and the rest will be left scratching their respective heads.

(*edited to add missing words)
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
Scratching mine already; must be precocious. I'm mining a lot of interesting data out of the Terroir site, though.

I've met you and looking into your eyes, I saw no soul.

That's difficult. Southerners, by nature, tend to be more soulful.
 
The link holds the second reference I've heard to him doing a partial carbonic on the Sauv Blanc (No.2) The first is here:


In this video and in the tasting notes from the above website he claims during this brief carbonic some of the malic acid is converted to alcohol, thus raising the pH a little. (As well as the final alcohol.) I can find nothing that indicates how this could happen. What biochemical pathway metabolizes malic into alcohol? Any winemakers with a chem bent have insight into this?

I adore Clos Roche Blanche and was researching how the wines were made when a friend pointed me towards the video. I'm asked my mentor, who's well qualified and credentialed, to explain this and he couldn't confirm Didier's claim.
 
originally posted by Scott Frank:
The link holds the second reference I've heard to him doing a partial carbonic on the Sauv Blanc (No.2) The first is here:


In this video and in the tasting notes from the above website he claims during this brief carbonic some of the malic acid is converted to alcohol, thus raising the pH a little. (As well as the final alcohol.) I can find nothing that indicates how this could happen. What biochemical pathway metabolizes malic into alcohol? Any winemakers with a chem bent have insight into this?

I adore Clos Roche Blanche and was researching how the wines were made when a friend pointed me towards the video. I'm asked my mentor, who's well qualified and credentialed, to explain this and he couldn't confirm Didier's claim.

cool, thanks. I think I was there. Denyse does a great job translating.

Nice profiles of Ellenbogen and Mead.

Didier definitely intersperses some dry ice among the grapes for the #2.

I'm still working on the question of how you get malic acid --> ethanol. Not clear to me off the bat, but let's all noodle a bit.
 
originally posted by Scott Frank:
Wow. I thought people would have been more interested in his claim.

The only way I can see to get from malic acid to alcohol involves both lactobacillus and S. cerevisiae working in concert. Here's the path:

malic ---lactobacillus--> lactic + CO2

lactic + NAD ----lactobacillus--> pyruvic + NADH2

pyruvic + NADH2 ----S. cerevisiae---> alcohol + CO2

So, basically, you'd have to have MLF and yeast-based fermentation occurring at the same time. Someone more knowledgeable than I about winemaking can pronounce how likely such a scenario is.

Mark Lipton
 
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