Inoculation

Today I inoculated my juice with the chosen yeast.

The temps are slowly coming up, and fermentation began with resident yeast. I want some fermentation from the resident yeast to get the enhanced “mouthfeel” they provide. However, I also want to ensure a complete and clean fermentation, so I gave my juice a low dose of commercial yeast.

The logic is that the resident yeast have already produced a sizable population and will continue to ferment even with the chosen yeast present. As the chosen yeast grow and multiply, they should overwhelm the resident yeast and complete the fermentation process.

Tank 1 – a mix of Pinot noir clones 114, 115, and Pommard from young-ish vines. It got the BRG yeast. This yeast was isolated by growers in Burgundy because it ferments Pinot very well and provides good structure.

Tank 2 – exclusively Pommard from mature vines; it got BM45 yeast. This is an Italian yeast (from Brunello di Montalcino wines) that produces a different flavor profile from the BRG yeast. One company describes the flavors as: “fruit jams, rose and cherry liquors, with evident and clean notes of sweet spices, licorice and cedar.”

So there you have it. Now we just need to wait many months to see the results of this decision.