Today, I will take delivery of 1/2 ton of premium Napa Valley Cabernet
Sauvignon, courtesy of the Caldwell vineyard and Peter Brehm. This is
by far the most expensive barrel we've ever made, and fittingly it
promises to be the most challenging.

Every variable seems to be extreme, including 28 Brix, pH 3.80, and TA
at 0.67. My goal is to make a "big red California fruit bomb",
without excessive intervention.

Hopefully, the masters of this news group can give me some guidance
and I can thereby avoid screwing up what has potential for an
incredible vintage.

The first thing I'm going to do is confirm the chemistry and then
ameliorate with acidulated water (7g/L) to reduce brix to 24.5 (I'll
remove as much free run as water added).

Then I'll have a look at TA and pH and see where I stand. I'm
considering raising the TA to as high as 0.75 to get what meagre
decrease in pH might be possible. Then, with a pH I expect to be
around 3.7 - 3.8, I'll have to start the ferment, follow with ML,
press, and then send the sulphited wine to the cool cellar to age,
precipitate KHT, and enjoy life in its new oak barrel.

Does this sound reasonable? In the past, I've always used the rule of
thumb that pH should be less than 3.5 before fermenting. I don't want
an overly acidic wine, though - isn't that the California approach
these days (4x4)?

Thanks much in advance,

Darin