Here's my situation: I have a small (about 10 gal.) batch of Merlot
that has finished sugar fermentation and has been pressed and racked
off the gross lees. There is still some lees in the bottom of the
carboys. I inoculated with MLF culture (Chr. Hansen) and warmed up
the wine to about 70 deg.F. So far, after about 4 days there is no
activity and I suspect it is due to the SO2 I added at crush (about 50
ppm). I initially added this amount due to some rot in the grapes I
had, and completely forgot about the MLF I would need later.

In any case, I checked free SO2 with a titret and I get about 35 ppm
(which seems high following fermentation but I know those things
aren't the most accurate). So, what should I do now? Did the high
SO2 kill the ML culture or will they spring to life once the free SO2
levels decrease to their liking? I am thinking about racking,
stirring, and adding some ML food, but I am mostly curious about the
effect this has on the culture and if I will need to add another
culture later.

Thanks in advance...