Green Apple Taste Reduction in Chardonnay

i'd ask what your SO2 content in the wine was would be my first thought.

Thank you for your reply.  Note that I am conducting monthly testing and adjusting the free so2 by additions of KMETA to maintain a free so2 level of 27 mg/L

Listed below are the details of the last lab report.

• Alcohol 12.65 % vol
• Free Sulfur Dioxide 14 mg/L
• Total Sulfur Dioxide 44 mg/L
• Molecular SO2 0.20 mg/L
• Residual Sugar 2.4 g/L
• Malic Acid >0.05g/L
• pH 3.4
• TA 5.6 g/L
• VA .49 g/L

i dont know this b acteria in particular

but their spec sheet reads like you have too much free total so2 at innoculation

https://www.gusmerenterprises....lora_Oenos2_0_SM.pdf

The wine was inoculated at 5 brix with a free so2 reading of 12.  Also, this was fresh juice from California Concentrate which may have been picked early at a low brix.  If that would be the case, there would be little opportunity for ML to generate a buttery taste.

glad you answered your own question!

@g-man posted:

glad you answered your own question!

😂

If your wine still tastes like green apples after bottling, I'd like to buy a bottle.  I'm so glad the malolactic craze in California chardonnay seems to be waning.  I like chardonnays that are crisp and refreshing, with notes of green apples and lemons, and not oaky butter bombs that taste like exotic tropical fruits.

We have been in Germany for the last 30 days visiting my daughter.  During that visit we enjoyed many wonderful beers and some local dry Chardonnay.  Those wines had little oak and no butter and lacked character but drinkable.  Once hone and a quick sampling of my wine proved that what I have created is far superior to those sampled.  Thanks to you and my tasting experience I am now satisfied that I have a good wine which requires no additional attention.  My plan is to bottle this wine in early June. Thank you for your input.  Send me your address and I’ll send you a bottle.  mitch _slater@yahoo.com