Med Bag of Chips

Ham, cheddar cheese, fresh tomatoes, and arugula.

Ham and Cheese Sandwich

Sliced turkey, lettuce, tomato, and mustard in a whole wheat wrap.

Fit Turkey Wrap

This particularly fresh harvest enabled Malbec to stand out from the other 4 Bourdeaux grape varieties, with medium concentration and seductive acidity, giving it freshness and liveliness

Measure out the component wines by volume: 45% Malbec (about 337 ml / 0.45 cups), 20% Merlot (150 ml / 0.20 cups), 15% Cabernet Sauvignon (112 ml / 0.15 cups), 10% Cabernet Franc (75 ml / 0.10 cups), and 5% Petit Verdot (38 ml / 0.05 cups). Combine them in a sanitized mixing vessel (glass carboy or stainless container) and gently swirl to homogenize. This proportions-based blend emphasizes fresh Malbec character while retaining Bordeaux structure.

Combine base wines

Taste the combined blend. The Malbec should provide bright fruit and fresh acidity; the Merlot adds plushness, Cab Sauv adds structure and tannin, Cab Franc contributes aromatic lift, and Petit Verdot adds color and spice. Make small incremental adjustments if you prefer more fruit or more tannin (adjust in 1–5% steps).

To emulate moderate barrel influence, place 1 tbs medium-toast French oak chips into a sanitized mesh bag and add to the blended wine. If you want a touch of vanilla sweetness, add 1/2 tbs fine-toast American oak chips in the same bag. Let the oak condition the wine for 2–4 weeks at cellar temperature (12–18°C / 54–65°F), tasting every 3–4 days to avoid over-oaking.

After desired oak extraction, remove the oak chip bag and discard. If you notice harshness or too much astringency, rack the wine off any solids to a clean container immediately.

If starting from fresh musts or juice rather than finished wines, crush and sulfite must using 1/4 tsp crushed Campden tablet per batch to suppress wild yeast/bacteria. Wait 24 hours before inoculating with cultured yeast.

Sanitization and stabilization (pre-blend)

If fermenting from grape juice: rehydrate 1/2 tsp wine yeast per label directions and pitch into the must. Add 1/4 tsp yeast nutrient and optional 1/8 tsp pectic enzyme. Maintain fermentation temperature for red wine strains around 22–26°C (72–79°F). Allow alcoholic fermentation to complete (usually 7–14 days), performing punch-downs or pump-overs 1–2 times daily to extract color and tannin. Check specific gravity until stable near 0.998–1.000 (or desired dryness).

Fermentation

If finished wine tastes flabby (low acidity), add small increments of tartaric acid (approximately 0.1 tsp dissolved in a little wine) and blend. Taste and adjust gradually—only small amounts are required to bring back fresh, lively acidity characteristic of the described wine.

Acidity adjustments

After oak aging and any necessary fining/clarification, stabilize if desired. Only add potassium sorbate (and appropriate sulfite) if back-sweetening or if instability is a concern—this recipe leaves these optional and at zero for a dry finished wine. For clarity, add 1/4 tsp bentonite per bottle equivalent as directed, mix, and allow to settle for several days before racking.

Rack the clarified wine to a clean carboy and let it rest for 4–8 weeks to integrate. When stable and clear, bottle into sanitized 750 ml bottles and cork. Allow bottle aging for at least 6 months to 2 years for further integration; wines with this fresh Malbec emphasis can be enjoyed earlier (6–12 months) while still benefiting from short-term bottle age.

Serve slightly below room temperature (15–18°C / 59–64°F) to showcase the wine's freshness, medium concentration, and seductive acidity. Decant for 30–60 minutes if desired to allow aromatics to open.

Malbec (fresh-harvest style)

Merlot

Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Franc

Petit Verdot

Medium-toast French oak chips (to mimic barrel character)

Fine toast American oak chips (optional, for subtle vanilla)

Campden tablet (potassium metabisulfite) - crushed

Wine yeast (red wine strain, e.g., Lalvin RC212 or D47)

Yeast nutrient

Pectic enzyme (optional, for clarity)

Tartaric acid (optional, to adjust acidity)

Sugar (dried grape must or table sugar) - only if starting Brix is low

Potassium sorbate (if sweetening or stabilizing after fermentation)

Clear bentonite or fining agent (for clarity)

Bottles and corks (750 ml bottle equivalent)

Clos de los Siete Red Blend by Michael Rolland

Make Clos De Los Siete Red Blend By Michael Rolland Recipe in just 48h . This particularly fresh harvest enabled Malbec to stand out from the other 4 Bourdeaux grape varieties, with medium concentration and seductive acidity, giving it freshness and liveliness

Clos de los Siete Red Blend by Michael Rolland

Descriptors

Tasting Notes

Food Pairings

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