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Independent phenolic migration results conducted by the AWRI

commentary by Adam Eggins : Chief Winemaker Taylors Wines

2 Chlorophenol Threshold is 437 ng/L

Red Oaker Chardonnay – low added oak rate = 39 ng/L
Barrel Chardonnay (acting as a control) = 41 ng/L
Red Oaker Cabernet – full added oak rate = 65 ng/L
Barrel Cabernet (acting as a control) = 52 ng/L

2,4-dichlorophenol Threshold is 739 +

Red Oaker Chardonnay – low added oak rate = Trace ( which means 10-20 ng/L)
Barrel Chardonnay (acting as a control) = Trace (which means 10-20 ng/L)
Red Oaker Cabernet – full added oak rate = 311 ng/L
Barrel Cabernet (acting as a control) = 288 ng/L

For both Red Oaker Vessels and Barrels all these products came back as Not Detected:

2,4-dibromophenol
2,6-dibromophenol
2,6-dichlorophenol
2-bromophenol
3 & 4-bromophenol
6-chloro-o-cresol

What does all this mean?

Generally there is nothing being imparted from Red Oaker over Barrels of any concern.

Possibly the oak additive we used in the Red Oaker imparts more 2,4-dichlorophenol as the rates rose from Trace to 311 ng/L going from half rate to full rate?

Or Red wines contain more 2,4-dicholorphenol than white wines.

Again with 2 Chlorophenol Red wines seem to pack more than whites yet not to the magnitude.

What is clear:

The numbers seem to be lower on Chardonnay from Red Oaker than Barrel. (Not much in it really).
The numbers are higher (but not significant to any major degree) with Cabernet from Red Oaker over barrel.
In the Cabernet case both Red Oaker and Barrel are less than half of published thresholds.
There is nothing in these numbers that concerns me…in fact quite the opposite.