I discovered that one of the 4-liter bottles of merlot has a funky white layer similar to the one I found on the rescued petite sirah. I hope I can remedy this one better, since the infection came back in the petite sirah after racking.  Before racking I dipped cotton swabs in a Kmeta solution and tried to fish off some of the white stuff. I racked it into a clean bottle, and soaked the oak in cleaner/sanitizer solution before rinsing and adding back. I also stirred in a pinch of Kmeta to make sure there’s enough sulfite to keep the stuff from growing back.

It is at least very clear.  Nice oaky, fruity aromas, nothing strange;  the flavors are also great, lots of oak with tart fruit, but no detectable off tastes.  There is a good bit of acidity on the tongue, but our merlot last year was really big and tart similar to this at this stage.  I’ll hope for the best, a whole gallon of wine would be quite a loss if I can’t get rid of whatever this is.