Autolysis?

So, I was making apfelwein, but tried to use some witbeer yeast to get more "estery" flavors.

That didn't really work, as I couldn't get the attenuation I wanted.

After 4 weeks, the yeast started to fall out, but still too much sugar. I pitched some dry motrechet. I have been checking the gravity every week.

This week, finally got dry apfelwein, but I have a sulfur smell. The smell is pretty strong, but no real perceivable flavor.

I racked the apfelwein into a clean secondary, and plan to leave it there for a while to see if the sulfur smell mellows out.

Two questions:

1) The sulfur is probably from autolysis, right? I mean, with some yeast, sulfur is a by-product, but this sulfur showed up right at the end after weeks in the primary
2) If the sulfur is from autolysis, is there any chance that this sulfer will mellow out over time? Am I just wasting the carboy space by letting this stuff sit for a few months?

No, not autolysis. It's from the yeast, but not autolysis. It takes a lot longer for that to happen, and when it happens, it won't be a "hmm, that's a funny smell" reaction that you'll be having...it'll be more like "awww, gawd, ACK! I'm gonna puke!" According to John Palmer, it's one of the worst smells that one can encounter.

What did the primary yeast cake look/smell like after you transferred. You should be able to tell if autolysis has occurred because it will smell like rotten meat and it will be brown or black in color, instead ofa creamy white.

Some yeasts can produce sulfur odors, typically at lower ferm temps and more commonly with lager yeasts. From my understanding, it should dissapate over time. I've never used any wine yeasts so perhaps the sulfur is a common byproduct of the montrachet?

FWIW, most "experts" say that it takes 8 wks or more before autolysis may begin occurring, provided your yeast was healthy to begin with and the batch was free from contamination.

Montrachet yeast is the cause of the stinky sulfur smell. That often happens with Montrachet, but it goes away! Once the apfelwein is clear and the yeast is done, it'll smell fine.