@balatonwine prompted me to start a new thread regarding sur lie and bâttonage.
Sur lie is French for “on the lees", and refers to aging white and red wines on the fine lees, which is yeast hulls. This differs from gross lees, which is mostly fruit solids.
The process is simple -- don't rack off the fine lees. Couldn't be simpler, right? This can be done with most whites, excluding the really fruity ones, as it will produce a yeasty or nutty flavors. It also increases mouthfeel, body, and aromatic complexity. It's done with full-bodied reds to increase mouthfeel and stabilize color.
I got the above information from WineMakerMag.com, and I've seen similar definitions on other sites so I have confidence the article is accurate.
Sur Lie Aging & Bâttonage - WineMakerMag.com
Bâttonage is stirring the lees, essentially an added step to sur lie. Again, simple to do -- stir the fine lees back into suspension.
I'm not doing the bâttonage correctly, as the article says the stirring may be perform daily during early stages of aging, and weekly after that. I use a drill-mounted stirring rod to gently stir my reds in barrel every 3 to 4 weeks, when I top them up. I started the stirring as my barrels are neutral and I use oak cubes for flavoring, and stirring mixes the wine so taste tests reflect the wine as a whole. I discovered that wine does not have convection currents so the wine nearest the cubes is heavily oaked. Stirring homogenizes the wine.
I also note that my wines have a LOT less fine lees than the pictures I've seen, so I expect my technique is not as effective. However, it's saving me unnecessary rackings so there is value.
Note that I stop the stirring 2 months before draining the barrel, to let the lees settle out.
Sur lie is French for “on the lees", and refers to aging white and red wines on the fine lees, which is yeast hulls. This differs from gross lees, which is mostly fruit solids.
The process is simple -- don't rack off the fine lees. Couldn't be simpler, right? This can be done with most whites, excluding the really fruity ones, as it will produce a yeasty or nutty flavors. It also increases mouthfeel, body, and aromatic complexity. It's done with full-bodied reds to increase mouthfeel and stabilize color.
I got the above information from WineMakerMag.com, and I've seen similar definitions on other sites so I have confidence the article is accurate.
Sur Lie Aging & Bâttonage - WineMakerMag.com
Bâttonage is stirring the lees, essentially an added step to sur lie. Again, simple to do -- stir the fine lees back into suspension.
I'm not doing the bâttonage correctly, as the article says the stirring may be perform daily during early stages of aging, and weekly after that. I use a drill-mounted stirring rod to gently stir my reds in barrel every 3 to 4 weeks, when I top them up. I started the stirring as my barrels are neutral and I use oak cubes for flavoring, and stirring mixes the wine so taste tests reflect the wine as a whole. I discovered that wine does not have convection currents so the wine nearest the cubes is heavily oaked. Stirring homogenizes the wine.
I also note that my wines have a LOT less fine lees than the pictures I've seen, so I expect my technique is not as effective. However, it's saving me unnecessary rackings so there is value.
Note that I stop the stirring 2 months before draining the barrel, to let the lees settle out.