Once the alcoholic fermentation is finished, for white wines, such as Viognier and rosés, such as Llàgrima de Superna, it is time for aging on lees.
The wine lees are suspended particles of natural origin formed mainly by the remains of yeasts, lactic bacteria, polyphenols and fatty acids. It is the so-called fine lees that will round off our wines. The coarse lees, made up of seeds, leftover skins, sugars, etc., are discarded by racking.
The yeasts provide more intense aromas, while the fatty acids will give the wine more volume and smoothness in the mouth, reducing possible astringency. At the same time, the wine becomes more stable and oxidation is avoided as the lees absorb oxygen.
To achieve these objectives, we use the “batônnage” technique in the case of barrels. This consists of putting the lees back into suspension, since they tend to decant. And it is in direct contact with the wine that we will obtain the desired results.
This year, as a novelty, we are preparing a white wine of the viognier variety fermented and aged in barrels, which is currently being aged on the lees. We can’t wait for it to be ready!