Hey Matt

Raising the wine on the lees and never racking makes it easier to avoid exposure to oxygen if you want to do fairly reductive wine making. (I do, because I don’t use SO2.) It seems to affect texture a little — smooth mouthfeel. But it won’t really contribute flavors unless extended for more than a year as they do in the bottle in Champagne and Cataluña. After about 18 months, the cell walls of the yeast bodies begin to break down, releasing compounds that contribute the toastiness often observed in good Champagne. I raise my wines on the fine lees in all circumstances — garage wine, commercial wine, and sparkling wine. -michael

p.s. in my opinion, almost every “process” involved in winemaking is superfluous. Sulfiting, destemming, racking, barrel aging, sterilizing equipment, adding yeast, etc. I do none of these. My wines are stable.

Michael, you’re the second person in a week to tell me that they don’t rack off of the yeast lees. Have you noticed any flavors contributed by the lees? If so, how long does it take for the wine to pick up those flavors? I’ve got to try this method!

Hi Matt
I’ve tried it (for over a year once) but got some off flavors and smells. I do leave all my wines of the fine lees until bottling. Never rack.

I’ve heard of this Michael. The Georgians have an incredibly interesting method for making wine. One that I need to learn more about myself. From the clay post burried in the ground to the lees that you mention here. Thank you for sharing!