Vineyard & Winery Management

January/February 2014

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Photo: Jordan Winery The Benefits of Batonnage Winemakers share their lees-stirring techniques lees stirring g BY TED RIEGER, SENIOR FEATURE EDITOR he Burgundian practice of sur rgundian lie elevage, or extended yeastlee lees contact, in combination with batonnage (lees stirring), is a stylistic b a t onna bato ba tonna tool tha can improve wine structure, that mouthfeel and sensory characteristhf tics. Batonnage, from the French word baton (stick), involves stirring lees with a stick or rod at the end of alcoholic fermentation. It is most often used with barrel-fermented chardonnay, but also with other barrel-fermented white wines, and sometimes with reds. Greg La Follette, w winemaker at La Follette Wines in Healdsburg, Calif., has been a student and practitioner of sur lie elevage and batonnage since researching the subject as a postgraduate at UC Davis in the 1980s. He uses lees contact with chardonnay and pinot noir fermented with native yeasts. "Lees have the ability to enhance wines, and batonnage turns the process up a notch," he said. "It can help with sluggish fermentations, and it's good at incorporating oxygen + Batonnage provides benefits ffor wine structure, mouthfeel and sensory attributes. + Lees contact and batonnage are commonly used with chardonnay, but also with other barrel-fermented white varieties and sometimes reds. + Regular monitoring of lees and wine quality by sight, taste and smell during sur lie will guide-lees stirring frequency and when to end lees contact. + Batonnage is commonly done manually with a stirring rod, but racks to roll barrels, and tanks with stirring systems, are also available. 62 V I N E YA R D & WINE RY MANAGEM ENT | Jan - Feb 2014 w w w. v wm m e d i a . c o m

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