Bâtonnage

Bâtonage is the process of stirring barrels, or any other vessel holding wine to re-suspend lees, consisting mostly of dead yeast. Stirring the lees impacts the texture, aroma and flavour. In addition, the process introduces oxygen as the vessel must be unsealed to insert the stirrer.

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Bâtonnage is the process of stirring barrels, or any other vessel holding wine to re-suspend lees, consisting mostly of dead yeast. Stirring the lees impacts the texture, aroma and flavour. In addition, the process introduces oxygen as the vessel must be unsealed to insert the stirrer. It’s an important part of the élévage of the wine. Typically stirring will be more frequent in the early phase of ageing. Frequency will be determined by experience and tasting the wine. There is little point in stirring the wine more frequently than weekly as the lees takes a week to settle and the impact of the introduction of oxygen could be too severe.

 

Synonyms:
Lees Stirring
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Domaine Alex Moreau Pommard 1er Cru 'Les Fremiers' 2022
This possesses the most floral-suffused nose in the range with its pretty liqueur-like aromas of various red berries, soft earth and a hint of crushed anise. There is excellent volume to the caressing and seductively textured flavors that exude a subtle minerality on the youthfully austere, firm and compact finale. Like the Caillerets, this needs more depth so at least some patience is in order.Allen Meadows, Burghound 90-92 Points
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Giovanni Sordo Barolo 'Gabutti' MAGNUM 2016
The Bold!

Giovanni Sordo Barolo ‘Gabutti’ MAGNUM 2016

Nebbiolo | Serralunga d'Alba, Barolo

Ooh. Wow. So dense in aromatics that it’s hard to label them! Wait. Simply fabulous and the star of this first tasting. Insanely good, incredibly complete. Benchmark stuff.  Such a fragrance! This is mind boggling. Wonderful flow length+++. The sophistication of tannins here is insane. Here we see an incredibly complete wine. Such sophistication and power. There’s an elegance and lithe nature to this incredibly powerful beauty. The flowers are intoxicating. Again length +++. The sophisticat
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Domaine Jean Marc & Hugues Pavelot Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru 'Aux Guettes' 2019
Here too there is a mentholated top note present on the more sauvage and forest floor nuanced aromas of red and dark currant. I very much like the sense of underlying tension suffusing the even more mineral-driven middle weight flavors that coat the palate with dry extract that buffers the very firm tannic spine shaping the beautifully long finale. This serious, austere and compact effort is quite tightly wound and a wine that is unlikely to make for especially interesting drinking young; then a
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Egly-Ouriet 'Les Prémices' Base 18 NV
Egly easily sits in my list of top 5 Champagne Houses The current release is the first blend to include three vintages and the wine is all the better for it. The dosage for this release was just two grams per litre. We really love this wine and the contrast it offers from the rest of the range. It’s a super mineral, pure fruit wine with a weight and personality that reminds us of the great Jérôme Prévost (perhaps it’s the Meunier influence). Regardless, expect wonderful precision, the del
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