Bâtonnage

Bâtonnage is a French term for a cellar operation in which the winemaker stirs the sediment of dead yeast cells (called the lees, or lies in French) back into the wine as it rests and matures. Once fermentation is over, the yeast sinks to the bottom, and rather than leaving it undisturbed, you can swirl it up again at regular intervals so it spreads through the wine. This typically happens in tank or barrel during the weeks and months after fermentation.

It matters for what you taste and feel. When the yeast cells stay in contact with the wine, they slowly break down and release substances that give the wine a rounder, fuller and creamier character, often with a faint aroma in the direction of bread, brioche or biscuits. At the same time, a wine can gain more texture in the mouth and seem softer, without necessarily becoming sweeter. It is a technique you often meet in white wines made from, for example, Chardonnay.

A common misunderstanding is that bâtonnage is about adding something from the outside. It is not, no flavour is added, but the winemaker makes use of the yeast that is already in the wine. Many modern producers dose it carefully, because too much contact can mask the grape's and the place's own freshness.