Michael Brill ) wrote:
>#1
>I hear a lot about stirring lees to help oxygenate it. But if you're
>just stirring it around in a bunch of wine, where does the oxygen come
>from?

Hi Michael,

I think you've got it backwards. People stir Chardonnay aged sur
lie because (for one reasons of many) the lees absorb oxygen, even
more effectively than SO2 does. And since in France, where the
practice is common, SO2 is often not added until after ML finishes
naturally in the spring, this batonnage is really important in
helping prevent oxidation.

I've never heard anyone practice3 batonage to introduce oxygen,
though I suppose stirring always does introduce some oxygen from the
surface above the wine.

Dave
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Dave Breeden