What does age on lees mean?

• A. Aging on dead yeast cells in the bottle
• B. Aging in oak barrels
• C. Filtering and clarifying
• D. Carbonation method

Answer: (A)

Aging on lees means keeping the wine in contact with the spent yeast cells (the lees) after fermentation, typically during the bottle aging in traditional method sparkling wines like Champagne. This contact allows autolysis, where the yeast breaks down to release flavors and textures—think breadiness, brioche, toast, and a creamy mouthfeel—adding complexity to the wine.

It isn’t about aging in oak barrels, which would introduce oak flavors; it isn’t about filtering or clarifying, which would remove the lees and reduce autolytic effects; and it isn’t about how carbonation is produced, which is a separate aspect of how the bubbles form rather than how long the wine sits on the lees.