Wine lees

White wine lees or green wine lees, cognac wine lees notes or brandy-flavored notes, the scents of our wines draw our curious noses toward fragrances that go off the beaten track…harvested!

The creation of the wine lees note in perfumery

First of all, before discovering the power of the scents of the wine lees note in perfumery, it seems necessary to recall the raw material behind these lovely essential oils. Wine lees obviously originate from grapes harvested from different varietals and terroirs, which are then vinified in metal vats or oak barrels. Wine lees are the sediment of the liquid that will be collected for bottling; trapped at the bottom of the vat, the undesirable elements of the precious nectar form the lees.

The appeal of essential oils made from wine lees lies simply in the variety of active compounds that can be found depending on the terroirs and vintages. The essential oil of wine lees, used in aromatherapy but of course also in perfumery, can thus take on the character of its original vintage. Naturally, perfumery took an interest in this living and varied raw material, which, depending on its origin, vintage, or terroir, can display multiple olfactory facets.

The best-known essential oils of wine lees are green wine lees essential oil and white wine essential oil, which is fruitier than the former. However, one can easily imagine that the wine lees note could be produced from any nectar, offering notes based on cognac or brandy, or why not champagne?

Conceptual and original fragrances to express the wine lees note

As can be seen, the wine lees note is to perfumery what varietals, terroirs, and vintages are to wines: fruity raw materials that are also highly varied! Fragrances based on wine lees notes are relatively rare, yet their olfactory and creative concept is so innovative that they deserve mention.

Une Rose by Frédéric Malle, released in 2003, uses the wine lees note paired with geranium to enrich its woody floral composition with absolutely unprecedented top notes, much like this fragrance, which offers accords of rose, animalic notes, and delicately woody notes in a singular and complex whole.
The magnificent Bloody Wood by Liquides Imaginaires seeks, through a fruity, chypre fragrance, to recreate the scented sensations its creator experienced while tasting a great Bordeaux wine. Quite logically, then, the wine lees note appears as a top note paired with roses and metallic notes.

Finally, for Nevermore by Frapin, wine lees again appears as a top note alongside rose oxide and aldehydes, but this time clearly paired with a cognac note. The house of Frapin is a legend in the world of cognac, so it is fitting that this fragrance stays true to the house’s historical values, notably using wine lees for top notes that are both woody and light, leading into amber, woody heart and base notes befitting the brand.