Lean

/LEEN/

Wine lacking generous fruit or body.

Full Definition

Lean describes wines lacking generous fruit and body, showing more structure than flesh. Can be positive (taut, fresh, mineral) or negative (thin, underfed) depending on style. Cool vintage wines, young wines needing time, or deliberately restrained styles can be positively lean. Context determines interpretation.

Related Terms

taut thin austere

See Also

body cool climate

Leafroll Virus Back to Glossary Lees

More terms starting with L

Lactic Acid

The softer acid produced during malolactic fermentation.

Late Harvest

Wine from grapes picked after normal harvest for extra ripeness.

Lees

Dead yeast cells and grape solids that settle after fermentation.

Left Bank

The Cabernet-dominant side of Bordeaux.

Legs

The droplets that run down the glass after swirling.

Length

How long flavors persist after swallowing.