lees
n. plural-onlyn. the solid bits that sink to the bottom of a bottle or barrel of wine. It is the part you usually leave behind when pouring a drink.
n. the sediment of wine or other liquids that settles at the bottom of a container during fermentation or storage.
The winemaker carefully separated the clear liquid from the lees.
After the wine had aged for several months, the thick lees were filtered out to ensure a clear final product.
Some traditional sparkling wines are aged on the lees to develop a complex, yeasty character and a creamier texture on the palate.
From Old French lies, from Medieval Latin lias (“lees, dregs”) (descent via winemaking common in monasteries), from Gaulish ligyā, legyā (“silt, sediment”) (compare Welsh llai, Old Breton leh (“deposit, silt”)), from Proto-Celtic legyā (“layer”), from Proto-Indo-European legʰ- (“to lie (down)”). Doublet of lias; also related to Loire and Leicester.
Pluralia tantum — takes a plural verb. Often used in the figurative phrase 'to drink to the lees', meaning to finish something completely.