Is it the age or the autolysis? Pulling apart where sparling wine character comes from

Sparkling wines made by the traditional method (methode traditionnelle) undergo an in-bottle secondary fermentation, which is initiated by the addition of yeast and sugar; and usually followed by several months or years of ageing on lees (sur lie). This study found that wine age was the main determinant of compositional changes in yeast-derived and oxidation-associated compounds such as esters, carboxylic acids, higher alcohols and aldehydes. Ageing base wines off or on lees produced similar aroma profiles to tiraged wine based on the six sensory characters assessed in this study, irrespective of variety. For Chardonnay, the profile was more developed in the base wine aged off lees than the tirage or base wine aged on lees and in Pino/ Nair; the base wine aged on lees was more developed. The results of this study suggest time on lees post-secondary fermentation has less of an impact on aroma development than the length of the ageing period.