white wines are very rarely left on the lees. If white wines are left on the lees they can end up with a lot of tannin which would make the white wine less pleasant .

The extracted tannin that comes from the lees is what makes the red wines last longer and in fact less drinkable when they are very young; except for some styles like a Beaujolais. White Zins are an example of a lightly pressed red grape from which the juice is is quickly removed from contact with the red grapes resulting in little or no tannin in that wine.

Most white wines are separated from the lees as soon as possible. Red wines are made by allowing them to stay on the lees to extract as much of the color, (especially red grapes) and flavor as possible.