Sauternes/Barsac Bordeaux Wine Guide, Chateaux Listings

Sauternes/Barsac Bordeaux Wine Guide, Chateaux Listings

Sauternes, Barsac, Bordeaux Wine Guide with producer and chateaux Listings with links to pages on every important property in the Sauternes, Bordeaux wine region with wine tasting notes, histories of the properties, images, technical information and Bordeaux wine buying tips.

There are numerous styles of Bordeaux wine that come from Sauternes. There are the sweet, honey drenched wines of Barsac, which have many of the flavors of d’Yquem, but not the concentration. The Bordeaux wine from Sauternes are richer. In those wines it’s easy to find pineapple, peaches, flowers, pears, apricots, nectarines, orange, vanilla and coconut are not uncommon. These are unique wines that are best served slightly chilled, perhaps close to 60 degrees. They are best enjoyed with salty cheese and of course the best pairing of all, Foie Gras. While these are dessert wines, more often than not, they do not pair well with dessert. The wine needs to be sweeter than what you are eating.

Many Bordeaux wine producers in Sauternes and Barsac also produce a dry wine. For example d’Yquem makes a dry white called Y, Rieussec also produces a dry white called R. Other chateaux make dry whites as well. They are not highly sought after and sell for a lot less money than the sweet wines from the same estate.

Learn about the 1855 Sauternes- Barsac Classifications

Sauternes is the only region in Bordeaux devoted exclusively to white wine. The best wines from the area are sweet wines. These are produced from a unique combination of elements, namely Botrytis Cinerea, better known as Noble Rot.

This unique rot, or fungus that under the right circumstances comes alive in Sauternes has numerous, special and highly sought after qualities it can impart to the fruit. This rot needs specific conditions to develop and the micro climate of Sauternes plays a major part in making that happen. Mornings must be damp, coupled with warmth later in the day. This leaves the fruit without much moisture. The grapes become shriveled, dehydrated and concentrated with new, more complex, spicy and honeyed characteristics. These new qualities are sought after in Sauternes and other wine regions outside Bordeaux for their sweet, honey filled, tropical and exotic sensations. The laws of Sauternes dictate the wines from the appellation need to be grown in one of the 5 specified communes in Sauternes. They also need a minimum level of alcohol, 13% and they must pass a tasting exam. Of course, the wines need enough sugar to be considered as well.

Sauternes is an expensive wine to produce. It takes multiple passes through the vineyards for the pickers to harvest all the grapes with enough rot on them. Yields are very small, For the top wines, each vine might only deliver a single glass of wine!

Once enough rot develops, the grapes are dehydrated and look like they are covered with a powdery fungus. Which is exactly what we want! Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle, which is not used as much as the other two grapes are the only varietals allowed by AOC law to grow in the region.

Sémillon is originally a Sauternes grape variety. In the 18th century, it only existed in this area. It increasingly spread on the Garonne river right bank, through the South West and the Centre, etc. It became the ideal variety for the elaboration of sweet wine. Very sensitive to mould but harder to grow Sauvignon, at the beginning of the century, was as much planted as Semillon was. Today it only represents 25% of the Sauternes appellation.

Map of Bordeaux Sauternes Chateau

Sauternes, Barsac Bordeaux chateau from this region include:

Sauternes/Barsac Bordeaux Wine Guide, Chateaux Listings

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