The small region of Barsac juts out into Graves like a kind of enclave in the south of the Graves region. In this red wine region, Barsac is also known for its excellent dry white wines, as is its highly exclusive neighbor Sauternes, world famous for its noble sweet white wines, produced using the Beeren- and Trockenbeerenauslese process known to us. Barsac is one of 5 municipalities in the Sauternais, the most famous of which is the municipality of Sauternes itself. At a good 600 hectares, Barsac is much larger. The climate is comparable to that of Graves or Sauternes, although the landscape here is a little less hilly and steep and much gentler. The terroir here is also characterized less by pebbles and more by sand and clay. Overall, the noble sweet wines here are a little lighter than those from Sauternes for this reason, but the best ones still have that fine, unobtrusive and at the same time beguiling, intense and fruity sweetness like their world-famous neighbor Sauernes. The region benefits from the same climatic effect that gives the wines from Sauternes their unmistakable character: the mouth of the warm Garonne, due to the cool tributary of the Ciron river, creates early fog in appropriate autumnal conditions, which leads to the formation of the long-awaited noble mushroom Botrytis Cinerea, without which there would be no Trockenbeerenauslese. The grape composition in the cuvée is also similar to that of Sauternes, Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc dominate, small additions of Muscadelle lead to an intensification of the aromatic texture. You won't find a 1er Cru Supérieur of the rank of Chateau d'Yquem in Barsac, but at least two chateaux here, Chateau Coutet and Chateau Climens, were classified as 1er Cru Classé. 8 other chateaus enjoy the status of a 2ième Cru Classé, the best known and most famous among them are certainly Chateau Doisy-Daëne and Chateau Doisy-Védrines. By the way, wines from Barsac can also come onto the market under the Sauternes origin, but the reverse does not apply.
