Barsac
Sweet white from 1 commune on a limestone plateau inside Sauternes, where the growers may choose the name on the label, Barsac or Sauternes, and work under the same strict rules.
The place
Barsac is 1 commune on the left bank of the Garonne, where the cold waters of the Ciron run in, and it lies inside the Sauternes area. What sets it apart is the ground. Where the rest of Sauternes is mostly gravel rises, Barsac is a plateau of fissured limestone under a thin skin of red clay, 30 to 40 centimeters deep. About 400 hectares are in vine, in the hands of some 30 growers, and Barsac and Sauternes share 1 producers’ body.
The rules
The cahier des charges (the appellation’s official rulebook), the appellation’s official rulebook, is the Sauternes one in everything that matters. The grapes are Sémillon, Sauvignon, Sauvignon Gris and Muscadelle, at 6,500 vines a hectare at least, and the yield is 25 hectoliters a hectare, with a ceiling of 28. They are picked by hand, in successive passes through the rows, and must carry 221 grams of sugar a liter. The wine must reach 15% of natural alcohol, at least 12% of it acquired by fermentation, and keep at least 45 grams of sugar a liter. The appellation was recognized on September 11, 1936, 19 days before Sauternes itself.
The 2 names
A grower in Barsac may label the wine Barsac or Sauternes, a right older than the decree that wrote it down, and about 1 third of the crop goes out as Sauternes. The brokers of 1855 made no distinction either: the Barsac growths were ranked in the same list as the rest of Sauternes, 10 of them, 2 among the first growths, and this site prints each under the name on its label.
- Color
- Sweet white
- Commune
- Barsac
- Classified
- 10 growths of 1855, 2 of them Firsts
- Vineyard
- About 400 hectares, some 30 growers
- Ground
- Red clay 30 to 40 centimeters deep over a fissured limestone plateau
- Grapes
- Sémillon, Sauvignon, Sauvignon Gris, Muscadelle
- Density
- 6,500 vines a hectare at least
- Yield
- 25 hectoliters a hectare, ceiling 28
- Alcohol
- 15% natural, 12% acquired at least; 45 g/l of sugar left
- Harvest
- By hand, in successive passes
- The 2 names
- A Barsac may be sold as Barsac or as Sauternes
- AOC since
- September 11, 1936
Sources: INAO, cahier des charges Barsac · INAO, comité national, Barsac, Sauternes, Bordeaux, 5 novembre 2015 · Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux, Barsac
The stack
The same ground in Barsac may also be labeled Bordeaux, Bordeaux Supérieur, Crémant de Bordeaux and Sauternes. A grower chooses which appellation to sell under, and the narrowest is almost always the dearest.
The appellations of Bordeaux are stacked, not laid side by side. The map draws the whole stack. Open the map
Classifications that reach this appellation: The Classification of 1855 and The Michelin Guide selection.
Châteaux on this site
News from Barsac
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Sauternes 2025 reinforces a historic run of great vintages in Bordeaux
The 2025 Sauternes and Barsac vintage in Bordeaux is being described as one of the most consistent in recent years, with good yields and strong botrytis development for the fourth consecutive year, according to Revista ADEGA.
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Bordeaux 2025: Ideal conditions lead to luscious Sauternes
According to Decanter, a near-perfect cycle of morning mists, sunshine and rainfall produced a small but beautiful 2025 Sauternes crop, with an average yield of 12.5hl/ha. Sauternes and Barsac produced pure, luscious sweet wines with vibrant freshness.
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According to jancisrobinson.com, tiny yields produced powerful Bordeaux 2025 white wines, with especially promising sweet wines from Sauternes and Barsac.
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What Were People Drinking in 1855?
In 1855, Napoleon III requested a Bordeaux wine classification for the Paris Universal Exposition. The hierarchy covered red wines from the Médoc, Château Haut-Brion in the Graves, and sweet white wines from Sauternes and Barsac, with harvests beginning on October 7.