📜 Barsac
A commune next to Sauternes making sweet white wines from grapes with noble rot.
Barsac is a commune on the left bank of the Garonne river in Bordeaux, next to Sauternes. Sweet white wines are made here from grapes affected by noble rot. This is a special mould: it draws water out of the berries, and the sugar in them becomes concentrated.
The conditions for the mould come from two neighbouring rivers. The cold Ciron flows into the warm Garonne, and in autumn mornings fog lies over the land while the sun comes out later in the day. Such weather is just what noble rot needs. The soils are limestone and lie shallow.
The main grape is Sémillon, with Sauvignon Blanc and a little Muscadelle added. The grapes are picked in several passes, choosing berries already touched by the mould. The crop is small, so the wines are costly.
Barsac is a protected appellation, a PDO. Producers in Barsac may also sell their wine under the name Sauternes, but Barsac stresses a lighter, fresher style. Such wines are served chilled, with foie gras and blue cheeses.
How it connects to Wine
📜 Barsac ← main grape of ← 🍇 Muscadelle → kind of → 🍇 Grape varieties → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Part of
- 🍷 Botrytised wine
- Where it is
- 📍 Sauternais
- Related to
- 🏰 Château Coutet, 🍷 Cuvée Madame de Château Coutet, 🍷 Opalie de Château Coutet, 🍷 Château Coutet 2010, 🍷 Château Coutet 2012, 🍷 Château Coutet 2013, 🍷 Château Coutet 2014, 🍷 Château Coutet 2015, 🍷 Château Coutet 2016, 🍷 Château Coutet 2017
- Main grapes
- 🍇 Sémillon, 🍇 Sauvignon Blanc, 🍇 Muscadelle
- Wines
- 🍷 White wine
Frequently asked questions
What is Barsac?
A commune in Bordeaux where sweet white wines are made from berries with noble rot.
How is Barsac different from Sauternes?
They are neighbouring zones with similar wines; Barsac is often lighter and fresher, and its producers may also use the Sauternes name.
What is noble rot?
A special mould that draws water out of the berries so that the sugar in them becomes concentrated.
What to read next
- 📍 Sauternais — The Sauternes and Barsac zone, where sweet wines are made from grapes with noble rot.
- 🏰 Château Coutet — A Barsac estate whose wine-growing history the estate dates to 1643; owned by the Baly family since 1977; a first growth of the 1855 classification.
- 🍷 Opalie de Château Coutet — Opalie de Château Coutet: white wine by Château Coutet from Barsac; vin blanc sec.
- 🍷 Château Coutet 2012 — Château Coutet 2012: sweet wine Château Coutet — The 2012 grapes were picked from October 8 to November 6; 5 successive passes by hand; 21 days of picking; Sémillon (75%), Sauvignon Blanc (23%) and Muscadelle (2%); bottled in June 2014.
- 🍷 Sweet wine — Wines with a lot of grape sugar, from 45 g/l: dried, overripe, botrytised or frozen grapes; EU categories 15 and 16.
Similar
📜 Cérons · 📜 Sainte-Croix-du-Mont · 📜 Loupiac · 📜 Cadillac · 📜 Monbazillac · 📜 Bonnezeaux
⚠️ Wine contains alcohol: adults only, drink in moderation. Wine usually contains sulphites; egg white or milk proteins are sometimes used for fining — important for allergies and for vegans.