The appellation
Sauternes
A sweet white wine from Gironde, among the best known in the world. It comes from a microclimate, a fungus, and a harvest done by hand.
The AOC
What is Sauternes?
The Sauternes appellation has been recognised since 1936. It is a sweet white wine, rich in sugar, made from overripe grapes. Long served with dessert, it also belongs at the aperitif, with blue cheese or foie gras.
The vineyard is only about 2% of Bordeaux, and remains the only white wine in the 1855 classification. Young, it smells of candied citrus; with age, honey, apricot, gingerbread.
Four grape varieties are allowed, with no set proportions: Sémillon, Sauvignon blanc, Sauvignon gris and Muscadelle. Sémillon, more prone to noble rot, often leads the blend.
Mist from the Ciron
About fifty kilometres from Bordeaux, the cooler Ciron meets the Garonne. On autumn mornings, fog covers the plots; in the afternoon, sun and wind dry them. That is the climate of noble rot.
Botrytis cinerea
A tiny fungus coats the grapes. The berries concentrate, lose water and become “rôti”. Sugar rises, aromas multiply — more than fifty, according to the CIVB.
Tries
Harvest is by hand only, in successive passes: pickers take only the bunches that are ready, sometimes berry by berry, from October into November. Harvest, winemaking and ageing all stay inside the delimited area.
How it is made
How is Sauternes made?
01 — March to June
Spring
The vine bursts into leaf, then flowers: the future bunches take shape.
02 — July to August
Summer
At véraison the grapes change colour and ripen like a classic Bordeaux.
03 — Mid-Sept. to Nov.
Noble rot
Ciron mists in the morning, sun in the afternoon: botrytis settles on the berries, unevenly.
04 — Oct. to Nov.
Harvest
Successive tries: only the berries that have reached noble rot are picked.
5 to 9 passes by hand, over several weeks.
05 — Late autumn
Cellar
Slow pressing, then winemaking: the vintage finally takes its shape.
At the table
Storage and serving
Serve a Sauternes cool, around 8–10 °C, not ice-cold. Too cold and it shuts; too warm and the sugar takes over.
An opened bottle keeps several days in the fridge, recorked. Standing or lying: lying down if the cork needs to stay moist.
At the table: foie gras, blue cheeses, fruit desserts, spiced cooking, or simply as an aperitif. Older vintages like a slightly wider glass, and a little more time.
The Sauternais
The village and the five communes
Sauternes is a small village in Gironde, on the left bank of the Garonne, after a bend of the river northwards. Around it: vineyards, gravel, limestone especially in Barsac, and the Ciron valley.
Five communes make up the appellation: Sauternes, Barsac, Bommes, Fargues and Preignac. Barsac also has its own AOC; Barsac wines may be labelled Sauternes.
Appellation area
5 communes, between Garonne and Ciron
The appellation fits in a pocket handkerchief, forty kilometres south-east of Bordeaux.
- Appellation area
- Rivers
2 Rue Principale
La Maison du Vigneron
The shop sits on the village’s main street. Chrystelle Desqueyroux offers Sauternes from the appellation, Bordeaux from neighbouring estates, and the Sauternes beer. You can taste, choose, and order a shipment.
The shop →