Appellation
Barsac
Identity card
VillageAOPSweet
Bordeaux › Sauternes · Recognised on 11 September 1936
- Village
- Regional
Key points
- Overripe, nobly rotten grapes, hand-picked in successive passes.
- At least 15% natural alcohol, at most 25 hl/ha, at least 45 g/l of sugar.
- The only Sauternes commune north of the Ciron; sold as Barsac or Sauternes.
Grape varieties
Sweet
Allowed varieties
SémillonSauvignon BlancMuscadelle
A fourth variety on the list, on an equal footing: Sauvignon Gris
Production rules
25
hl/ha
Maximum yield
15
% ABV
Minimum natural alcohol
6,500
vines/ha
Minimum planting density
Minimum ageing: At least until 15 March of the year after the harvest
- Maximum yield
- How much wine a hectare may produce under the appellation (a higher, exceptional ceiling often exists). The lower it is, the less can be made: one of the levers on how concentrated the grapes are.
- Minimum natural alcohol
- The alcohol the grapes' own sugar must be able to give, without enrichment: a ripeness threshold at harvest.
- Minimum planting density
- The fewest vines allowed per hectare. For the same yield, more vines means fewer grapes on each.
- Minimum ageing
- A minimum ageing period the specification requires before the wine may be sold to consumers.
Terroir
- Soils: Fissured limestone under red soil; gravel to the east
- Lie of the land: Very flat: 20 m on the plateau, 5 m towards the Garonne
- Water: Mists as the cool Ciron meets the warmer Garonne
Wine style
- golden young, amber with age
- candied fruit, honey
- very fruity and lively
- rich and unctuous
- very long-lived
Boundaries: INAO, AOC vineyard plot delimitation (September 2026 edition) · Open Licence
Specification
25 March 2026
Arrêté du 25 mars 2026 homologuant le cahier des charges de l'AOC « Barsac » (NOR AGRT2604359A, JORF n°0074 du 27 mars 2026, texte n°19).
Nearby appellations
Sources
- Official sourceArrêté du 25 mars 2026 homologuant le cahier des charges de l'AOC « Barsac »— Légifrance — Journal officiel de la République française
- Reference bookThe Oxford Companion to Wine— Oxford University Press
- Official sourceLe classement GCC 1855 par appellation — Conseil des Grands Crus Classés en 1855— Conseil des Grands Crus Classés en 1855 (Médoc & Sauternes)
- Official sourceDélimitation parcellaire des AOC viticoles de l'INAO (jeu de données ouvert)— Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) / data.gouv.fr
- Trade bodyVins de Bordeaux — site officiel du Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux— Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux (CIVB)
An appellation of sweet white wines from the single commune of Barsac, north of the Ciron, lying inside the Sauternes AOC area: its growers may claim either name. On a very flat limestone plateau, it gives sweet wines that its specification describes as very fruity and lively. Ten classified growths of 1855 are here, among them the first growths Coutet and Climens.
Classifications
The Official Bordeaux Wine Classification of 1855 — Sauternes and Barsac
| Tier | Estate | Since |
|---|---|---|
| Second Growths | Château de Myrat | 1855 |
| Second Growths | Château Doisy Daëne | 1855 |
| Second Growths | Château Doisy-Dubroca | 1855 |
| Second Growths | Château Doisy-Védrines | 1855 |
| Second Growths | Château Broustet | 1855 |
| Second Growths | Château Nairac | 1855 |
| Second Growths | Château Caillou | 1855 |
| Second Growths | Château Suau | 1855 |
| First Growths | Château Coutet | 1855 |
| First Growths | Château Climens | 1855 |
Mini-challenge
Barsac
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