Forty kilometres south of Bordeaux, Sauternes is an AOC that includes together 5 communes, including Barsac. It is the name of a commune, a village, a wine, and also a district - the most renowned district for the making of sweet wine in the world. It embraces a concentration a chateaux large and small; some ancient and very grand, other modest farms - all devoted to making white wines which manage to combine extraordinary richness and finesse.
For centuries, humans have been patiently learning to master this region's climate, soils and grape varieties. But Mother Nature did a good job laying the foundation. The Sauternes terroir is distinguished by a geological predisposition to gravel and pebbles that cover limestone streaked with veins of clay. In the communes of Fargues and Sauternes, a layer of hardpan (iron-oxide cemented sand) in which vines flourish can be found.
The vineyards at the highest elevations and farthest from the river have the best terroirs and produce the majority of the Crus Classes, including the monumental Château Yquem.
