Sauternes AC

[soh-TEHRN] Famous appellation that produces some of the most outstanding sweet wines in the world. The Sau­ternes AC lies within the graves district of France's bordeaux region, approximately 25 miles southeast of the city of Bordeaux. The designated area includes the five communes of Barsac, Bommes, Fargues, Preignac, and Sauternes. Barsac is unusual in that it has its own appellation and its wines can be labeled either "barsac ac" or "Sauternes AC"; however, none of the other wines can be labeled "Barsac AC." The dominant grape in Sauternes is sémillon although the final blend generally includes some sauvignon blanc and, occasionally, small amounts of muscadelle. In good vintages this appellation is the lucky recipient of the right climatic conditions to infect the grapes with botrytis cinerea. This beneficial mold causes the grapes to shrivel, leaving sugar-laden fruit full of rich, concentrated flavors. Botrytis cinerea doesn't always develop and, when it does, it's sometimes very late, rewarding only those daring vineyard owners who haven't picked their grapes (but who have risked losing the entire crop due to inclement weather). The best Sauternes wines come from low-yielding vines that have been hand-picked (some as many as twelve separate times) to ensure that the grapes are not culled before reaching the perfect degree of required ripeness. The resulting classic Sauternes wine is rich and sweet-the botrytis cinerea contributes a desirable honeyed and complex nature to both the aroma and flavor. Châteaux don't produce sweet Sauternes AC wines every vintage. If the grapes do not progress properly-through suitable ripening and botrytis infection-a château may make fully dry wines and sell them as bordeaux ac or bordeaux supérier ac wines. Some Sauternes properties started using cryoextraction in the late 1980s in an effort to produce good sweet wines from poorer vintages. The Sauternes châteaux were ranked in the Classification of 1855 (see Official Wine Classifications of Bordeaux, page 636). Château d'Yquem was elevated to a class all by itself-known variously as premier grand cru grand premier cru, and premier cru superieur-and is allowed to put premier grand cru classé on its label (although it doesn't). It undisputedly makes the best wines in the area and some feel they're the best in all Bordeaux. The classification also named eleven premiers crus and fifteen deuxièmes crus. Some of the other châteaux producing excellent wines are Climens, Coutet, Doisy-Daëne, de Fargues, Gillette, Guiraud, Lafaurie-Peyraguey, Rabaud-Promis, Raymond-Lafon, Rieussec, Suduiraut, and La Tour Blance. See also sauterne.