Sauternes is a
French sweet wine from the Sauternais region of the
Graves section in
Bordeaux. Sauternes is made from
Sémillon,
Sauvignon blanc, and
Muscadelle grapes that have been affected by
Botrytis cinerea, also known as
noble rot. This causes the grapes to become partially
raisined, resulting in concentrated and distinctively flavored
wines. Due to its
climate, Sauternes is one of the few
wine regions where infection with noble rot is a frequent occurrence. Even so, production is a hit-or-miss proposition, with widely varying
harvests from
vintage to vintage. Wines from Sauternes, especially the
Premier Cru Supérieur estate
Château d'Yquem, can be very expensive, due largely to the very high cost of production.
Barsac lies within Sauternes, and is entitled to use either name. Somewhat similar but less expensive and typically less-distinguished wines are produced in the neighboring regions of
Monbazillac,
Cérons,
Loupiac and
Cadillac. In the United States, there is a
semi-generic label for sweet white dessert wines known as
sauterne without the "s" at the end and uncapitalized.