Region: Sauternais
The Sauternes region produces sweet white wines. The sweetness is caused by a fungus that develops on the grape during the moist fall. The fungus extracts water from the grape and the grape shrivels, thereby increasing the concentration of the grape juice. At the same time, they have an effect on the taste of the juice. It leads to a wine that is very sweet and aromatic, with tropical fruits in the palate.
Producing such a wine is very risky. Rain during the harvest may cause real rot instead of noble rot that makes the grapes unsuitable for producing wine. Also, the noble rot does not attack the whole vineyard at the same time. Some bunches may be covered with it while others, at the same vine, may not. To make the best possible wine, grapes have to be harvested in several batches, and even then the bunches are selected by hand. This of course is very labor intensive. Together with the low yields that result from the shriveling of the grapes, this means the production price of a high quality Sauternes is amongst the highest in the world.
Wines from Barsac have their own appellation, but may also produce wines under the Sauternes appellation.
The 1855 classification gave Château d'Yquem the status of "Premier grand Cru Supérieur", the only one with the "supérieur" appended to the "Priemier grand Cru" is if to say it is a class apart. Indeed it is, even today d'Yquem is the unrivaled number 1 in Sauternes.
Premier Cru Classé status was given to the following wineries:
Château Guiraud, Château La Tour Blanche, Château Lafaurie Peyraguey, Château de Rayne-Vigneau, Château Sigalas Rabaud, Château Rabaud-Promis, Clos Haut Peyraguey, Château Coutet, Château Climens, Château Suduiraut and last but not least Château Rieussec.
| Château d'Yquem | 1 wine out of 1 are from Sauternais |
| Château Rieussec | 4 wines out of 5 are from Sauternais |
| Château Suduiraut | 5 wines out of 6 are from Sauternais |
| Château Guiraud | 1 wine out of 3 are from Sauternais |
| Château Climens | 1 wine out of 1 are from Sauternais |
| Château de Rayne-Vigneau | 2 wines out of 4 are from Sauternais |
| Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey | 1 wine out of 1 are from Sauternais |
| Château Doisy-Daëne | 3 wines out of 4 are from Sauternais |
| Château Doisy-Védrines | 1 wine out of 1 are from Sauternais |
| Château Coutet | 3 wines out of 4 are from Sauternais |
| Château de Bastard | 1 wine out of 1 are from Sauternais |
| Château Raymond-Lafon | 1 wine out of 1 are from Sauternais |
| Château de Fargues | 1 wine out of 2 are from Sauternais |
| Château La Tour Blanche | 2 wines out of 4 are from Sauternais |
| Château de Malle | 2 wines out of 3 are from Sauternais |
| Château Clos Haut-Peyraguey | 1 wine out of 1 are from Sauternais |
| Château Filhot | 3 wines out of 3 are from Sauternais |
| Château de Myrat | 1 wine out of 1 are from Sauternais |
| Le Dragon | 1 wine out of 1 are from Sauternais |
| Château Sigalas Rabaud | 2 wines out of 2 are from Sauternais |
| Château Nairac | 1 wine out of 2 are from Sauternais |
| Château Liot | 2 wines out of 2 are from Sauternais |
| Château Bastor-Lamontagne | 2 wines out of 2 are from Sauternais |
| Château Rabaud-Promis | 1 wine out of 1 are from Sauternais |
| Château Gilette | 3 wines out of 3 are from Sauternais |
| Unknown | 2 wines out of 254 are from Sauternais |
| Château Lamothe Guignard | 1 wine out of 1 are from Sauternais |
| Château d'Arche | 2 wines out of 4 are from Sauternais |
| Château Gravas | 2 wines out of 2 are from Sauternais |
| Château Broustet | 3 wines out of 3 are from Sauternais |
| Château Caillou | 2 wines out of 2 are from Sauternais |
| Château Roûmieu-Lacoste | 5 wines out of 5 are from Sauternais |
| Château Haut-Bergeron | 2 wines out of 2 are from Sauternais |
| Les Cypres de Climens | 1 wine out of 1 are from Sauternais |
| Castelnau de Suduiraut | 1 wine out of 1 are from Sauternais |
| Barton & Guestier | 2 wines out of 73 are from Sauternais |
| Château les Justices | 1 wine out of 1 are from Sauternais |
| Château de Rochefort | 1 wine out of 1 are from Sauternais |
| Dauphin de Guiraud | 1 wine out of 1 are from Sauternais |
| Château Piada | 2 wines out of 2 are from Sauternais |
| Château Lamothe | 1 wine out of 5 are from Sauternais |
| Château Laribotte | 1 wine out of 1 are from Sauternais |
| Château Romer du Hayot | 1 wine out of 1 are from Sauternais |
| Société Agricole Vinicole d'Exploitation | 2 wines out of 3 are from Sauternais |
| Cru Barréjats | 4 wines out of 4 are from Sauternais |
| Dourthe | 3 wines out of 17 are from Sauternais |
| Château Hallet | 1 wine out of 1 are from Sauternais |
| Château de Cosse | 1 wine out of 1 are from Sauternais |
| Haut Charmes | 1 wine out of 1 are from Sauternais |
| Château Grillon | 2 wines out of 2 are from Sauternais |
| Château Petit Védrines | 1 wine out of 2 are from Sauternais |
| Haut-Sauternes | 1 wine out of 1 are from Sauternais |
| Château Roumieu | 3 wines out of 3 are from Sauternais |
| Château de Madere | 1 wine out of 2 are from Sauternais |
| Château Haut-Mayne | 1 wine out of 2 are from Sauternais |
| Bichot | 1 wine out of 1 are from Sauternais |
| Château du Coy | 1 wine out of 1 are from Sauternais |
| Château La Fleur d'Or | 2 wines out of 2 are from Sauternais |
| Maison Nicolas | 2 wines out of 20 are from Sauternais |
| Château Closiot | 2 wines out of 2 are from Sauternais |
| Château La Chapelle | 1 wine out of 4 are from Sauternais |
| Château Laville | 1 wine out of 3 are from Sauternais |
| Château Dudon | 1 wine out of 1 are from Sauternais |
| Château Simon | 2 wines out of 3 are from Sauternais |
| Clos Dady | 1 wine out of 1 are from Sauternais |
| Château Cantegril | 2 wines out of 3 are from Sauternais |
| Château du Levant | 1 wine out of 1 are from Sauternais |
| Grand Enclos du Château de Cérons | 1 wine out of 4 are from Sauternais |
| Château Cru D'arche Pugneau | 2 wines out of 2 are from Sauternais |
| Château Partarrieu | 1 wine out of 1 are from Sauternais |
| Le Tertre Du Lys D'Or | 1 wine out of 1 are from Sauternais |
| Rousset-Peyraguey | 3 wines out of 3 are from Sauternais |
| Château du Pick | 1 wine out of 1 are from Sauternais |
| Château Lange-Réglat | 1 wine out of 1 are from Sauternais |
| Château La Riviere | 1 wine out of 2 are from Sauternais |
| Château Lafon | 1 wine out of 16 are from Sauternais |
| Château Peyron | 1 wine out of 1 are from Sauternais |
| Château Saint-Amand | 3 wines out of 3 are from Sauternais |
| Baron Philippe de Rothschild | 2 wines out of 59 are from Sauternais |
| Château Charrier | 1 wine out of 1 are from Sauternais |
| View all producers... | |
