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.

In 1855, Premier Cru Classé status was given to Château Climens and Château Coutet from Barsac. The other Premier Cru Classés belonged to the Sauternes region (Château Rieussec, Château Guiraud, Château La Tour Blanche, Château Lafaurie Peyraguey, Château de Rayne-Vigneau, Château Sigalas Rabaud, Château Rabaud-Promis, Clos Haut Peyraguey, Château Coutet and Château Suduiraut).

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