I have to start with a question? Why can you label Barsac as Sauternes, but you cannot label Sauternes as Barsac. Well, there are basically five appellations which have the right to call themselves Sauternes: Barsac, Bommes, Preignac, Fargues and of course Sauternes. According to some theory it goes back sometime when the appellation laws where set, some properties broke out of their own, retailed at a higher price and of course due to marketing purposes, Sauternes is simply the better known of the two AC’s and in the time where sweet wine comes and goes according to the fashion you have to use the tools given to you.

While there is a difference between Sauternes and Barsac, some could say a Barsac is more aromatic, bit sturdier compared to Bordeaux not necessarily heavier but perhaps not as subtle and graceful as Sauternes. Perhaps. The southern part of the Graves has sand and clay mixed and in the distance to the north where the Ciron River is, more red clay based limestone.
To simplify, clay over limestone is the base when it comes to discuss the soil.

Something which is crucial in the region is the noble rot, botrytis and this would simply not exist without the right conditions. You need some sort of water reservoir, in this case the Garonne and the smaller river Ciron create the fog, the morning mist has to go up it will climb the hill side and spread the noble rot uneven where it’s flat there might be less botrytis occurrence. The temperature differences between the two main water bodies create this welcome fog, humidity and with the necessary sunny afternoon the miracle can start – botrytis cinerea.

There is a lot of activity happening –over stimulation if you want – in the grape, metabolic activities such as the creation and increase of glycerol, gluconic and saccharic acid some oxidizing enzymes and much more.

The production of sweet wines is very small, just 2 % of the total in Bordeaux belongs to this category. And within the appellation there is no such thing as second wine which rightfully exists in the “dry” departments. You either make a sweet wine or you don’t. There is no appellation for semi sweet, you could make a lesser quality and call this a second label but Siglas Rabaud does not do this. There is a chance to make sweet wine with less botrytis impact and of course cryo-extraction is an option as well, if vintage turns against you.

Just to give some figures the legal limit (based more or less on the same density of Bordeaux vineyards) for red wines is 50 hl/ha but only 20 hl/ha for sweet wines. And they usually hit this only in hot vintages such as 2003, 2009. The average at Siglas was in the last 30 years: 16 hl/ha. There is a lot of money and even more work involved in making such sweet wines. Estimated figures run up to 50.000 EUR / ha, harvest is done virtually grape by grape through several tris. Yet while Sauternes/Barsac is fairly flat wine makers do not have to go such trouble of steep vineyard like in Germany. Sauternes is in many ways different to other sweet wine (botrytis) producing regions. The skeleton and back is the alcohol not necessarily and the acidity. The sugar intensity is lower if you compare it to TBA or high puttonyos aszús.

Nevertheless this is still an effort. At Siglas Rabaud they have three terraces while the property is almost in one piece. It used to be 50 ha, today smaller under 20 ha and more homogenous then it was in the past. The history goes back a long way until the XVII century, the building dates from this time as well. In the vineyard they work with 85% Semillon and 15% Sauvignon Blanc, 45 years of average age and if they have to replace vines within they don’t rip up the whole plot. Pruning happens on the basis of 50,000 eyes / ha, which means 6600 vines / ha, more or less 6 eyes / vine. Gobelet and low training is the common method. It means greater exposure to sun and open canopy less unwelcome rot.  Twenty people work during the harvest gather the grapes which can take 1-2 weeks and all of them must have a very flexible approach as botrytis is an irregular fellow, it comes and sometimes it doesn’t come. The new oak regime is kept at a minimum in the winery, based on the wish of the owners, the fruit should talk and not the oak shout. But of course you do want your complexity and oak is a great tool for support and structure.

These wines are not just sweet wines, there is a lot of work and effort behind it. And the style, “typicité” is something you can almost always recognize.

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