The Spectacular Barsac Wine Region: 10 Best Wines, Prices (2024)

The renowned Barsac commune lies to the south of Bordeaux, in southwest France. It makes some of the finest sweet white wines using the Semillon grape - admired for their crisp acidity and remarkable freshness!   In this article, you’ll discover all about the Barsac appellation, the best Barsac wines, their investment potential, and how Barsac differs from Sauternes wine.

Quick Facts About The Spectacular Barsac Wine Region

Here’s a quick primer about the Barsac wine region.

Where is Barsac located?

The Barsac appellation is situated in Sauternes, in the Graves wine region in southeast Bordeaux. 

What do Barsac’s terroir and vineyard sites look like?

The Barsac appellation has over 400 hectares under vine cultivation, and its terroir comprises sandy limestone soils and hilly terrain.

What are the grape varieties used in Barsac?

Semillon is the star grape of this Bordeaux wine. A Barsac producer can also use Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris, and Muscadelle.

What does Barsac wine taste like?

This Bordeaux wine is light and nervy with notes of honey, almond, peach, and pineapple. Sauvignon Blanc gives Barsac wines their crisp acidities and vegetal and herbal aromatics.

What is the aging potential of Barsac wine?

You can age Barsac wine for 2-15 years or more. Some exceptional Barsac vintages (the 1990 Chateau Coutet Cuvee Madame and the 1990 Denis Dubourdieu Chateau) can age for up to 40 years - great for long-term cellaring.

What food can you pair with Barsac wine?

You can pair Barsac with fruit-based desserts, cheese, and oysters.

Why are Sauternes (and Barsac) wines so expensive?

Sauternes and Barsac wines are produced from grapes influenced by botrytis cinerea (noble rot). These have to be harvested on time (once noble rot begins to appear), and the vineyard sites usually take months to harvest.

Also, the yields in Barsac and Sauternes are extremely low. All this makes the winemaking process tedious and costly.

How are Barsac wines classified?

There are 10 Barsac Chateaux in the 1855 Classification, and these wines are classified as Premier Crus and Deuxième Crus.

Now, let’s discover the best white wines from the Barsac appellation.

10 Best Barsac Wines to Buy In 2024

Here are the finest Barsac bottles that all wine lovers should experience!

1. 1929 Chateau Climens
2. 1904 Chateau Coutet
3. 1990 Denis Dubourdieu Chateau Doisy-Daene L'Extravagant de Doisy-Daene
4. 1929 Chateau Doisy Dubroca
5. 1918 Denis Dubourdieu Chateau Doisy-Daene
6. 1990 Chateau Coutet Cuvee Madame
7. 1937 Chateau Liot Haut Barsac
8. 1962 Chateau de Rolland
9. 1969 Chateau Broustet
10. 1976 Chateau Nairac

1. 1929 Chateau Climens, Sauternes - Barsac, France ($2,027)

Made exclusively from Semillon, this sweet Bordeaux wine has notes of bitter orange, candied fruits, and almond. It has a mango flavor, crisp acidity, and high sugar content - thanks to the botrytis cinerea-affected grapes.

2. 1904 Chateau Coutet, Sauternes - Barsac, France ($1,149)

This sweet wine from the Bordeaux region comes with tasting notes of pineapple and bitter orange.

3. 1990 Denis Dubourdieu Chateau Doisy-Daene L'Extravagant de Doisy-Daene, Sauternes - Barsac, France ($800)

This is a dry white wine with refreshing acidity. On the nose, it gives off marmalade, candied fruits, pickled fruit, almond, and mango.

4. 1929 Chateau Doisy Dubroca, Sauternes - Barsac, France ($644)

This sweet wine has the tasting notes of apricot and citrus fruit. On the palate, it expresses botrytis characteristics found in most Sauternes Chateaux wines.

5. 1918 Denis Dubourdieu Chateau Doisy-Daene, Sauternes - Barsac, France ($634)

This sweet white wine has honey, exotic flowers, and marmalade notes. On the palate, it offers a citrus fruit flavor and brilliant freshness.

6. 1990 Château Coutet Cuvee Madame, Sauternes - Barsac, France ($618)

This Château Coutet dessert wine has crisp acidity and remarkable freshness. On the nose, this Bordeaux sweet wine has citrus fruit and tropical fruit aromas.

7. 1937 Chateau Liot Haut Barsac, Sauternes - Barsac, France ($380)

Wine lovers admire this dry white wine for its honey, apricot, mango, marmalade, and bitter orange notes. On the palate, this Bordeaux wine has a stone fruit flavor.

8. 1962 Chateau de Rolland, Sauternes - Barsac, France ($246)

The 1962 Chateau de Rolland dessert wine expresses luscious botrytis notes. This sweet white wine has tropical fruit, pineapple, and citrus fruit tasting notes.

9. 1969 Chateau Broustet, Sauternes - Barsac, France ($171)

Made from the Semillon grape, this dry white wine has apricot and tropical fruit flavors. On the nose, this sweet Bordeaux wine has notes of exotic flowers.

10. 1976 Chateau Nairac, Sauternes - Barsac, France ($160)

This Bordeaux wine has refreshing acidity and candied fruits flavors. On the nose, this sweet white wine has exotic flowers and mango aromas.

Are Barsac wines investment-worthy?

Investing In Barsac Wines

These white wines are not only admired by critics but also show brilliant price appreciation. Between 2019 and 2020, the 1904 Château Coutet grew by 31% - from $882 to $1,154.

Also, at a 2021 Sotheby’s auction, a 4-bottle lot of the 1906 Château Coutet was sold for $7,230 - competing with the top Sauternes labels.

Post 2000 vintages of Chateau Climens wines have scored no less than 95 points from critic Robert Parker.

Now, if you’d like to invest in Barsac and other fine white or red wine bottles, you should do it through a reputable wine investment company like Vinovest.

Let’s also look at how Barsac wines are different from Sauternes. 

Barsac And Sauternes: What Are The Differences?

1. The Barsac commune is located within the Sauternes appellation - an area in the Bordeaux region with over 2,000 hectares under vine.
2. Barsac winemakers have their own Barsac appellation. A Barsac producer could also use the Sauternes AOC label on their Bordeaux wines.
3. The Sauternes appellation wines are made from grapes affected by botrytis cinerea (noble rot.) Botrytis results from the morning mist formed by the Garonne and Ciron rivers. It makes the grapes partially raisined, resulting in wines with high sugar and complexity. 

Although Barsac and Sauternes wines are made from Semillon grapes affected by noble rot, a Sauternes wine is usually full-bodied and has higher residual sugar than Barsac.

1. Barsac wines are light, spicy, and acidic, with notes of honey and apricot. Meanwhile, Sauternes wines are bold with moderate acidity and notes of lemon and nuts.

Invest In A Luscious Barsac Wine

The sweet Barsac wine pairs well with your favorite desserts and has incredible investment potential.

If you want to invest in one, check out the Vinovest website to discover how you can easily buy, store, and sell authentic wine bottles like these from across the globe.