Barsac, important sweet white wine appellation in bordeaux on the left bank of the River garonne just over the climatologically important cool river Ciron from the even bigger and more famous sauternes appellation. All wines produced within Barsac are also entitled to use the appellation Sauternes (although the reverse is not the case). In 2013 just over 400 ha/1,000 acres of vineyard were declared as producing wine for the Barsac appellation, only a quarter the area declared for Sauternes. It is traditionally said that the wines of Barsac are slightly lighter than those of Sauternes, perhaps because the soils are more marked by sand and limestone, and because the land is flatter, but much depends on individual properties and winemaking policies too. For more detail of viticultural and winemaking practices, see sauternes. Some of the finest current achievers within the Barsac appellation are Chx Climens, Coutet, and Doisy-Daëne. See also the Barsac properties included in the Sauternes classification.
