Ste-Croix-du-Mont, most important of the sweet white wine appellations on the right bank of the garonne in the bordeaux region. At their best, these wines can be early-maturing answers to the wines made across the river in sauternes and barsac, being high in alcohol, sugar, and concentration. But prices are considerably lower, so production techniques are generally slacker. The topography and soil structure of Ste-Croix-du-Mont’s 380 ha/939 acres of vineyards are more promising than those of its right-bank neighbours loupiac and cadillac, for some of the vineyards here are on gravel slopes well situated for the development of noble rot. An increasing number of producers are prepared to take the risks necessary to produce botrytized wines, and barrel fermentation, such as introduced for the prestige cuvées of Chx des Arroucats, La Rame, and du Mont, is becoming increasingly common (see sauternes for details). Some very ordinary, sugary moelleux is also made, however.
