Barsac

Table of Contents

The AOC Barsac takes its name from the town of Barsac and its stone walled vineyards lie on the left bank and at the mouth of the Ciron, a small tributary of the Garonne. Barsac has an ancient past and Roman roots – there are the remains of an old Roman road leading off from the Via Aquitana (Narbonne to Bordeaux) and several terracotta vases of Imperial coins dating from the time of the Emperor Aurelian (214 – 275 AD) have been found in the area. It's thought that the name Barsac stems from Barsus, the name of a Roman lord who may have had a villa there – most towns in the region take their names in this manner (Floriac, Gauriac, Preignac, Pauillac are areas once belonging to former Gallo Roman lords). The appendage “ac” may come from the from the abbreviation of the Latin word "aqua", used to designate the towns located on the river front.

Some historians claim that the Moors encamped near the town of Barsac in the 8th century at the mouth of the river Ciron. The Moors invaded Aquitaine between 721 – 732 as they ventured into territory north of the Pyrenees. Their first defeat at the hands of the Franks was delivered by Odo, the Duke of Aquitaine, who rescued the city of Toulouse from a desperate siege in 721. The Moors were so severely defeated in this action that they did not make another attempt to invade France for ten years.

When a new Moorish governor came to power in 730 however, he raised another army and invaded France in 732, took the city of Bordeaux by storm, and obliterated Odo's army of Franks at the battle of Garonne River. Odo escaped and sought the help of Charles Martel, the hero of the battle of Tours. This battle, which is considered one of the most significant in western history, was very hard fought and was reputed to have lasted for several days, but ended in a complete victory for the Christians and the death of the Moorish commander.

Barsac, although small, has always been an important town, it was the seat of the Royal Provost from the 13th century onwards, and noble families such as the La Lande, Budos, Albret and in the 14th century the Bowetts of English origin, were appointed by the King. There are plenty of relics from bygone days throughout the vineyards - Pope Clement V and King Henry IV left castles there and ancient yellow sandstone mills, bridges, wells, fountains and dovecotes are dotted throughout the Ciron valley.

Barsac can also use the name Sauternes on their wines (Sauternes consists of 5 communes, Barsac, Sauternes, Bommes, Fargues and Preignac). While all 5 communes are permitted to use the name Sauternes, the Barsac region is also permitted to label their wines under the Barsac appellation. The terroir at Barsac is different to its more famous neighbour, Sauternes, in that it is made up of a red, sandy alluvial limestone base with pebbles and fossils. The sweet wines often have a characteristic deep mentholated nose with flavours of honey, white peach, almond, oriental spices and mango or pineapple, as well as dried apricots or even toasted bread and vanilla.

In 1855, Napoleon III commissioned the producers of Bordeaux to develop a ranking of the Bordeaux wine regions' wineries for the Exposition Universelle. The châteaux of Sauternes and Barsac were considered separately from the wineries of the Médoc. The rankings were based on reputation and the current prices of the wines from the various estates. There are three levels: Premier Cru Supérieur, Premiers Crus and Deuxièmes Crus. Château d'Yquem is the only Sauternes winery classified as a Premier Cru Supérieur. There are 11 Premiers Crus and 15 Deuxièmes Crus. The Barsac commune has the most classified estates with 10, followed by Bommes and Sauternes with 6 each, Fargues with 3 and Preignac with 2.

Barsac Premiers Crus

Château Coutet
Chateau Climens

Barsac Deuxièmes Crus

Château Myrat
Château Doisy Dubroca
Château Doisy Daëne
Château Doisy Védrines
Château Broustet
Château Nairac
Château Caillou
Château Suau

The histories of some of the châteaux reflect Barsac's turbulent past - Château Coutet is one of the oldest estates in Barsac and dates back at least to the 13th century. The name comes from a word for “knife”. The estate acted as a military centre in the 100 Years War. Centuries later Coutet's owner Gabriel Barthélémy Romain de Filhot, met his end by the guillotine in 1794, falling foul of the French Revolution. The owner of Château Dudon, Jean Baptiste Dudon, was guillotined in front of Barsac's church in November 1793 as he remained faithful to the King - despite of the payment of an outrageous ransom demanded to save his neck. (If you are interested in learning more about the Premier Cru Château Climens check out my blog Chateau Climens and the Lurton Family.)

However there is a lighter note to end Barsac's story on – a little known secret of Sauternes was an attempt back in the 1870s to make Sparkling Sauternes. Messrs. Normandin and Co called in the Champagne experts and several châteaux even won ribbons in 1877. Encouraged, no doubt, by the success obtained by Messrs Normandin and Co with their Sparkling Sauternes, the house of Lermat Robert and Co of Bordeaux, introduced a Sparkling Barsac, samples of which were submitted to the jury at the Paris Exhibition of 1878. Apparently the experiment was not a lasting success and the mysterious Sparkling Barsac has been wiped from the history books – which is probably for the best . . . as the sweet Bordeaux they produce nowadays is some of the most sought after around the globe.