Sauternes is a commune of the Gironde département in France. It is also a wine region within Bordeaux that produces some of the world's finest, longest-lasting white dessert wines, as well as some dry white wine. SS Sauternes was a steamship built in 1922. ... The commune (in French: commune, word appeared in the 12th century, from Medieval Latin communia, gathering of people sharing a common life, from Latin communis, things held in common) is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. ... Gironde is a département in the southwest of France named after the Gironde Estuary. ... The départements (or departments) are administrative units of France, roughly analogous to British counties. ... The following is a list of regions where wine grapes are grown and wine is made from them. ... For the wine, see Bordeaux Wine City motto: Lilia sola regunt lunam undas castra leonem. ... Dessert wines are those wines which are typically served with dessert, although they are also drunk on their own, i. ... A glass of red wine Wine display at the Mt Markey Winery This article is about the beverage. ...

Wine

These wines are made from Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle grapes that have been affected by Botrytis cinerea, also known as noble rot. This causes grapes to become partially raisined, resulting in extremely concentrated and distinctively flavored wines, typically with an arresting golden color. Sauternes is one of the few wine regions where infection with noble rot is a frequent occurrence, due to its mesoclimate. Even so, production is a hit-or-miss proposition, with widely varying harvests from year to year. Sémillon is a golden-skinned grape used to make dry and sweet white wines, most notably in France and Australia. ... Sauvignon blanc is a white wine grape probably originating in the Bordeaux region of France that is now planted in much of the worlds winelands producing a crisp dry refreshing white varietal wine. ... Muscadelle is a white wine grape. ... Species Vitis acerifolia Vitis aestivalis Vitis amurensis Vitis arizonica Vitis x bourquina Vitis californica Vitis x champinii Vitis cinerea Vitis x doaniana Vitis girdiana Vitis labrusca Vitis x labruscana Vitis monticola Vitis mustangensis Vitis x novae-angliae Vitis palmata Vitis riparia Vitis rotundifolia Vitis rupestris Vitis shuttleworthii Vitis tiliifolia Vitis... A grey fungus, Botrytis cinerea or Botrytis, that affects wine grapes. ... Noble rot (French: La Pourriture Noble) is the benevolent form of a grey fungus, Botrytis cinerea, affecting wine grapes. ...

Wines from Sauternes, especially its flagship estate Château d'Yquem, can be very expensive, due largely to the very high cost of production. Barsac lies within Sauternes, and is entitled to use either name. Somewhat similar but less expensive and typically less-distinguished wines are produced in the neighboring regions of Monbazillac, Cérons, Loupiac and Cadillac. Château dYquem is a Premier Cru Supérieur (French, Great First Growth or Great First Vintage) wine from the Sauternes region in the southern part of Bordeaux. ... Barsac is a town on the left bank of the Garonne river in the Gironde département in south west France. ...

Sauternes is a very sweet, intense wine, and is typically not served as a table wine. It can be drunk by itself in place of dessert, with a dessert, or with rich savory foods like foie gras (the canonical pairing) or Roquefort cheese. Pâté de foie gras served picnic-style with Sauternes and bread. ... Roquefort is a flavorful ewes-milk bleu cheese from the south of France. ...