Château Guiraud is a large Sauternes property that is the only 1er Cru Classé, with the exception of its illustrious neighbour Château d`Yquem, that is located within the commune of Sauternes itself. Guiraud was owned for a short period by the Maxwell family, who invested heavily in the property, although the wines remained fairly pedestrian. In 1981 it was acquired by a Canadian, Hamilton Narby, and he has transformed Guiraud into one of the very finest Sauternes properties. Guiraud's 85 hectares of vineyards are located on one of the hills above the village of Sauternes. They are planted with 65% Sémillon and 35% Sauvignon Blanc. The grapes are harvested in ""tries"" and the juice is then fermented in oak barrels. The wine is then aged in oak casks (50% new) for 2 years. Guiraud is a very ambitious property with aspirations to produce a wine that will one day rival d`Yquem. The wines are astonishingly rich, especially in light of the high proportion of Sauvignon Blanc in the blend, and are undoubtedly amongst the finest wines being produced in Sauternes today.

The Sauternes wine region comprises five communes: Barsac, Sauternes, Bommes, Fargues and Preignac. The Barsac region is located on the west bank of the Ciron river where the tributary meets the Garonne. The area sits on an alluvial plain with sandy and limy soils, which results in a drier Barsac wine with a lighter body. In years when the noble rot does not develop, Sauternes producers will often make dry white wine under the generic Bordeaux AOC. To qualify for the Sauternes label, the wine must have a minimum 13% alcohol level and pass a tasting exam where the wine need to taste noticeably sweet.