I Had a Sauternes dessert wine last night and was curious about it, so I looked up Sauternes today. Turns out Sauternes wine gets it’s unique flavor from damage to the grapes caused by a fungus. The fungus makes the grapes raisin prematurely, increasing the amount of sugar in the grapes. Read more on wikipedia. Sauternes is very similar to Muscat, but has a milder flavor and bouquet. Great with fruit desserts such as pear tarts.
I also found this nice map on French wine regions.