"Intense, brilliant color. Superb, rich, fine aromas of black fruit and spices with a floral mouthfeel. Racy, dense, juicy, long and harmonious on the palate. And there's no mistaking the price..." (Burgundy Today, April 2018)
Features
Estate
Pascal Aufranc
Cuvée
Vignes de 1939
Vintage
2016
Designation
Chénas
Region
Beaujolais
Grape varieties
100% Gamay
Terroirs
75-year-old vines, very sandy granite soil, west-facing, lieu-dit "En Rémont".
Viticulture
Integrated pest management
Harvest
At optimum maturity
Winemaking
Vatting time 8 to 10 days
Breeding
6 to 8 months in vats
Alcohol content
12,5%
Tasting & pairing
Eye
Ruby red with bluish highlights
Nose
Black fruits, spices, floral
Mouth
Voluminous but delicate, with fruitiness
Serve
between 13° and 15°C
Drink from
2018
Drink before
2020
Food and wine pairing
A perfect accompaniment to charcuterie, hare terrine or hare à la Royale...
Pascal Aufranc
Chénas
Expert opinion
Bettane & Desseauve
Rated (2018 guide) 15.5/20 (Very good wine)
Domain rated (guide 2023) 2*Stars (A serious and recommendable production, but a little more regular and homogeneous than the previous one)
About the wine:
Floral, peppery nose, fresh palate, excellent, harmonious finish, immediate pleasure.
About the domain :
Pascal Aufranc began his winegrowing career with just 1.6 hectares on the sloping hillside of En-Rémont, 350 meters above sea level. It was here that he renovated an old farmhouse amidst vines planted in the 1930s. Surrounded by oak trees (the name Chénas comes from the woods planted before the vines), these vines now form the estate's vineyard: 10 hectares, including 7 in Juliénas, 2 in Chénas and 1 in Fleurie. This green setting, out of sight but from which you can see everything, gives birth to wines with a rich, spicy texture perfectly balanced by their granite origins. The 2016s are a success, especially the estate's flagship cuvée, probus. In 2017, enthusiasts will prefer the Chénas and Fleurie crus.
Bourgogne Aujourd'hui
Wine rated (guide 2018) 17,5/ 20
Domain rated Safe Value
About the wine:
Intense, brilliant color. Superb, rich, fine aromas of black fruits and spices, with a floral touch. Racy, dense, juicy, long and harmonious on the palate. And there's no mistaking the price...
About the domain :
Pascal Aufranc started in the business in 1993, and our tasting of old vintages in this issue shows that he's been making excellent wines for a long time. His estate covers 9.5 hectares, half Chénas, half Juliénas. The two spearheads of the domaine achieve the "best" rating of the 2013s in their respective appellations. His Chénas Vigne de 1939 (year of planting), on pure pink granite, comes from two parcels next to the estate (lieu-dit Rémont) for a total of two hectares. The wine is dense, but undoubtedly a little finer, more coated than the Cuvée Probus. The latter is "Juliénas extract", with a robust, structured wine for ageing, made from 50-55 year-old vines and three parcels in the Les Crots and En Capitans climats on sandy-loam soils. Both wines are vinified in the same way, in whole bunches, "à la beaujolaise" and in toasted vats; a wooden grid placed over the grapes keeps them submerged under the juice. As for the Juliénas Les Cerisiers cuvée, it's anything but a faire-valoir. The vines may be a little younger and the macerations a little shorter, but it remains a fleshy, dense Juliénas. "There's fruit, but not just fruit," explains Pascal Aufranc (5 vintages awarded Bourgogne Aujourd'hui).
Wine Enthusiast
Domain rated Recommended (Wine producer recommended by Wine Enthusiast)
James Suckling
Domain Rated Recommended
Customer reviews
Customer rating
4/5
on 5 reviews
Note and review by Mme LAURENCE C. Published on 12/09/2018
Good wine
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Note and review by M. FLORIAN C. Published on 16/12/2019
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Note and review by M. LUC G. Published on 24/06/2018
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Note and review by M. PASCAL H. Published on 22/06/2018
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Note and review by M. JEAN PIERRE A. Published on 25/05/2018
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