Pascal Aufranc - Chénas En Rémont Vignes de 1939 - 2018

Bettane & Desseauve

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

About the wine:

Made from 70-year-old vines, this cuvée remains unflappably at the top of the cru. 15,000 wonderful bottles of this Chénas have been produced. Deep garnet-red aromas of fresh black fruits, spices... Concentrated, velvety, gourmand, pure palate with a Rhodanian touch and great length. Best score of the tasting 18/20.

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

James Suckling