Pascal Aufranc - Juliénas Probus 2015

Bettane & Desseauve

About the wine:

Harmonious wine, very fine tannins, great length. Lots of unity. A fine wine.

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:

Pascal Aufranc once again gets top marks for his outstanding "Probus" cuvée. Aromas of flowers (peony, rose) and black fruit. The wine is very, very rich, but without an ounce of heaviness or excess, retaining instead great finesse and purity. A great wine!

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).

Guide Hachette des vins

About the wine:

Vinified from whole bunches of grapes, then aged partly in barrel (30%) for twelve months, this cuvée is a tribute to the Roman emperor Probus, who is said to have introduced Gamay to the Beaujolais region. Its balance between fruit and wood, between power and finesse, makes it an outstanding Julienas, with silky, long-lasting tannins.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

Wine Enthusiast

James Suckling