Pascal Aufranc - Chénas En Rémont Vignes de 1939 - 2018

Pascal Aufranc began his career as a winemaker with just 1.6 hectares, located on the steep hillside of En-Rémont, at an elevation of 350 meters. It is here that he renovated an old farmhouse surrounded by vineyards planted in the 1930s. These vineyards, bordered by oak trees (the name “Chénas” comes from these woods, which were planted before the vines), now make up the estate’s vineyard: 10 hectares, including 7 in Juliénas, 2 in Chénas, and 1 in Fleurie. This lush, secluded setting—hidden from view yet offering a panoramic vista—produces wines with a rich, spicy body perfectly balanced by their granitic terroir. The 2016 vintages are outstanding, particularly the estate’s flagship cuvée, Probus. Connoisseurs will prefer the Chénas and Fleurie wines from 2017.

Made from 70-year-old vines, this cuvée remains firmly at the top of the cru. 15,000 wonderful bottles of this Chénas were produced. Deep garnet color, with aromas of fresh black fruits and spices... Concentrated, velvety, rich, and pure on the palate, with a “Rhône-like” character and great length. Highest score of the tasting: 18/20.

Pascal Aufranc began his career in 1993, and our tasting of old vintages featured in this issue demonstrates that he has been producing excellent wines for quite some time. His estate covers 9.5 hectares, half in Chénas and half in Juliénas. The estate’s two flagship wines received the “highest” rating among the 2013 vintages in their respective appellations. His Chénas Vigne de 1939 (the year of planting), grown on pure pink granite, comes from two plots adjacent to the estate (in the locality of Rémont), totaling two hectares. The wine is dense, though arguably a bit more refined and rounded than the Probus cuvée. The latter is the “essence of Juliénas”—a robust wine, structured for aging, made from 50- to 55-year-old vines and three plots in the Les Crots and En Capitans climats on sandy-loam soils. Both wines are vinified in the same way—using whole clusters, “à la Beaujolaise,” and in a “grilled” vat; a wooden grid placed over the grapes keeps them submerged beneath the juice. As for the Juliénas Les Cerisiers cuvée, it is anything but a mere foil. The vines may be a bit younger and the maceration periods slightly shorter, but it remains a full-bodied, dense Juliénas. “There’s fruit, but that’s not all,” explains Pascal Aufranc. (5 vintages awarded by Bourgogne Aujourd’hui)