Pascal Aufranc - Chénas En Rémont (ex cuvée Vignes de 1939) 2020

Bettane & Desseauve

About wine:

True to its terroir with a noticeable granite minerality, this is a straightforward, lively wine that will appeal to lovers of thirst-quenching Gamays.

About the estate:

Pascal Aufranc began his career as a winemaker with just 1.6 hectares, located on the steep hill of En-Rémont, at an altitude of 350 meters. It was here that he renovated an old farmhouse surrounded by vines planted in the 1930s. These vines, surrounded by oak trees (the name Chénas comes from these woods 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 green setting, hidden from view but offering panoramic views, produces rich, spicy wines that are perfectly balanced by their granitic origins. The 2016 vintage is a success, particularly the estate's flagship cuvée, Probus. In 2017, wine lovers will prefer the Chénas and Fleurie vintages.

Bourgogne Aujourd'hui

About wine:

Intense, brilliant color. Complex, precise aromas of cherries and sweet spices. Structured on the palate, with fresh fruitiness, firm tannins, and good length. The wine is still closed, dense, taut, and promising!

About the estate:

Pascal Aufranc started out in the business in 1993, and our tasting of old vintages presented in this issue shows that he has been producing excellent wines for a long time. His estate covers 9.5 hectares, half in Chénas and half in Juliénas. The estate's two flagship wines obtained the "best" rating for 2013 in their respective appellations. His Chénas Vigne de 1939 (year of planting), on pure pink granite, comes from two plots next to the estate (known as Rémont) covering a total of two hectares. The wine is dense, but undoubtedly a little finer and more rounded than the Probus cuvée. The latter is the "essence of Juliénas," a robust wine, structured for aging, from 50-55-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 bunches, "à la beaujolaise" and in toasted vats; a wooden grid placed over the grapes keeps them submerged in the juice. As for the Juliénas Les Cerisiers cuvée, it is anything but a showcase wine. The vines may be a little younger and the maceration periods a little shorter, but it is still a full-bodied, dense Juliénas. "There is fruit, but not only fruit," explains Pascal Aufranc. (5 vintages awarded by Bourgogne Aujourd'hui)

Wine Enthusiast

About wine:

This fragrant wine comes from vines planted in 1939. It shows great depth, with black cherry fruit and spices blending with the structure to give maturity. Drink from 2023 onwards.

James Suckling

About wine:

It would be easy to mistake it for a northern Rhône wine, due to its salty character and raw meat notes. But with a little aeration, notes of ripe plum and violet also emerge. Concentrated, with a multitude of fine tannins wrapped in velvet on the powerful and concentrated palate. The finish is very mineral and tannic. Drink now, but best from 2024 onwards.