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

Bettane & Desseauve

About the wine:

True to its terroir, with a noticeable granitic minerality, this wine is well-structured and lively—a style that will appeal to lovers of easy-drinking Gamay.

About the estate:

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 granite-based terroir. The 2016 vintage is outstanding, particularly the estate’s flagship cuvée, Probus. Connoisseurs will prefer the Chénas and Fleurie crus from the 2017 vintage.

Bourgogne Aujourd'hui

About the wine:

Intense, brilliant color. Complex, well-defined aromas of cherries and sweet spices... Well-structured on the palate, with fresh fruit, firm tannins, and a lovely finish. The wine is still closed, dense, taut, and promising!

About the estate:

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 (known as 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 toasty 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 mere foil. The vines may be a bit younger and the maceration times 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)

Wine Enthusiast

About the wine:

This aromatic wine comes from vines planted in 1939. It displays great depth, with notes of black cherry and spices blending with its structure to impart a sense of maturity. Best enjoyed starting in 2023.

James Suckling

About the wine:

It would be easy to mistake this for a Northern Rhône wine, given its salty character and raw, meaty notes. But with a little aeration, notes of ripe plum and violet also emerge. Concentrated, with a multitude of fine, velvety tannins on the powerful, concentrated palate. The finish is very mineral and tannic. Ready to drink now, but will be at its best starting in 2024.