A.O.C./A.O.P.
this growth takes its name from the oak trees that were the area’s original inhabitants. The appellation extends over Chénas and La-Chapelle-de-Guinchay in the Rhône and Saône-et-Loire departments. Situated between Juliénas and Saint-Amour in the north and Moulin-à-Vent in the south, it is one of Beaujolais’ smallest growths. The greater part of the appellation overlooks the Mauvaise valley. Due to the area’s microclimate, the grapes are harvested earlier than in other parts of the region. In the upper reaches of the appellation, the soils are granite and as they descend towards the valley floor the ground turns into clay silica. The surface soil is littered with stones and as a whole the soils are meagre and light. Fact: the local co-operative winery produces roughly half of total output.
Grape varieties: Vins rouges : gamay
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Chenas has a deep hue and floral fragrances, predominantly peony, rose and violet. As it ages, it sometimes develops spicy, woody notes. The wines have bouquet, they are soft, fleshy, voluptuous and warm. They have elegant, long-lasting tannins which mellow with age. They exude a more marked bouquet than Juliénas and tend to be more similar in style to Moulin-à-Vent. Their average cellar life is 5 to 8 years. La-Chapelle-de-Guinchay tends to produce softer wines. An expression often used to describe them is of ‘bunches of flowers resting on a basket of velvet’. They deserve to be paired with roasted red meats, meat served with a sauce, quail, pigeons with peas, cheeses, veal cutlets with chestnuts…
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