Chénas

Chénas owes its name, etymologically, to an oak forest that once covered its hills. By a widely repeated account, a royal ordinance of 1316 issued by Philippe V le Long had the oaks of the Montagne de Rémont uprooted and replaced by vines. Another telling has the forests cleared first by the Gallo-Romans and then by local monks on the order of Philip V of France, and a local legend credits a man from Liguria who arrived hauling a load of vines and felled the oaks to plant them. Vines have been grown between the Mâconnais and the Lyonnais since the 1st century, and from the end of the 15th century the Lyon bourgeoisie, enriched by silk and banking, developed viticulture. The wine has been renowned since the 17th century; INAO records that Louis XIII considered it the "seul vin digne d’être invité à sa table", which earned it the reputation of a "vin de pouvoir". In the 18th century Burgundian wine merchants carried the wines of Chénas to Paris, and around the 19th century they were sold in the north of France and exported to England. The decree of 11 September 1936 recognised the AOC for part of the commune of Chénas, and the delimited area extended onto the neighbouring slopes of La Chapelle-de-Guinchay from 1945. About forty producers founded the cooperative cellar, housed since 1934 in an outbuilding of the Château des Michauds in Chénas, which vinifies nearly 25% of the appellation's volume. Chénas also has a 16th-century vaulted cellar, one of the largest in the Beaujolais.

• Name traced to an oak forest (chênes) that once covered the hills
• A royal ordinance of 1316 from Philippe V le Long is widely cited for replacing the oaks with vines
• Renowned since the 17th century; Louis XIII considered it the only wine worthy of his table
• AOC recognised by the decree of 11 September 1936; La Chapelle-de-Guinchay slopes added from 1945
• Cooperative cellar housed since 1934 at the Château des Michauds, vinifying nearly 25% of the appellation's volume

The geographic area lies in the north of the Beaujolais vineyard, 60 kilometres north of Lyon, between Villefranche-sur-Saône and Mâcon. It sits on the eastern flanks of the northern Monts du Beaujolais, 15 kilometres southwest of Mâcon and 25 kilometres north of Villefranche-sur-Saône, mainly on the eastern flank of the Montagne de Rémont (510 metres) and on terraces overlooking the Saône plain. From north to south the ten crus run Saint-Amour, Juliénas, Chénas, Moulin-à-Vent, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgon, Régnié, Côte de Brouilly and Brouilly; Chénas lies just to the north of Moulin-à-Vent, and the village of Chénas itself sits within the Moulin-à-Vent appellation. The landscape is steep to the west, where sometimes abrupt slopes overlook the valley of the Mauvaise and the village of Chénas, and gentler to the east on the piedmont. The subsoil is weathered granite cut by veins of quartz and manganese, surfacing as arène (coarse sand from the breakdown of granite) or as rounded blocks; to the east, on gentler slopes, spreads of deposits and old terraces mask the granite and extend into La Chapelle-de-Guinchay. The soils are mainly siliceous, impregnated with iron oxide and acidic; on the granite they are sandy and known locally as grès or gore, on the terraces gravel mixes with the sand, and they are always well drained. By share, granite accounts for 47% of the appellation's soils and piedmont deposits for 49%. Delimited parcels sit mainly between 210 and 380 metres and face northeast, east and south. In 2010 the vineyard covered 242 hectares, with average annual production of 7,600 hectolitres from 289 producers, and 25% to 30% of production is sold directly at the property. Aux Bois Retour, Les Brureaux, En Rémont, Les Journets and Les Gandelins are among the most-claimed lieux-dits. The ODG recognised by INAO is the Union des Crus du Beaujolais, based in Fleurie.

• Parcels mainly between 210 and 380 metres, facing northeast, east and south
• West: steep slopes of weathered granite with quartz and manganese veins; sandy soils known locally as grès or gore
• East: deposits and old terraces masking the granite, with gravel mixed into the sand, extending into La Chapelle-de-Guinchay
• Soil breakdown: granite 47%, piedmont deposits 49%

The climate is a degraded oceanic one subject to continental and southern influences, with summer heat and rainfall peaks in autumn and spring. The marked summer heat often lasts into autumn, and this contrasted climate is beneficial for the vine. The Monts du Beaujolais shelter the vineyard from westerly winds, and the foehn effect they generate dries the ocean air, increasing brightness and reducing rainfall, while the wide Saône valley optimises light interception and moderates temperature differences. The slopes, open to the Saône plain, mostly escape spring frosts and morning fog and drain excess rainwater quickly, and the vines, facing northeast, east and south, enjoy mild temperatures from dawn under the first rays of the sun.

• Degraded oceanic climate with continental and southern influences
• Rainfall peaks in autumn and spring; summer heat often lasts into autumn
• The Monts du Beaujolais shelter the vines from westerly winds; their foehn effect dries the air and reduces rainfall
• Slopes mostly escape spring frosts and morning fog, and drain excess rainwater quickly

The appellation is reserved for still red wines. Gamay is the principal grape; Aligoté, Chardonnay and Melon are accessory varieties allowed only when interplanted among the vines, limited to 15% in total within each parcel, and vinified together with the Gamay. Expect an intense garnet red, often floral and fruity on the nose, with fruit that tends to evolve toward spicy aromas with age, and a tender, generous palate that balances power and elegance. Soil shapes the style: the gravelly, sandy terrace soils, mostly in La Chapelle-de-Guinchay, give supple, fruity wines, while the granite-sand slopes of Chénas give fuller, more structured ones. Notes of small black fruit, peony and spice over mellow tannins are typical, and the cru is often called "a bouquet of flowers in a velvet basket". Andy Howard MW, writing in Decanter on the 2018 vintage, found "Quite full-bodied, earthy wines with more tannins evident", balanced by floral notes of rose and iris. Many producers immerse the grapes in the juice during fermentation, and maceration often lasts more than 10 days. The 2022 rules set a minimum sugar content of 180 grams per litre of must and a minimum natural alcohol of 10.5%, caps total alcohol at 13% after enrichment, fixes the yield at 56 hl/ha with a rendement butoir of 61 hl/ha, bans irrigation and the use of wood pieces, and requires ageing until at least 15 January after the harvest, with sale to consumers from 1 February.

• Still red wines only; principal grape Gamay
• Aligoté, Chardonnay and Melon allowed only interplanted, at most 15% of each parcel, vinified with the Gamay
• Terrace soils give supple, fruity wines; the granite slopes of Chénas give fuller, more structured ones
• Rules (2022 text): minimum natural alcohol 10.5%, at most 13% total after enrichment, yield 56 hl/ha, rendement butoir 61 hl/ha
• Ageing until at least 15 January after the harvest; sale to consumers from 1 February

Primary sources (INAO and Inter Beaujolais): https://extranet.inao.gouv.fr/fichier/PNO-CDCCh%C3%A9nas-CN221130.pdf, https://www.inao.gouv.fr/produit/chenas-ou-chenas-cru-du-beaujolais-18181, https://www.beaujolais.com/en/appellation/chenas/, https://www.beaujolais.com/appellation/chenas/, https://www.beaujolais.com/en/visit/the-beaujolais-wine-route/, https://www.beaujolais.com/en/legal-notice/. Secondary sources: https://www.decanter.com/premium/beaujolais-top-scoring-st-amour-regnie-julienas-and-chenas-2018-wines-455349/, https://www.decanter.com/premium/cru-beaujolais-2022-panel-tasting-results-553081/, https://www.decanter.com/wine/regional-profile-moulin-a-vent-celebrates-its-centenary-530852/. Last verified 2026-10-05