Chénas

INAO's cahier des charges says Chénas owes its name, etymologically, to an oak forest that once covered its hills, and that many sources report that, following a royal ordinance of 1316 issued by Philippe V le Long, the oaks of the Montagne de Rémont were uprooted to be replaced by vines. Inter Beaujolais says the forests were cleared by the Gallo-Romans and then by local monks by order of Philip V of France, and also recounts a local legend of a man from Liguria who felled the oaks to plant his vines (as of 2026). The cahier cites Suzanne Blanchet's book Les vins de Bourgogne for vine growing between the Mâconnais and the Lyonnais since the 1st century, and says the Lyon bourgeoisie, enriched by silk and banking, developed viticulture from the end of the 15th century. According to INAO, the wine has been renowned since the 17th century, and 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, the cahier says, 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. The cahier adds that 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; INAO describes its 16th-century vaulted cellar as one of the largest in the Beaujolais.

• Name traced to an oak forest (chênes) that once covered the hills (INAO)
• Royal ordinance of 1316 from Philippe V le Long cited for replacing the oaks with vines (INAO cahier des charges)
• Louis XIII considered it the only wine worthy of his table, according to INAO
• AOC recognised by the decree of 11 September 1936; La Chapelle-de-Guinchay slopes added from 1945

INAO places the geographic area in the north of the Beaujolais vineyard, 60 kilometres north of Lyon, between Villefranche-sur-Saône and Mâcon. Its cahier des charges (2022 text) puts the zone 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. 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. Delimited parcels sit mainly between 210 and 380 metres and face northeast, east and south. Inter Beaujolais gives a soil breakdown of granite 47% and piedmont deposits 49% (as of 2026). It lists the ten crus from north to south as Saint-Amour, Juliénas, Chénas, Moulin-à-Vent, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgon, Régnié, Côte de Brouilly and Brouilly, and Decanter's Andy Howard MW notes in a 2024 report that Chénas lies just to the north of Moulin-à-Vent and that the village of Chénas is situated within the Moulin-à-Vent appellation. On scale, INAO's cahier des charges gives 242 hectares, average annual production of 7,600 hectolitres and 289 producers for 2010, with 25% to 30% of production sold directly at the property. Andy Howard MW gives 237 hectares in Decanter's report on the 2018 vintage and 250 hectares in the 2024 report. Inter Beaujolais gives a surface area of 250 hectares on its English page and a harvested area of 220 hectares on its French page, says more than 120 vignerons work the appellation, and names Aux Bois Retour, Les Brureaux, En Rémont, Les Journets and Les Gandelins among the most-claimed lieux-dits (as of 2026). 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 (INAO cahier des charges, 2022 text)
• 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
• Inter Beaujolais soil breakdown: granite 47%, piedmont deposits 49% (as of 2026)

INAO's cahier des charges describes a degraded oceanic climate subject to continental and southern influences, with summer heat and rainfall peaks in autumn and spring. It says the marked summer heat often lasts into autumn and calls this contrasted climate 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. According to the cahier, 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 (INAO cahier des charges)
• 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 (INAO cahier des charges)

INAO's cahier des charges (2022 text) reserves the appellation 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. INAO describes an intense garnet red wine, often floral and fruity on the nose, with fruit that evolves toward spicy aromas with age, tender and generous on the palate with a balance between power and elegance. The cahier links the gravelly, sandy terrace soils, mostly in La Chapelle-de-Guinchay, to supple, fruity wines, and the granite-sand slopes of Chénas to fuller, more structured ones. Inter Beaujolais lists notes of small black fruit, peony and spices with mellow tannins, and says this cru is often described as "a bouquet of flowers in a velvet basket" (as of 2026). In Decanter's report on the 2018 vintage, Andy Howard MW describes "Quite full-bodied, earthy wines with more tannins evident", balanced by floral notes of rose and iris. Many producers, the cahier says, immerse the grapes in the juice during fermentation, with maceration often lasting more than 10 days. The same 2022 text sets 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 (INAO cahier des charges)
• 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 (INAO cahier des charges)
• Rules (INAO 2022 text): minimum natural alcohol 10.5%, at most 13% total after enrichment, yield 56 hl/ha, rendement butoir 61 hl/ha

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 2026-09-24