Chénas 2016
Stéphane Aviron
Terroir: The Stéphane Aviron Chénas is produced very vines that average over 100 years old, ranging in plantation from 1900 to 1923. Stéphane Aviron has been producing wines from this incredible 13.6-acre parcel since 1993. The soil is light and made up mostly of sand and small pebbles over a layer of clay and quartz. The old vines and poor soils combine for incredibly low yields and highly concentrated grapes.
Vinification: The Chénas is vinified using traditional methods using whole bunches.. The must is macerated for seven days in temperature controlled stainless steel vats. The wine is aged for 12 months in cement tank to maintain to purity of the fruit.
Additional Information
Dark black cherry color with purple. Deep, ripe aromas of black cherry with a hint of black pepper. Very good weight; fleshy and round, very soft and harmonious. Delicious now or could be kept a few years.
Technical Details
- Appellation: Chenas
- Winemaker: Stéphane Aviron
- Sustainability: Biodynamic Practices
- Soil: Sand, clay, quartz pebbles
- Vineyard Acreage: 13.6 acres
- Avg Vine Age: 100+ years
- Alcohol: 13.5%
- Sizes Available: 750ml
- Pack Size: 12/750ml
- Varietals: 100% Gamay
Recent Press
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Score: 92 Points
Vinous Author: Josh Raynolds
Date: Thursday, October 10, 2019"Shimmering purple. Aromas of fresh dark fruits, incense, candied rose and smoky minerals, along with a baking spice nuance in the background. Fleshy and impressively concentrated, offering sweet black raspberry and boysenberry flavors that tighten up steadily on the back half. Shows appealing energy and finishes spicy and very long, with repeating minerality and dusty tannins sneaking in late. When they say "Vieilles Vignes," they mean it - the vines are reportedly over 100 years old." -
Score: 89 Points
The Wine Advocate Author: William Kelley
Date: Saturday, September 22, 2018"One of the more open-knit wines in Aviron's portfolio, the 2016 Chénas Vieilles Vignes reveals notes of strawberry, licorice and red fruit compote, followed by a juicy, medium-bodied palate." -
Score: 90 Points
Wine Review Online Author: Michael Apstein
Date: Friday, April 6, 2018Stphane Aviron makes wines from many of the crus of Beaujolais, the ten villages that have the potential to produce distinctive wines that stand apart from those labeled Beaujolais or Beaujolais-Villages. (Indeed, wines from these villages rarely put Beaujolais on the label.) One of the things I love about his wines is their transparency, which is to say, the possibility of seeing through the grape variety he uses to the place where he grows them. Take this Chnas, the smallest of the 10 crus, for example. Characteristic of the wines from that village, its meaty and bold with an ever so slightly charming rustic texture. Its an excellent choice for a hearty slow-simmered stew.
