Chénas
Styles
Principal grape varieties
Accessory grape varieties
Terroir
Natural factors
- The subsoil is composed of weathered granites cut through by quartz and manganese veins, outcropping as grus or rounded boulders.
- The soils are mainly siliceous, impregnated with iron oxide, with an acidic reaction, and are known locally as 'grès' or 'gore' on the granitic formations.
- The geographical zone extends mainly across the eastern flank of the Montagne de Rémont, which reaches a peak altitude of 510 metres, and across terraces overlooking the Saône plain.
- The delimited parcels are situated mainly at altitudes between 210 and 380 metres, on hillsides that ensure effective drainage of rainwater.
- The Monts du Beaujolais provide shelter from westerly winds and generate a foehn effect that dries out the oceanic air, increasing luminosity and reducing rainfall.
- The appellation area faces north-east, overlooking the valley of the Mauvaise, a tributary of the Saône, and is the smallest of the ten village appellations of Beaujolais. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)
Human factors
- A royal ordinance of 1316 attributed to Philippe V le Long is said to have ordered the uprooting of the oak trees on the Montagne de Rémont so that vines could be planted there.
- The vines are trained as gobelet with a high planting density and short spur pruning, and the maceration period frequently exceeds ten days.
Product characteristics
- The wines display a deep, intense garnet-red colour.
- The nose often reveals floral and fruity notes that evolve towards spiced aromas with age, while the palate combines softness, generosity, power, and elegance.
Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.
About this boundary
On the map, at overview zooms, this appellation is drawn as a silhouette of its vineyard generalised at 250 m from the INAO parcel delimitation; the parcels themselves appear as you zoom in.
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