Tasted with Pascal Aufranc, in Chénas, 19 February 2024.
Domaine Pascal Aufranc
890 chemin de Rémont
69840 Chénas
Tel: +33 4 74 04 47 95
Domaine Instagram
www.pascal-aufranc.com
More reports with Domaine Pascal Aufranc
Pascal on 2023 & 2022:
“23 – yes we made a bit more than in 22 – not a lot – but what freshness the wines have for a warm vintage. I’m really happy with the 22s though too – much more complexity after the lighter 21s. The last bottling was about October 23 but the rest more than 6 months ago and the Pinot Gris is long sold – I don’t have a bottle. The market went well at the end of the year though January was – slow – but often is.”
The wines…
As every year – even the difficult 2021s – a lovely range. This year his Juliénas were outstanding!
2022 Chénas Naturellement
All vinifications without sulfur and also none at bottling – zero added sulfur. This mainly the younger vines of the domaine – about 25-27 years-old.
Plenty of colour. An airy if not that communicative nose today – but clean. Really good scale in the mouth coupled with plenty of concentration. The flavours are accented with some spice but also florals. Certainly a generous wine given the concentration but also one that’s well-balanced. Small finishing bitters at the end – give it 12 months but that’s a lovely wine with a finishing floral perfume yum!
2022 Chénas En Rémont
The old vines from the domaine, a grill used in the fermentation tank.
Also scale, this time showing some extra precision of darker fruit. Large in the mouth – less generosity despite obviously more concentration. Here framed by some ultra-fine-grained tannin with a hint of dryness and finishing bitters. Keep this 1-2 years but it really is very long and eventually also shows a little finishing floral character.
‘We quit the granite and arrive here in the clays’
A direct nose with some floral perfume again – not so wide at the start though. Fluid, concentrated – lots of scale – Ooh – this is a great wine – also better if you can keep your hands off of it for a couple of years!
2022 Juliénas Probus
The parcels of Crots, Capitains with an addition from Les Chers above the village with a blue-stone soil. All the elevage in cement eggs from Bordeaux that mimic the oxygen transportation of barrels. Wax sealed.
A broader nose, faintly floral but also with a textural impression. Mouth-filling with a concentrated core of flavour framed with a small faintly dry grain of tannin. Today a little more complex than the last but with less fluid and accessible flavour. Wait at least 2 years for this while drinking the previous wine – your patience will be rewarded!!
And for the road?
2020 Chénas En Rémont
Ooh – that’s open! A clarity of dark red fruit – of good scale and becoming floral too! Ultra complex, quite direct but such is the concentration that the width is also a given. So intense finishing it’s begging for a little more cellar time – yet – it’s also very delicious and just so open too so that it would be hard not to drink these already at the weekend! Still finishing with bitters but more modest and chocolatey today. What a really excellent and concentrated wine!