Gamay
Biodynamic, Sustainable, Vegan-Friendly, Volcanic
Dry
Medium Bodied
750ml
13% alc./vol

Stéphane Aviron Chénas AOP 2022

Beaujolais, France

91 points (2021) - Wine Align

$27.95per bottle ($335.40per case)
12 bottles per case

Soft & Peppery

Stéphane Aviron can be considered a pioneer is his approach to winemaking in Beaujolais, however he would just tell you that he’s simply returning to the traditional practices that have always made fantastic Gamay wines. Sustainable viticulture, extremely old vines and classic Burgundian techniques.

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.

Stéphane Aviron strives for a style that is elegant and fine in the Chénas without too much concentration. The wine is very drinkable. With his subtle approach to winemaking, the terroir is able to express itself very clearly and precisely. Dark black cherry colour 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 aged for several years.

About the Winery

Stéphane Aviron

Stéphane Aviron can be considered a pioneer in his approach to winemaking in Beaujolais, however he would just tell you that he’s simply returning to the traditional practices that have always made fantastic Gamay wines. Sustainable viticulture, extremely old vines and classic Burgundian techniques. He focuses on the Beaujolais village crus, all but forgotten gems of vineyards when the nouveau craze took over, which are the best sites for unique, expressive and terroir driven wines. All of the fruit is sourced from old vines (40+ years), so seeing Vieilles Vignes on the label is a rite of passage, not a privilege. Authenticity and a distinctly Beaujolais style of winemaking is what sets Stéphane apart from the rest.

Press Reviews

Wine Align

91 points (2021) - David Lawrason

From one of the smallest cru of Beaujolais, this shows good complexity with lovely rose-like florality, cherry-pomegranate fruit and a touch of pepper. It is light to medium bodied, firm and well balanced with juicy acidity and negligible tannin. There is some granitic minerality and herbality on the finish. More going on here than in the average Beaujolais. Tasted April 2023

89 points (2021) - Michael Godel

If 2020 offered up a firm, “brindille” and even leafy example of Chénas then this ’21 takes it even further. Not an easy vintage to produce gamay in Beaujolais and so the green notes are exaggerated this time around, with both eucalyptus and purple ramp skin in the mix. This smells just like a wet and emerging April forest where wild edibles and succulents are all trying to unearth themselves from the compost. If a Beaujolais vintage could be considered idiosyncratic then 2021 would be it. A most intriguing gamay - bit of an acquired taste to be had. Drink 2023-2025. Tasted April 2023.