Chénas

🇫🇷 France

AOC Ultra-rare

Cru 1936 - The smallest and most elusive Cru, 240 hectares of age-worthy wines favored by kings

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Region profile

History

Named for the oak forests (chênes) that once blanketed these hills. Philippe V's royal edict of 1316 ordered the ancient oaks felled for vineyards. The Château Bonnet estate was founded in 1630 by the Perrachon family, who still own it 400 years later - their holdings now exceed half the entire AOC. At the court of Louis XIII (reigned 1610-1643), royal physicians prescribed Chénas wines for their "restorative properties," and the king became so devoted he allegedly refused other wines.

Climate
Slopes of Mont Remont at 250-400m; pink granite with sandy decomposed rock creating excellent drainage; cooler microclimate than neighboring Moulin-à-Vent
Signature wines
Château Bonnet Chénas Vieilles Vignes - Perrachon family's 400-year estate, 50-year-old vines on pink granite, the definitive expression of this tiny appellation
What sets it apart
One family (Perrachon at Château Bonnet) controls over half the entire appellation; the only Beaujolais Cru allowing white grape blending; rarest Cru to find in shops

Facts

  • 240 hectares (smallest Cru by area and production)
  • Château Bonnet estate alone owns over 50% of the entire appellation
  • King Louis XIII's physician prescribed Chénas as medicine - the king reportedly drank only this wine
  • AOC September 1936

Region profile from the Wine Memories wine-data corpus · verified January 2026