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Appellation · France

Chénas

The smallest of the ten crus, adjoining Moulin-à-Vent and making a slightly softer version of it.

Chénas AOCcontinentalmoderate
What to expect in the glass

Medium-bodied red with dark fruit, floral lift and moderate tannin. Drink at two to six years.

About Chénas

Chénas is the smallest cru by area and shares a slope with Moulin-à-Vent, whose reputation has largely eclipsed it.

The wines are structured and floral, a little softer than their neighbour, and among the least expensive of the crus.

What the name means

Legal name
Chénas AOC
Type
Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée / Protégée (AOC / AOP)
Set by
INAO
Regulates
Origin, plus grape varieties, maximum yields, minimum ageing.

The delimited area, permitted varieties, maximum yields, minimum alcohol, pruning and training methods, and in many cases minimum ageing. Administered by INAO.

Grapes

Wines from here

red

Cru Beaujolais

Gamay from the ten named granite hills — structured, mineral and ageworthy, and nothing like Beaujolais Nouveau.

Rules worth knowing

Confirmed in the EU register

Chénas is registered as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), file number PDO-FR-A1029, protected at EU level since 1973.

Article 107 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013

Specification published: Offcial Journal C, C/2025/2242, 10.4.2025 · Official Journal

Only the rules that change what to expect in the glass or on the label. WineHQ does not reproduce production specifications, and each entry carries the date it was last checked because appellation rules change.

The designation is confirmed above. WineHQ has not read this appellation’s production specification, so it publishes no yields, ageing minima or permitted-variety lists for it — those come from the document linked above, not from a summary of it.

What to eat, and how to serve it

Derived from this region’s signature styles. Each is listed separately, because a region does not have one serving temperature.

Cru Beaujolais

Serve at 14–16°C (cellar cool).

Try with turkey, sausage and mash or vegetarian dishes.

Where to go next

Places worth trying if you like this one — neighbours, rivals, and the obvious step across.

  • Moulin-à-Vent — The most powerful and longest-lived Beaujolais cru, named after a windmill and grown on manganese-rich granite.
  • Juliénas — A northern cru on mixed granite and schist, making sturdy, spicy wines with a firm edge.

Sources

Sources consulted