Louis Chenu Père & Filles is a family winery in Savigny-les-Beaune, Burgundy. We have been working the vine and producing wine for five generations now. This wine is part of the family and is very dear to us. The first parcels of vineyard were bought by Louis Chenu in 1914 and today are worked by his great grandson, Louis Chenu, with the help of his wife and daughters. We are constantly aware of the importance of respecting the vineyard, the quality of the wine and providing a warm welcome for customers who visit our cellars. Juliette and Caroline have been working as a team for a number of years to strengthen and build on the quality of the wines.
Our vines are all situated in the Savigny-les-Beaune district of the Côte de Beaune. We mainly produce Savigny-les-Beaune Premiers Crus, “Aux Clous,” “Les Hauts-Jarrons,” “Les Lavières” or “Les Talmettes” wines, but also a rare white Savigny-les-Beaune Village wine.
Like all Burgundy reds, our Savigny reds come from the pinot noir grape. This grape variety was brought to Burgundy by the Cistercian monks and made compulsory in the 14th century. Like all great Burgundy whites, the white wines come from the chardonnay grape. The particularity of our vintage comes from the presence of old stocks of the pinot blanc variety (around 10%), which adds suppleness and balance to the chardonnay.
We ourselves carry out the work on the vine over the course of the seasons (pruning, burning the vine shoots, tillage, pulling back, trimming back, treatments and green harvesting), as well as the actual production of the wine (topping up, racking and fining). The harvest is done by hand. Our winemaking process is traditional: the grapes are de-stemmed, crushed, cold-macerated for a few days then stomped by foot on a daily basis. The process of fermentation is carried out naturally at low temperatures. After a period of two weeks in vats, the wines are brought to the cellar and aged over 18 months. Whenever possible, the red wines are not filtered. As for the white grapes, they are pressed immediately after being harvested and once the must has been purged, are stored in the cellar in barrels for the duration of the alcoholic fermentation process. They are filtered and bottled after a year.
Bourgogne 2020
This small vintage is made with grapes from an old vine with low yields. This pleasant wine always has an attractive intensity to it and should be drunk young.
Savigny Les Beaune Blanc 2020
The Savigny whites come from so-called “white” soil, which comprises in part of marl. Only 5% of the Savigny vineyard is made up of white grape varieties (mostly chardonnay). The most favorable ground is situated at the entrance to the village on a slightly sloping hillside facing north (Les Saucours) and at the exit of the village heading towards Bouilland on a hillside this time facing south (Les Vermots). The savigny-les-beaune white wines are well-structured, dry, quite rounded and are an attractive golden-green color. The main chardonnay variety gives the roundness, the aromas and the finesse. The pinot blanc (around 10%) provides the touch from the vine.
Savigny Les Beaune 1er Cru Aux Clous 2020
Savigny-les-Beaune 1er cru. Clous is synonymous with clos. This vineyard is cultivated at mid-slope close to the village and adjoins the cemetery. It includes different types of terrain, comprising of deep, red earth on the upper level and stony ground on the remaining three quarters. The vineyard is perfectly south facing. These very pleasant, fairly tender and pleasing wines possess a beautiful color. Less full-bodied but more precocious than the Lavières, they develop a violet fragrance and are very feminine.
Savigny Les Beaune 1er Cru Haut-Jarrons 2020
The Hauts-Jarrons (Jarrons meaning tree branches) are located in the middle of the slope under the Mont Battois hill heading towards Beaune. Their deep and sandy soil is similar to that of the Beaune-Bressandes. Likewise, the wines are more like those from Beaune than Savigny. Very full-bodied and tannic, they have good aromas but remain closed when young. They require a few years before reaching fullness and are favorable to a long ageing process.
Savigny Les Beaune 1er Cru Les Talmettes 2020
This area overlooks the Lavières. The earth is made up of sandy calcareous clay, whereas the top of the hill contains oolitic ferruginous limestone. It is one of the village’s finest wines; fruity, very fragrant, extremely delicate with a light character. As it ages it acquires a bouquet of red fruits, which is very pleasant to the palate but the color lessens over time.
Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru 'Les Lavières' 2019
The Lavières get their name from the stone found in their sub-soil, which is covered with a very fine layer of stony brown earth (30 cm). This premier cru is very fragrant when young and remains so with age, which is typical of this appellation. It makes a tender, elegant and pleasant wine when young due to its finesse. It gives off several aromas of red fruits and also violet. It remains very firm with age. As it ages, it develops a soil taste that is reminiscent of the smell of gunflint or smoke. It can easily be kept for around fifteen years.
