Aux Clous is a Premier Cru site in Savigny-Lès-Beaune, Burgundy. The name references "Clos", meaning a plot that has a stone wall all around it's outer edges, and this site is likely to have been known as Clos de la Chapelle in the past.
The vineyard is small, just two hectares, or less than 5 acres. Juliette and Carole have two parcels, one with 40 to 60 year old vines in the middle of the slope and the other with younger vines at the base. They use only the older vines for their Aux Clous. The entire estate is certified organic.
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. (Domaine Louis Chenu Père et Filles)
Situating Aux Clous within Savigny-Lès-Beaune and the Côte d'Or
The village of Savigny-Lès-Beaune sits north of the city of Beaune in a small, amphitheater-shaped valley on both sides of the small Rhoin river. The shape of the valley as well as the forests that sit above the vines contribute cool winds that help deter excessive heat, keeping the wines fresh and bright. Hillside vineyards on both sides of the river are included in the village's twenty-two Premier Cru sites The area is part of the sub-appellation called the Côte de Beaune in Burgundy's larger Côte d'Or region.
Aux Clous is the first vineyard to the south of Savigny-Lès-Beaune at the base of the hill that starts to turn east towards the hills of Pernand-Vergelesses and Corton.
"The Vines face South and are spread out from 250 to 340 meters. The majority of the vineyards are classified as Savigny-Lès-Beaune Premier Cru. The climats Aux Guettes, Aux Clous, and Aux Serpentières are the most famous representatives of this area. Essentially red, the wines have a pleasant freshness that evokes strawberry, raspberry, but also blackberry and peony, giving them an appreciable texture." Jean-Pierre Renard, from the text of his detailed video created by the École des Vins de Bourgogne,
Tasting Notes and Reviews for Aux Clous from Louis Chenu Père et Filles:
2018 Aux Clous, 91/100: Wine Enthusiast: Notes of black cherry are rich and full on the nose of this wine. The palate wraps the black cherry in ripe but brushing tannins, adding the slightest edge of cocoa. This is rounded, generous but toned with a lovely intensity of fruit. Anne Krebiehl MW
