Why it matters
The producer
Domaine Cheysson works the steep granite hillsides of Chiroubles, a Beaujolais appellation where Gamay is the central red grape. The estate was founded in 1868 as a family property, while Émile Cheysson acquired it in 1870. Its 26 hectares support a range that reaches beyond red Chiroubles, yet the cru remains the estate's main red expression.
The modern domaine is operated by Jean-Pierre Large, a Beaujolais vigneron from Morgon who has been responsible for the property since 1988. His presence places a named grower at the centre of a vineyard shaped by altitude, granite and difficult slopes. Those physical facts appear in the work and in the wines: hand harvesting, aromatic freshness and Gamay with a light, perfumed feel.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Chiroubles sits high in Beaujolais, with vineyards around 400 metres above sea level and slopes that require manual harvesting. The altitude is linked to aromatic freshness and pristine fruit, while the steep terrain keeps vineyard work close to the shape of each hillside. On a label, Chiroubles identifies the red wine's appellation and its place within the Beaujolais cru landscape.
Gamay is the grape that carries this place most clearly. In the glass, the combination of high slopes and granite is associated with redcurrant, wild strawberry and sour cherry, rather than a broad, heavy style. The wider range adds Beaujolais whites and rosés, while Crémant de Bourgogne brings a sparkling wine from the broader Burgundy appellation.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
The domaine farms Gamay with reasoned, low-intervention methods and harvests by hand. On steep slopes, manual picking is necessary, so the grapes are gathered from terrain that cannot be treated as flat, uniform vineyard ground. The vineyard work supports a red wine built around bright fruit, perfume and a lighter feel.
The wines age in a preserved cellar dating from the 17th century. Naturally tempered conditions maintain a stable environment for storage and ageing, giving the wines a cool physical setting after harvest. The cellar is still part of the working property, linking the handling of current cuvées to a building that predates the Cheysson family name.
Wines to know
The range in view
Seven cuvées make up the range. Chiroubles reds provide the main Gamay expression, led by Chiroubles Cuvée Tradition, a red wine that is bright, fruity and perfumed. Its fruit profile runs through redcurrant, wild strawberry and sour cherry, followed by a sleek, delicious texture.
Crémant de Bourgogne adds a sparkling style made from 80 percent Chardonnay and 20 percent Aligoté, bottled at 12. 5 percent alcohol.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Choose Chiroubles Cuvée Tradition first. It is the estate's red Gamay cuvée from steep, high-altitude granite vineyards, hand harvested and aged in the preserved 17th-century cellar. The bottle puts the estate's central ingredients in one place: hillside fruit, aromatic freshness, red-fruit perfume and a sleek finish.