Jane Eyre Fleurie ‘Labourons’ 2023

When Jane saw the order of wines for the masterclass (we had in store) she surprised us by moving the Labourons from the start of the reds to the end of the French bracket. Normally you’d position any beaujolais at the start of the red bracket given their nature to be floral and on the lighter bodied side. However there was no doubt it was the right choice as the Labourons absolutely jumped out of the glass with dark roses and both red and black fruits on the nose alongside spices from the 60% Whole Bunch. Aged in oak and concrete eggs and from 100 year old vines my initial impression was that this is a more serious and Burgundian in style Beaujolais without the jubey fruit character you see from carbonic maceration in Beaujolais. A thoroughly enjoyable wine full of energy, a real surprise packet. Delightful. Cameron Roebuck, FWC.

Medium purple colour, this is packed with crunchy red fruits along with floral aromas of rose with a hint of spice. Good acidity on the palate. The wine has good weight without being heavy and finishes with fine tannins, intense but not dramatically weighty. A more accessible wine than the 2022. The barrel aging has given the wine an edge more usually associated with Pinot than Gamay. This wine can be drunk now or enjoy watching the evolution as it ages and changes in the cellar. Drink 2025-2035. Jane Eyre.