Jane Eyre - Australia & Burgundy

The 2023 Santenay is sourced from a new parcel in 2023. It was interesting reading the notes on the 2022 and the fruit was in the lemon and citrus spectrum. The 2023 vintage together with a more exposed site showed a more prominent white nectarine and white peach profile sitting alongside some nutty and praline notes on the nose. On the palate there’s a very attractive mineral undertow with very good mid palate stuffing. There’s excellent length and some interplay tension between the fruit and acidity, a wine that’s enjoyable out of the gate but would be worth putting down for a few years to see its development. Cameron Roebuck, FWC.

This year sees a change of supplier. The wine is a blend of several parcels coming from the Chassagne side of Santenay. This sees a richer style than the previous 2 vintages. Fermented in various sized barrels and a Clayver. 25% new oak. Still holding notes of lemon along with white peaches. More full bodied than the Bourgogne Blanc with a long finish. Drink 2024-2035. Jane Eyre. 

An ethereal Pinot Noir, full of bright lifted raspberries and strawberries, very light on its feet, fine and elegant. You can see Jane’s style in this wine with that femininity, soft with some spice from the use of 20% whole bunch and barrel toasting. Cameron Roebuck, FWC.

Medium garnet in colour. This year the wine is open and approachable. Aromas of raspberries and strawberry supported by the spice of the barrel. Medium bodied, lots of crunchy, bright fruit flavours that are more red than black. Touch of cedar, medium bodied with fine, but firm tannins on the finish. This wine is more open at this stage than the 2022. Enjoy now until 2030. Jane Eyre. 

My favourite wine of the night. 20% whole bunch. Lovely perfumed red fruit with red cherry the most evident. Delicious, dry and savoury. Great structure with fine elongated spice and fine tannin. From other producers this is along lived wine – goes on and on – greatest length and finesse of all the wines. Ian Cook, FWC.

"Three barrels. Very pale in colour, yet magnificently fragrant. 20% whole bunch vinification only. This is really gorgeous in its light fragrant style, with the drier finish typical of a stemmy approach. Tasted Dec 2024. 91 points, Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy.

"A fine brisk ruby, lively red fruit, on the raspberry strawberry cusp. The fruit builds very nicely across the mid palate, just a little youthful bitterness, some crunchy fruit at the back, very elegant finish. Tasted Dec 2024. 91 points, Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy.

Always very seductive! Packed with sweet, generous notes of blackberries and cherries alongside a spicy edge. The palate has typically Gevrey cherry flavours finishing with fine, silky tannins. This year, this wine will benefit from a few years in the cellar before drinking.  Jane Eyre. 

Super elegant with fine red fruits with savoury light brown spices, faint orange rind and a touch of herb. Pretty complex at this young age. Excellent acidity lending freshness to the palate. It goes on and on. Mornington pinot is often quite fruit sweet – this one avoids that without having to give up it’s cherry scented nose. Elegant and delicious. Ian Cook.

“Light garnet colour. Raspberries and orange rind with hints of spice on the nose are followed up with a savoury palate of dried herbs. Good acidity and fine, grippy tannins to finish.” – Bentley Wine Co. 

"From vines around 30 years old; native-yeast ferment with 20% whole bunches; matured in French oak (20% new) for 10 months. This is the most compressed of the Australian pinot trio, playing a little more savoury presently. Sour cherries, cranberries, lightly earthy with brown spices, the tannins reinforcing the savoury impression. Like the other two wines in this release, that balance of refined fruit purity and natural structure is artfully handled, the extraction à point. This just needs a little longer to show all its charms." 95 Points, Marcus Ellis, Halliday Wine Companion.

A very bright, light purple. Perfumed and pretty with aromas of spiced strawberries, a little raspberry, blood orange and floral notes. Light to medium bodied, with good persistence and ripe, silky, and persistent tannins. It’s good now but it’s structured enough to warrant 5-7 years in the cellar.” Philip Rich.

"On my first visit I tried the two components separately and the blend, which I preferred then, confirmed again on retasting in bottle subsequently. The Arvelets on its own was on the under-ripe side while the Clos Blanc need a touch more energy. The blend is much better than either because the Clos Blanc fills out the middle while the Arvelets gives the class of Jane Eyre’s style. No more than ruby in colour, with very perfumed alpine strawberries, with some extra weight behind. Indeed, this muscles up quite nicely at the back. Tasted Dec 2024. 92 points, Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy.

New wine, no new oak, 15% whole bunch. Medium ruby in colour, with dark cherries, pot puri and musk notes on the nose. On the palate the dark rustic fruit has medium bodied weight with good persistence. I felt overall it was a touch shy to reveal itself and would definitely benefit from some medium term cellaring to show at its absolute best. Ian Cook, FWC.

The colour is dark ruby. The nose reveals notes of cherry, dusty roses and spice. On the palate, the wine has flavours of cherries and spice that leads into elegant, lingering tannins. Drink 2026-2036. Jane Eyre. 

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.