From a warmer site than Fleurie as less elevated, the fruit spent three weeks on the skins (but only in tank to preserve freshness). This flamboyant “Gamay-Chambertin”, with its very ripe, chocolatey-rich velvety nose, packed with violets and kirsch, breaks on to the palate with more of the same and a hedonistic dollop of cream and five spice. Will definitely change your perception of Beaujolais, this is bling rather than nouveau.
Melbourne-born Jane Eyre-Renard, one of the pioneers of the growing micro-negotiant movement, continues her inexorable rise with a super set of 2017s, following on from her critically lauded 2016s. Based in Burgundy since 2003 she has paid her dues at some top domaines including de Montille and Comtes Lafon and still assists the winemaking at Domaine Newman, whilst making her own wines in a facility shared with Dominique Lafon. Her wines, whether from Beaune, Nuits, or Beaujolais, display her distinctive style - charming and inviting, with supple tannins and soft but bright fruits. Gentle extraction and oaking, and early bottling means these are among the more immediately accessible Burgundies in our portfolio. Jane is rightly pleased with her wines in 2017, a vintage which she says you can really see the terroirs shine through, where hotter years can obscure both the vineyard and the level.
/Tom Harrow