Tasted with Jane Eyre in Bligny-lès-Beaune, 23 June 2018.

Maison Jane Eyre
Château de Bligny
14 Grande rue
21200 Bligny-lès-Beaune

Jane Eyre (last year) on 2017:
“It wasn’t so hard to get grapes in 2017. What has been hard is for a domaine in the last years, to do all that work and then have no fruit at the end. But (for example) in Nuits where they haven’t had problems the prices have anyway gone up and up, and up… Fixed price contracts are exactly that, the same prices as the last years – everyone is hoping the the main contract pricing will come down of-course – we are all waiting for that! Actually I’ve more cuvees coming in 2017, with the help of returning wines and another from Beaujolais – a Chénas. In 2017 I’ve 45 barrels instead of 35 in 2016, though plenty of that is Beaujolais, almost the half.”

Just to recap; Jane started in 2011 in Beaune, then the year after moved to premises in Meursault with some help from Dominique Lafon. She was there for 5 vintages before moving to Château de Bligny with Lafon and Pierre Murgey. The château concept seems to have been a success as there are now 10 different traders making wine there.

The wines…

Save a couple from bottle at the end, all the wines were tasted from barrel, the malos having long-since finished. Jane generally bottles in December following a couple of months assembled in tank. The 2016 Gevrey 1er wasn’t ready so was assembled 2 months later.

Jane seems to capture ‘deliciousness’ in her wines – it’s easy to see in 2017

2017 Côte de Nuits villages
Vines in Comblanchien – only 2.5 barrels in 2016, but 7 in 2017 – this cuvée has one component that is biodynamic.
A big, broad and open nose – overt if faintly reductive. All destemmed, with air gaining in perfume and freshness in the glass. Wide, supple, juicy wine of lovely depth. A delicious wine.

2017 Gevrey-Chambertin
Two parcels, both on the hill rather than the plain.
Open, faintly saline red fruit, less overt than the cdnv. Big, fresh attack, a little well-covered structure. Another juicy wine, here with a hint of astringence in the finish, but as an attractive counterpoint, not a demerit… the last drops have a lovely floral note.

2017 Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Aux Vergelesses
Like previous wines this gets better and better with aeration – red berries, but with very attractive complexity. Fresh, open, juicy again, complex, not particularly concentrated yet with excellent persistence in the finish.

2017 Corton-Marechaudes
Narrower nose, deep too, with a floral lift – this got 40% whole bunch – the only one, with elevage in 2 year old oak. Sleek, concentrated, a wine with great line. Widening in the finish. Supple and lovely finishing, really holding a great note and with a faint texture of tannin.

A couple of Hospices wine for a client so not for sale by Jane – but they were good!

2017 Hospices de Beaune, Pommard 1er
More wood but just another complexity to the nose. Fresher, more line, more chocolate in the finish. Just another somply delicious wine…

2017 Chénas
Plan to bottle very soon – all destemmed with a laborious triage to remove hail damaged fruit.
Quite a reductive nose. Ooh, lots of volume, a little spritz. This is so deep – great depth of dark-fruited flavour – almost a suggestion of creaminess in the finish.

2016 Fleurie
50% whole bunch
Hmm, floral almost pyrazine – very open. Supple, widening, nicely structured. Juicy wine, widening over the palate with lots of finishing impact. Not the weight of the last – can drink this much more easily – and quicker!

2016 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Les Corbeaux
1/3 new oak
Lots of creamy oak on the nose, but a vibrant fruit behind. A wine that widens and widens on the palate. A baseline in tannin, supple, fresh and wide. Vibrant finishing too. Wait 5 years for this or enjoy the oak now – its delicious but today marked…