Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre, originating from Gippsland, Victoria, Australia, spent her initial years as a hairdresser. During this period, her exposure to the wine industry through acquaintances cultivated a deep interest in winemaking, which led her to leave her first profession and delve into the world of wines. She began her exploration in Melbourne working for a wine merchant and subsequently journeyed through New Zealand, Germany, and multiple wine-producing regions to acquire knowledge in oenology.

Creating Maison Jane Eyre:

Post her explorations, Jane decided to settle in Beaune, Burgundy, in 2004, finding herself drawn to the rich wine traditions of the region. Here, she apprenticed under renowned winemakers like Chevrot, Thierry Matrot, Dominique Lafon, and collaborated with Chris Newman of Domaine Newman. In Burgundy, she also got opportunities to work with various wineries in Australia and New Zealand.

Robert Parker listed Clos des Papes as one of the Top 155 Producers in the World.

In 2011, with the support of a barrel from Newman, financial aid from friends, and encouragement from Benjamin Leroux with some high quality fruit, Jane established her micro-négoce and launched her first wine under her own label.

Winemaking Approach:

Jane adopts a minimal intervention approach to winemaking, focusing on producing elegant, lightly oaked wines with delicate fruit and floral characters. She specializes predominantly in Pinot Noir, ensuring that the wines maintain their inherent beauty without over-extraction, resulting in sophisticated and structured creations.

Recognition:

Jane’s contribution to the wine industry was acknowledged when she was awarded the ‘Negociant of the Year’ in 2021 by La Revue du Vin de France, marking her as the first woman and the first Australian to receive this prestigious accolades.

Vinification:

Jane’s production is notably small, even by Burgundian standards, amounting to around 20,000 bottles in favorable years. Her wines have gained recognition within Cote d’Or, Beaujolais, and Jura, focusing mainly on Pinot Noir in Burgundy, where she collaborates with like-minded industry peers and growers.

"It boasts a cool, fresh nose of strawberries, cola and tree bark, yet it's full-bodied and tannic on the palate."

WA96 by Joe Czerwinski

2017 Clos des Papes • Chateauneuf du Pape

He blends grapes from his different plots to co-ferment in large vats, after which he then re-blends in to large 20-55 hectoliter wooden foudres (casks) to mature for 15 months. New or small barrels are never used, “I like the oak to make an indirect impact – I only want tannins from the grape skins not even the pips and certainly not the stalks” says Avril. And though it may not be widely known, this domaine has been buying corks from the same producer in Portugal ever since 1926!

The wines are no doubt enticing, garnering great praise from many publications and critics such as Wine Spectator who awarded their 2005 vintage as “Wine of the Year”, stating that “in the Southern Rhône's recent trio of great vintages starting with 2003, no other Châteauneuf-du-Pape domaine has produced better wines than Clos des Papes”. But the accolades don’t stop there, as Robert Parker followed on to pronounce the 2007 vintage “the greatest Chateauneuf du Pape made since 1978 and 1990”.

We at Ginsberg+Chan are extremely proud to be the exclusive distributors of Clos des Papes, and with good volumes of both red and white back vintages too, we can ensure you a wide range of drinking windows for your cellar.