Jane Dunkley, an Aussie by birth, grew up on a farm in Western Australia and knew that she wanted to involved in agriculture in some way. In this context, she earned a Bachelor of Applied Science degree from Charles Sturt University in 2010, after completing her high school education at Presbyterian Ladies’ College in Perth. Following graduation, she was the winemaker at Willow Bridge Estate in Western Australian until mid-2014. While at Willow Bridge, Jane held a Fall position in 2011 as consulting enologist with Araldica Vini in the Piemonte region of Italy. She then worked the Fall 2014 harvest at Bonny Doon Vineyard in Santa Cruz, CA. Throughout this post-graduation period, she was the consultant winemaker for Green Door Wines in Western Australia.

Jane ultimately relocated to the U.S., becoming the winemaker for Bonny Doon in mid-2015. Two years later, she joined E. & J. Gallo Winery as winemaker, working at several of its wineries in the Central Valley region. After nearly five years with Gallo, she accepted the position of winemaker with the Bezel brand of Cakebread Cellars in Paso Robles.

Remarking about her philosophy of winemaking, Jane says, “[It] is so often driven by intuition because you need to trust and have confidence in your senses. The more experience one has, the more highly tuned those senses and, thus, intuition are . . . Even in the vineyards, you have to be proactive rather than reactive. If you’re reacting, you’re probably behind, and it can be hard to catch up.”

Her winemaking style is a composite of new-world, modern innovation, and terroir-focused reverence. With this in mind, Jane is crafting Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon for Bezel.