Wine · Blenheim, Marlborough
Clos Henri
A Sancerre family's organic, dry-farmed outpost in Marlborough's Wairau Valley.
- Founded
- 2000
- Founded by
- Jean-Marie and Rémi Bourgeois
- Based in
- Blenheim, Marlborough
Making it since
2000
Their story
Clos Henri belongs to the Bourgeois family, who have grown vines in Chavignol, in France's Sancerre, since the late 1600s. Brothers Jean-Marie and Rémi Bourgeois spent about twelve years looking for a second home for the family's winemaking before settling on bare land in the southern foothills of Marlborough's Wairau Valley.
They bought the property in 2000, started planting that season, and named the estate after their father, Henri. Loire-born Damien Yvon has run the vineyard and cellar for close to two decades, and the next Bourgeois generation, Arnaud, Lionel and Jean-Christophe, now leads both the Sancerre and New Zealand sides of the business.
Pinot Noir is one of the estate's two main grapes, alongside Sauvignon Blanc.
How it's made
The Wairau Fault cuts through the estate, leaving three distinct soils: glacial stones and two types of clay. The vines are certified organic by BioGro, farmed with biodynamic practices, planted at roughly twice the usual Marlborough density, and grown without irrigation. In the cellar the team works with stainless steel and large oak, long lees contact and little sulfur.
Why we carry them
We like Clos Henri for showing a quieter side of Marlborough, with a French family's restraint in a New Zealand bottle. The Pinot Noir is a good one to open for anyone who thinks they know what Kiwi wine tastes like.
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