Clos Henri

The Bourgeois family, with ten generations of winemaking in Sancerre, began searching internationally for a second home for their craft in the late 1980s. After twelve years and numerous sites evaluated worldwide, Rémi and Jean-Marie Bourgeois established Clos Henri in the Wairau Valley in 2000. The winery building was completed in 2009, with the first vintage released that same year. In 2003, the historic Sainte Solange Chapel was relocated to the vineyard property, where it now serves as the estate's tasting room.

• 12-year global search preceded the 2000 founding
• Famille Bourgeois has 10 generations of winemaking heritage in Sancerre, France
• Sainte Solange Chapel relocated to the property in 2003 as the tasting room
• Winery constructed and first vintage produced in 2009

The estate covers 110 hectares in the southern foothills of the Wairau Valley, with 44 hectares under vine. The Wairau Fault line runs directly through the property, creating a notable diversity of terroir within a single enclosed estate. Three distinct soil types are present: Wither Clay, Broadbridge Clay, and Greywacke River Stone. The climate delivers intense sunlight and long, dry growing seasons, well suited to the estate's dry farming philosophy. No irrigation is used anywhere on the property.

• Wairau Fault line bisects the estate, generating distinct internal terroirs
• Three soil types: Wither Clay, Broadbridge Clay, and Greywacke River Stone
• Intense sunlight and long dry growing seasons characterize the site
• Dry farming with zero irrigation across all 44 planted hectares

Clos Henri earned BioGro organic certification in 2013 and layers biodynamic practices on top of its certified organic viticulture. The estate is a member of Marlborough Natural Winegrowers, reflecting its commitment to sustainable and low-intervention farming. Vine density is set at 5,500 plants per hectare, approximately double the Marlborough regional average, a deliberate choice to encourage competition between vines and produce more concentrated, complex fruit.

• BioGro organic certification achieved in 2013
• Biodynamic practices applied across the estate
• Member of Marlborough Natural Winegrowers
• 5,500 vines per hectare, roughly twice the typical Marlborough density

Winemaker Damien Yvon oversees a low-intervention approach that prioritises terroir expression above all else. Wines are produced without fining or filtration and with minimal additives. The estate grows Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, the two varieties for which Marlborough and Sancerre are respectively celebrated, drawing a clear thread between the Bourgeois family's French roots and their New Zealand ambitions. The resulting wines are described as textural and elegant rather than overtly fruit-driven.

• No fining, no filtration, and minimal additives across all wines
• Varieties planted are Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir only
• Winemaker Damien Yvon leads production
• Style prioritises texture and terroir over primary fruit expression

The name Clos Henri is not simply a brand choice. In the Burgundian tradition, a clos is a walled or enclosed vineyard where all elements of production exist within a single defined boundary. At Clos Henri, the vines, winery, and cellar door all sit together on the same enclosed 110-hectare property, making it a genuine clos in both name and practice. This integration mirrors the estate's broader philosophy of keeping the entire process, from soil to bottle, under one roof and one set of values.

• Vines, winery, and cellar door all situated on the same enclosed property
• Qualifies as a true 'clos' in the traditional Burgundian sense
• 110-hectare total property with 44 hectares under vine
• Self-contained model reinforces the estate's terroir-focused identity