Clos Henri

The Bourgeois family has farmed vines in Chavignol, Sancerre since 1696, with ten unbroken generations of Loire Valley winemaking culminating in the modern Domaine Henri Bourgeois established by Henri Bourgeois in the 1950s. His sons Jean-Marie and Rémi joined the family business in the 1960s, expanding the Sancerre estate to seventy-two hectares across the Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé appellations and building it into one of the Loire's most respected Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir houses. In the late 1980s the brothers began a twelve-year 'Great Search' to identify a second home for the family's craft, evaluating sites across Australia, Chile, South Africa, and the United States before landing in Marlborough in 2000. They purchased 98 hectares of unplanted land in the southern foothills of the Wairau Valley that year, named the new estate Clos Henri in honour of their father, and planted the first vines beginning in the 2000-2001 season. An additional 11 hectares were added in 2007, bringing the total to 110. The next generation, Arnaud, Lionel, and Jean-Christophe Bourgeois, are now leading the family's Sancerre and Marlborough operations.

• Bourgeois family roots in Chavignol, Sancerre trace to 1696; ten generations of Loire Valley winemaking
• Modern Domaine Henri Bourgeois built by Henri Bourgeois in the 1950s; sons Jean-Marie and Rémi joined in the 1960s and led the international expansion
• Twelve-year global terroir search (late 1980s to 2000) evaluated sites in Australia, Chile, South Africa, and the United States before landing in Marlborough
• Initial 98 hectares purchased 2000; 11 additional hectares added 2007; current generation Arnaud, Lionel, and Jean-Christophe Bourgeois now lead the family

Clos Henri sits at the convergence of two distinct geological ages, split by the Wairau Fault line that runs directly through the property and creates an unusual diversity of terroir within a single enclosed estate. The fault separates Otira glacial stones laid down during the Pleistocene glaciations from windblown clays of the Waimaunga formation, producing three identifiable soil types: Otira river stones favoured for Sauvignon Blanc fermented to deliver mineral finesse and balance; Broadbridge clay, a windblown reddish-brown loam that gives Sauvignon Blanc its textural weight and Pinot Noir its structure; and Wither clay, the windblown grey clay that produces the estate's most intense and generous fruit expressions. The southern foothill site receives intense Marlborough sunlight and long dry growing seasons, with the additional elevation and aspect of the Richmond Ranges shaping ripening relative to the valley floor. The property is dry-farmed without irrigation across all 44 planted hectares, with rainfall and stored soil moisture supporting the high-density vines and contributing to lower yields, greater root depth, and more concentrated fruit.

• Wairau Fault line bisects the 110-hectare estate, creating two distinct geological ages within a single enclosed property
• Three soil types: Otira glacial stones (mineral finesse), Broadbridge clay (textural weight), Wither clay (intensity and generosity)
• Southern foothill site with elevation and aspect from the Richmond Ranges shapes ripening compared with the Wairau Valley floor
• Dry-farmed without irrigation across all 44 planted hectares; deeper roots and lower yields drive concentration

Clos Henri achieved BioGro New Zealand organic certification from the 2013 vintage, completing a multi-year conversion that had been planned from the early days of vineyard establishment. The estate is a member of Marlborough Natural Winegrowers and layers biodynamic practices on top of its certified organic viticulture, treating the property as a single living entity managed through compost preparations, permanent native cover crops, undervine mulching, and lunar-calendar timing of key vineyard operations. The vine density of 5,500 plants per hectare is approximately double the Marlborough regional average of 2,500 to 3,000, a deliberate Sancerre-informed choice that increases per-vine competition for water and nutrients, decreases yield per vine, and concentrates flavour and aromatic intensity in the fruit. The combination of dry farming, high density, organic conversion, and biodynamic preparations produces vineyard blocks that look and behave differently from neighbouring Marlborough sites and feed directly into the estate's textural, lower-impact winemaking style.

• BioGro New Zealand organic certification from the 2013 vintage; member of Marlborough Natural Winegrowers
• Biodynamic practices layered atop certified organic viticulture: compost preparations, permanent cover crops, undervine mulching, lunar timing
• 5,500 vines per hectare is roughly double the Marlborough regional average of 2,500 to 3,000 vines per hectare
• High density plus dry farming concentrates flavour and aromatic intensity by increasing per-vine competition and reducing yield per vine

Damien Yvon, originally from Chinon in the Loire Valley, has served as General Manager, Winemaker, and Vineyard Manager for nearly twenty years, bringing a Sancerre-trained sensibility to Marlborough fruit. His winemaking is deliberately low-intervention: ambient and selected yeast fermentations in stainless steel and large-format oak, extended lees contact for textural development, minimal sulphur, and reductive handling that preserves aromatic precision rather than amplifying primary fruit. The result is a Sauvignon Blanc style that sits noticeably apart from mainstream Marlborough: the typical passionfruit and gooseberry character is dialled back in favour of citrus pith, nettle, wet stone, and a flinty mineral finish that consciously echoes Sancerre. Pinot Noir is fermented with whole bunch fractions varying by block, aged in French oak with a modest proportion of new barrels, and bottled to express the same restraint and structure rather than overt fruit. The flagship Clos Henri Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir sit alongside Petit Clos as the value entry tier, Bel Echo as a single-block expression, and Solange Methode Traditionnelle (named for Henri Bourgeois' wife) as the estate's traditional-method sparkling.

• Damien Yvon (from Chinon, Loire Valley) leads winemaking, vineyard, and general management; tenure approaching twenty years
• Low-intervention winemaking: ambient and selected yeast, stainless and large-format oak, extended lees, minimal sulphur, reductive handling
• Style consciously restrained versus mainstream Marlborough: citrus pith, nettle, wet stone, and flinty minerality replace tropical fruit dominance
• Range tiers from Petit Clos (entry) through flagship Clos Henri Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir to Bel Echo single block and Solange Methode Traditionnelle

The estate's distinctive visual identity centres on the Sainte Solange chapel, a small wooden chapel relocated to the Clos Henri property in 2003 and now serving as the estate's tasting room and the iconic image on every Clos Henri label. The chapel is named for Solange, the wife of Henri Bourgeois, and the small parcels of Pinot Noir planted within the chapel's view supply fruit for the Solange Methode Traditionnelle, the estate's traditional-method sparkling honouring her memory. The cellar door is open to visitors year-round and sits within walking distance of the winery, the vines, and the family's accommodation, embodying the estate's literal interpretation of the word clos: in the Burgundian tradition, a clos is an enclosed vineyard where every element of production lives within a single defined boundary, and Clos Henri's 110-hectare property qualifies in both name and practice. The chapel image also reinforces the Sancerre-to-Marlborough through-line: a French sacred structure on a New Zealand property planted by a French family to two French varieties.

• Sainte Solange chapel relocated to the property in 2003; serves as the estate tasting room and appears on every Clos Henri label
• Chapel named for Solange Bourgeois, wife of Henri Bourgeois; Pinot Noir planted within the chapel's view feeds the Solange Methode Traditionnelle sparkling
• Cellar door open year-round; estate accommodation and Okay2Stay programme welcome visitors on the working property
• Qualifies as a true 'clos' in the Burgundian sense: vines, winery, cellar door, and accommodation all within a single enclosed boundary