Rosemary George MW, Regional Chair for NZ at the Decanter Worl Wine Awards - writes in May 2010 about Clos Henri in an article about Marborough wines:
"At Clos Henri, developed by Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume producer Henri Bourgeois, you can sense the European background. So far Bourgeois is the only grower from the Loire to extend his horizons as far as New Zealand. A young Frenchman, Damien Yvon, makes the wine here. Bourgeois spent 10 years looking for a site in Marlborough, after rejecting possibilities elsewhere in New Zealand. As you'd expect from a French grower, he took the issue of terroir seriously, carrying out soil profiles to find something similar to Sancerre. Eventually he chose a 110Ha plot , with three different soils - two clay and one stony. Yvon took me up to a spot above the vineyards, and pointed out the fault line that runs through the middle of them, dividing the stone and clay soils. Vines are planted n narrow rows, minimal irrigation is used and grass is allowed to grow between the vines, to retain a level of stress. Above all, they are looking for minerality.
'The Bourgeois family is not keen on varietal character', observed Yvon, who is adamant that Sauvignon Blanc must be tamed. 'You must control the vigour, and pick when everything is ripe, to avoid greenness.' [...] Yvon strives for purity and finess, and skin contact can result in coarse tannins."
"Clos Henri Sauvignon Blanc 2008: 4 stars (17)
Discreet and mineral, with a firm, stony nose, and a hint of oak that fills out the palate, giving a rounded finish. Lovely minerality: textured and elegant mouthfeel. Now-2011."
You can find our wines in London in top end gastronomy restaurants and in Boutique wine shops such as:
- Wimbledon Wine Cellars Chiswick / Imperial Wharf / Wimbledon
- Handford's
- City Beverage
...
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