The Bourgeois family has been growing Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir in France's Sancerre region for some 10 generations. Twenty years ago, the family decided they wanted to own a vineyard in the New World. They visited and researched vineyards in California, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, and finally selected New Zealand's Marlborough region for both its climate and terroir.
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| From left to right: Arnaud, Lionel, Jean-Marie, Jean-Christophe. The Bourgeois family in front of their Sancerre vineyard Les Monts Damnes |
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| Stony soil profile |
After an extensive study of the soils on today's Clos Henri property, the family was sure of the quality of this pristine land free of all chemicals and of the quality of the soils characteristics for sauvignon blanc and pinot noir most specifically. The estate is composed of a hill site of rich and heavy clay soil and of a plain divided in sandy clay soil and stony soil. One of the odd particularity of the plain on the estate, is that it is split very clearly by a sismic fault. This fault is one of the major ones that created the South Island of New Zealand. It has distinctively created two separate soil types (clay and stones or gravel), and different ground levels on the transversale on the estate.
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| Sauvignon blanc on stony soils called 'Greywacke' |
The vineyard has been totally planted in high density, going from 2 to 3 times the average density of plantation of Marlborough. For the family, this was a major factor when they bought the vineyard to produce quality wines. They actually had to buy bare land, as none of the vineyards for sale were in high enough density. Vigours are important in the region, and without competition between the vines, without the creation of stress, the vines would tend to produce too much leaves and fruit, and the fruit would struggle to ripen and eventually wouldn't express the nature of the terroir at all.
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| Young vines plantation |
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| Arnaud Bourgeois showing the high density - 4400 to 6600 vines depending on the blocks |
At Clos Henri, the focus is made on producing wines that express the essence of the terroir and the natural characteristics of this chosen piece of land. Respect of the natural balance of the plants is sought, to enable us to create wines of great purity, elegance, true expression of Marlborough and complexity. If you have already tried our wines, you will recognise that they are very different from a typical Marlborough sauvignon blanc or pinot noir. This is first of all due to our vineyard management, and to our winemaking technics strongly inspired by our Sancerre roots.
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| The Clos Henri Vineyard church Ste Solange welcomes the cellar door visitors |
