New Zealand · Marlborough

Clos Henri

Family-owned Marlborough estate established in 2000 by the Henri Bourgeois winegrowing family of Sancerre, producing organic estate-grown Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir from one Wairau Valley property.

The producer

Clos Henri is a family-owned Marlborough estate established in 2000 by members of the Henri Bourgeois winegrowing family of Sancerre. Its 44 hectares of vines sit within a 110-hectare property in the foothills of the Wairau Valley, alongside livestock and forestry. Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir are the principal grapes, all grown on the estate.

Known for

Estate-grown Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir from three soil types, with Estate wines assembling parcels and Otira presenting a stony-soil Sauvignon Blanc.

Notable facts

The story

Damien Yvon presents the 2024 range refresh

In May 2024, general manager Damien Yvon presented a redesigned Clos Henri range after 18 years in the role. The Clos Henri label had been redeveloped around single-block wines, while new colourful labels brought the estate's organic certification and biodiversity work into view. The change gave individual blocks a clearer place on the bottles, alongside the estate's established Estate wines assembled from three soils. Clos Henri remained wholly family-owned, with no intention of purchasing grapes. The refreshed wines were bottled under DIAM closures finished with wax, adding a tactile detail to the new labels as the redesigned range was presented.

From the atlas

Clos Henri

At A Glance

Clos Henri is a family-owned Marlborough estate established in 2000 by members of the Henri Bourgeois winegrowing family of Sancerre. Its 44 hectares of vines sit within a 110-hectare property in the foothills of the Wairau Valley, alongside livestock and forestry. Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir are grown on the estate, which has held full organic certification since the 2013 harvest. [Clos Henri](https://closhenri.com/)

The Producer

Clos Henri connects Sancerre family history with a single Marlborough property. The Bourgeois family describes its winegrowing experience as extending beyond 200 years, while the New Zealand estate has been farmed since 2000. Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir are the principal grapes, so the range moves between Marlborough white wine and Marlborough red wine without leaving the estate's own ground.

The estate is wholly family-owned and does not intend to purchase grapes. That keeps the range tied to one holding, one set of soils and one farming system. The wines carry French family history, but the place in the glass is Marlborough. [New Zealand Wine](https://www.nzwine.com/en/winery/clos-henri-vineyard)

Place

The vines lie in the foothills of Marlborough's Wairau Valley, a landscape shaped by glacial and tectonic forces. Marlborough supplies the regional name on the label; Wairau Valley supplies the physical setting. The property contains the vines, winery, cellar door and viticultural operations, which is why the family uses the French word “clos” for the estate.

Sainte Solange Chapel serves as the tasting room, placing the visit inside the same estate system that grows and makes the wines. The short distance from vineyard to winery also supports early processing after harvest, preserving freshness in the fruit. [Clos Henri](https://closhenri.com/)

Soil And Site

Clos Henri works with three soil types, and a fault line runs through the property. The site therefore contains several geological readings within one estate instead of a single uniform vineyard floor. Its scale adds context: 44 hectares of vines occupy a 110-hectare holding that also includes sheep, cattle and forestry.

The range turns those soils into different bottle roles. Estate wines assemble parcels from all three soil types, giving the label a broad estate view. Otira Sauvignon Blanc comes from stony soils on the terraces, where free-draining ground gives the wine mineral flavour, firm acidity and a long finish. The label distinction is physical, not decorative. [Clos Henri Our Wines](https://closhenri.com/pages/our-wines-1)

Story

The Bourgeois family brought generations of Sancerre experience to Marlborough in 2000, choosing to work from one property with Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir at its centre. Over time, the estate moved fully into organic certification, completing that change with the 2013 harvest. Organic work now includes BioGro certification, membership of MANA, and composting made from grape marc and cardboard.

The next change arrived with the 2024 range refresh. Clos Henri repositioned its label around single-block wines, used new colours to bring organics and biodiversity onto the bottles, and finished the closures with wax over DIAM. The range began to show more clearly how one family estate divides its soils into different wines. [Wine Anorak](https://wineanorak.com/2024/05/21/clos-henri-one-of-marlboroughs-most-interesting-producers-revamps-its-range/)

Vineyards And Cellar

The vineyard has been fully certified organic since 2013. Clos Henri recycles grape marc and cardboard into compost, linking harvest waste back to the soil. The estate also uses organic and biodynamic practices in the winery, with low intervention, no fining, and individual parcel fermentation by clone, rootstock and soil selection.

Sauvignon Blanc is harvested by machine in the early morning, then pressed directly. Free-run juice and harder pressings are separated before being blended again, while lees ageing, partial barrel fermentation and tank stirring build texture. Pinot Noir is hand-harvested, with up to 20 percent of each tank fermented as whole bunches depending on the vintage. The stems contribute tannin, while controlled maceration and limited plunging keep the red wine's tannins soft and integrated. [Clos Henri Winemaking](https://closhenri.com/pages/winemaking)

Wines

Estate Sauvignon Blanc is the broad Marlborough white in the range. It combines parcels from the estate's three soils, with mineral flavour, bright acidity, citrus fruit and a rounded texture. The 2024 wine carries concentration and brightness, with lemon rind, green melon and orange blossom alongside a dry, fresh finish. [Wine.com Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2024](https://www.wine.com/product/clos-henri-estate-sauvignon-blanc-2024/2817256)

Otira Sauvignon Blanc narrows the view to stony terrace soils. Its role is a defined site wine, with ripe peach, candied citrus, elderflower, juicy acidity, weight, pithy texture and a saline, flinty finish. The soil gives the wine a mineral line that remains present after the fruit fades.

Estate Pinot Noir is the red counterpart, assembled from parcels across the three estate soils. Its character comes through hand-harvested fruit, controlled maceration and the possible inclusion of whole bunches. Whole-bunch fermentation can bring stem tannin and savoury perfume, while the cellar aims for soft, integrated tannins and a supple palate.

In The Glass

Clos Henri's Sauvignon Blanc moves from aromatic fruit into acidity and texture. Estate Sauvignon Blanc opens with lemon rind, green melon and orange blossom, then brings concentrated citrus, savoury almond and a bright acid line across the palate. Its three-soil blend fills out the middle, while the finish stays fresh and mineral.

Otira follows a narrower path. Peach, candied citrus and elderflower rise first, followed by weight and juicy acidity in the mouth. Pithy texture, flint and stony minerality carry the wine into a long, full finish. The sensation comes from Sauvignon Blanc grown on free-draining terrace soils and handled with lees work, partial barrel fermentation and stirring.

Pinot Noir changes the register from citrus and mineral lift to red wine texture. Hand harvesting, whole-bunch use and controlled maceration shape the palate through perfume, stem tannin and soft integration. The estate's three soils keep the red range connected to the same property while giving the wine a broader, more layered feel than a single parcel alone.

A Bottle To Understand It

Otira Sauvignon Blanc 2023 is the right first bottle because it keeps the grape, place and cellar decisions visible. It is Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc from Clos Henri's stony terrace soils, fermented and aged with techniques that build texture without hiding the mineral character.

The glass opens with ripe peach, candied citrus and elderflower. The palate has weight, juicy acidity and a pithy feel, followed by flint, saline minerality and a long, full finish. Its 2023 vintage shows how Clos Henri turns one defined soil group into a bottle with fruit, acidity, texture and length. [Wine.com Otira Sauvignon Blanc 2023](https://www.wine.com/product/clos-henri-otira-sauvignon-blanc-2023)

Anecdote

In May 2024, Damien Yvon stood before the Clos Henri range after 18 years as its general manager. The bottles had been redesigned around single-block wines, and new colourful labels brought the estate's organic certification and biodiversity work into view. Yvon was presenting a change in how the property divided its wines for the market, while the estate remained wholly family-owned and committed to using its own grapes. The refreshed wines carried DIAM closures finished with wax, giving the new presentation a physical detail that could be seen and handled as each bottle was opened.

Final Word

Clos Henri is easiest to understand through the relationship between estate and parcel. Estate wines assemble the three soils into a broad Marlborough expression. Otira narrows Sauvignon Blanc to stony terraces, where acidity, mineral flavour and texture stay in focus. The family ownership, organic farming and on-site cellar keep both styles tied to one Wairau Valley property.

Sources

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