Why it matters
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
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
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
In the cellar
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
Wines to know
The range in view
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
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.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
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.