Clos Henri, 'Estate' Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2022

91 points James Suckling
"A crunchy and sharp sauvignon blanc with green apples, lime zest and lemongrass on the nose. Sea shells and crushed stones, too. Clean and crisp with a mineral, dry finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink now. Screw cap."

Jancis Robinson
"The vineyard is 5–6 km west of Renwick, 5,000 plants/ha. 80% on Riparia Gloire rootstock for low vigour, even though it was unknown to the owners, the Bourgeois family, because of their Loire background. They panicked at the idea of high vigour so went for Riparia Gloire. No SO2 while ageing. Lots of mass-selection vines.
Mid straw – much deeper colour than the rest. Very savoury and 'French' on the nose! Real personality. Picked ripe and really satisfying with more mid palate than most. Relatively low acid and low pH (pH 3.05 and TA 5.9 g/l in 2015!). Long and tingly. 17/20 points."

Vinous Reverie Notes
Nestled in the southern foothills of Marlborough’s Wairau Valley in New Zealand, Clos Henri is an organic wine estate established and meticulously run by the internationally renowned Sancerre winemaking family of Henri Bourgeois. Eager to discover unique terroir and new winemaking perspectives, the Bourgeois family embarked on a 12-year worldwide search for land similar to their property in Sancerre, known for its premium Sauvignon Blanc. In 2000, the family discovered these new horizons and purchased 240 acres of pastureland in New Zealand’s most famous wine region. Sourced from various terroirs across their vineyard, the Estate Sauvignon Blanc is a representation of their unique site. Following the French tradition, the vineyards are planted in high density. This encourages competition between vines and restrains vigor; ensuring vines divert their energy into the fruit (rather than canopy) - resulting in concentrated berries. Dry farming and organic practices also allow for natural vine balance. This forces the roots to go deeper in the soil, obtaining the purest expression of terroir and showing more minerality from the stone soils.