The flight from Auckland to Wellington passed entirely without incident and I found myself running across the arrivals hall where Emma was already waiting and demanded that she 'nosed' me.
"Well, well - what can you smell ?
"Er . . . shampoo ?"
"Exactly !" I replied. No alcohol fumes.
Straight onto the teeny plane to Blenheim which, amazingly, did not ditch into the Cook Strait but carried us into Marlborough, thence the hire car and off into town. In celebration of my first alcohol free flight (since the age of 17 anyway) we pulled out all the stops, had a strong latte (me), pot of Earl Grey (Emma) and pieces of toast (both) and were soon winding our way through Renwick and onto Clos Henri.
Damien Yvon, Clos Henri's winemaker, hails from Chinon but thankfully has no desire to plant cabernet franc. Having done vintages in Muscadet, at Chateau Petrus and California's Dominus Estate, he arrived in Marlborough in 2006. After a time at Domaine Georges Michel, he was contacted by Henri Bourgeois and took up a position at Clos Henri.
The vineyards were established in 2001 and the first vintage 2003. Of the domaine's 110 hectares, 40 hectares are currently planted with pinot noir (40%) and sauvignon blanc (60%). The philosophy at Clos Henri is to work with the soil type and use the characters offered up by each vineyard parcel to determine which label the fruit is destined for. A major fault line runs through the vineyard, to one side predominantly stony soil producing the finest sauvignon blanc grapes whereas on the other side the heavier clays are more suited to pinot noir. The soil type determines grape selection; Bel Echo, the 'second' label takes most of its sauvignon fruit from the clays (70 : 30 clay : stones) whereas the main Clos Henri bottling is the other way around (20 : 80 clay : stones). For the Pinot Noir the reverse is true, with the Clos Henri Pinot Noir having the majority of fruit from the clay soils. A different approach classifying tiers of quality and not one that many, particularly Marlborough, producers take? The vineyards are relatively densely planted, sauvignon at 4500/ha and pinot noir at 5000/ha.
Stretching up behind the small chapel that serves as the cellar door is a hill (la Chapelle!) where vineyards have been established too. We drove up to the summit to get our bearings and get a good overview of the estate and then went down to the brand new winery. The ecclesiastical theme continued; the building is plain, restrained in style and without the hustle and bustle of vintage had a calm, almost church-like atmosphere, the line of beautifully crafted wood tanks adding to the rather monastic feel.
Capable of handling 550 tonnes though only processing 200 at present, the winery is focused on minimal handling/transfers of juice and wine and is clearly a source of much pride and joy for Damien, who had a large part in its design and execution. The care and attention to detail along with a hands-off approach are strong themes noticeable throughout the domaine.
Back to the cellar door to taste the latest releases. The main Clos Henri wines are crafted with the intention of spending a little time in bottle after release whereas Bel Echo, (named being a ‘beautiful echo’ of both the vineyards and the main label) is for immediate drinking.
2008 Clos Henri Bel Echo ‘Terroir Portrait’ Sauvignon Blanc
Very pungent, lots of red capsicum, gunflint, nettley with focused lime and gooseberry notes. Nice thread of acid and a lovely dry, herbaceous and texture-focused palate. Balanced and complex wine with a mineral/wet stone finish, very lengthy.
2008 Clos Henri Sauvignon Blanc
Not as pungent as the Bel Echo. Peppery, reminiscent of grassy olive oil. The palate is subtle, multi layered, again with a strong mineral edge. Lime fruit, strong chalky element give structure and texture. A crisp, satisfyingly dry finish. This is a linear wine that continued to open up well in the glass and left one wanting more.
2007 Bel Echo Pinot Noir
Showing a bit of development in the colour. Bright raspberry, strawberry fruit with rhubarb and tamarillo. Light spice and just a hint of toasty oak. Nice texture with some tannin on the finish, this is an elegant wine with a delicate complexity.
2008 Clos Henri Pinot Noir
Less upfront than the BE but still has a lifted floral edge. Strawberry again but this is not so 'fruity' with dark plum and earth foremost. Still retaining perfume and spice, this is a more intense example though still delicate and light on its feet. Savoury, subtle oak. Needs time though lovely integration now and a lengthy dry finish.
This is the second time we have tried the Bel Echo wines and the first we have had a good look at the Clos Henri label, having previously only sampled it in trade shows. The wines continue to impress and it was excellent to visit the vineyard and see first hand their birthplace. Damien was an eloquent and enthusiastic host, very committed to the vineyards and wines; combined with Henri Bourgeois’ unabashed passion for the varieties it is not difficult to see why the wines are so good. They offer both a fascinating glimpse at a French take on the region’s preeminent varieties as well as stand alone as quality wines in their own right.
There are plenty of wines out there that give ammunition to those claiming Marlborough sauvignon blanc is a one-dimensional wine but the two Clos Henri sauvignons present convincing evidence that it needn’t always be the case and that the variety is as faithful in reflecting its terroir as the more glamorous riesling or pinot noir. The pinots are textural, balanced and complex whist retaining lightness and elegance belying the increasing common tendency of the region to churn out dark, glossy wines that are both sweet and soulless. We await further releases with anticipation in seeing how the domaine matures and evolves.
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