The Clos Henri Vineyard near Renwick is owned by Henri Bourgeois, a leading, family-owned producer in the Loire Valley, which feels this wine expresses ‘a unique terroir and a French winemaking approach’.
Winery notes (2019 Vintage)
"Freshly squeezed cherries and plums, our Petit Clos Pinot Noir is flush with abundant aromas of dark red fruits with a liquorice undercurrent. Exuberant and densely concentrated, the lively palate has notes of cherry liqueur and macerated plums which are all bound together with firm, textural tannins.
This wine was fermented in stainless steel open tops and then aged in large (7,500 l) French oak vats for 11 months. Ageing in large oak vats, instead of smaller barrels, gives the wine great balance with subtle oak which enriches structure while retaining aromatic intensity and brightness."
Rated Excellent & 94/100 Cameron Douglas MS, October 2020 (2019 Vintage)
"Ripe, varietal and quite intense with a core of dark cherry and mineral, roses and wild savoury herbs-de-provence then baking spices of oak with vanilla, clove and a touch of smoke. On the palate – dry with a contrasting core of red berry fruits, savoury and tense with firm youthful tannins and acidity then barrel spices, smoke and mineral. A lovely wine, tense and young, needs cellar time . Best drinking from 2023 through 2030+."
4 ½ Stars Michael Cooper (2019 Vintage)
"Certified organic, the 2019 vintage is based on Clos Henri's youngest vines. Estate-grown and hand-harvested in the Wairau Valley, it was matured for 11 months in large (7500-litre) French oak vats. Deep ruby, it is mouthfilling, with very good density of ripe cherry, plum and spice flavours, and fine, supple tannins. Already highly enjoyable, it's also full of youthful vigour. and well worth cellaring."
94/100 & Editors' Choice, Christina Pickard, Wine Enthusiast, November 2020 (2019 Vintage)
"This quality-focused biodynamic producer's Petit Clos range is always great value. This vintage, an excellent one in Marlborough, gives particular bang for buck. The wine is the colour of freshly squeezed cherry juice, and the vibrant nose offers oodles of plump summer berries just off the bush, along with stalky, floral undertones. The palate is equally exuberant, the juicy fruit wound by firm, textural tannins. A charmer of a wine for knocking back at a barbecue."