Le Domaine d’Henri

“It’s no exaggeration to say that Michel Laroche is defined by Chablis in the same way that Michel Chapoutier is by the northern Rhône, or Olivier Humbrecht by Alsace.” – Decanter

After 45 years at the helm of Domaine Laroche, Michel Laroche embarked on a new project with his daughter, Margaux. Beginning with the 2012 vintage, Domaine d’Henri is named in honour of Michel’s father, Henri. The domaine is based on 22 hectares of reclaimed Laroche family vineyards, comprising 17 plots across Petit Chablis, Chablis, and the Premier Crus of Fourchaume and Beauroy.

Perhaps their pièce de résistance is their vineyard holdings in the Premier Cru of Fourchaume—an escarpment of Kimmeridgian bedrock that flows north from the Grand Cru sites located just a kilometre or so to the south. Fourchaume, alongside Montée de Tonnerre, is arguably one of the most sought-after Premier Cru vineyards, at least on the right bank of the appellation. While visiting the domaine, I asked Margaux how she would define the differences between these two crus:

Montée de Tonnerre – More chalk in the soil than Fourchaume; results in saltier, shell-like aromatics.
Fourchaume – Higher percentage of clay compared to MDT; gives the wine more weight and density, with smoky/flinty aromatics.

Margaux is deeply passionate about organics, and the domaine has been certified organic from the 2022 vintage. She tells me that one of the greatest challenges of organic farming in Chablis is managing the grass, which increases humidity—especially dangerous during frost season and with the added threat of mildew (late April to mid-June in Chablis can be quite rainy).

She’s also forging her own path when it comes to winemaking philosophy: working with natural yeasts (pied de cuve), encouraging 100% malolactic fermentation across all cuvées, and using varying degrees of oak for the village and Premier Cru wines.