Le Domaine d’Henri
— Portfolio —
PET NAT ‘CHABLIS’ BRUT NATURE 821 2020
Bottle Shot
This is a Pet Nat or Method Ancestral but not your normal picnic ‘fruity’ bubbles. In fact I am hoping no-one will taking selfies whilst drinking this from the bottle. Given it’s the first Pet Nat we have put in the portfolio it felt only right it should be from Chablis. 100% hand picked Chardonnay (Blanc de Blanc) & Brut Nature ie zero dosage. Given Pet Nat can’t be made under the Chablis AOP it’s labelled 821. 821 relates to the number of days from the flowering to bottle leaving their cellars ie the finished wine.
PETIT CHABLIS ‘LES ALLEES DU VIGNOBLE’ 2021
Bottle Shot
Mainly from Portlandien soil, with stainless steel tank vinification, to retain fruitiness. This wine is sourced from the family vineyards in the North East part of the appellation nearly Maligny. Refreshing acidity and aromas of lemon & white flowers. Michel Laroche describes Chablis having far more in common with Champagne than ‘White Burgundy’ and this wine seems to echo that – Delicate, refreshing and alive.
CHABLIS ‘LES ALLEES DU VIGNOBLE’ 2022
Organic practises – certification pending
Bottle Shot
Sourced from 3 different lieu dits from the villages Fleys, Beine & Maligny, average vine age of 35 years across the parcels. Fermented using a pied du cuve exclusively in tank, both primary and malolactic. Left in tank post ferment for 11 months on fine lees before bottling.
CHABLIS VILLAGE ‘SAINT PIERRE’ 2021
Organic practises – certification pending
Bottle Shot
This is named after the one of the two churches in the village, a wink to his days at Laroche bottling Saint Martin, the other church. In 2021, due to the spring frosts and small harvest, it is all our Chablis parcels that make up this wine. The maturation happens 30% in stainless steel, 40% in sandstone amphora (same than for Vaulorent) and 30% in old oak, 228l and 600l.. 12 months of ageing.
Margaux outlines the differing styles then blend together in this wine based on location of where they own village lieu dits. Maligny village (where Le Domaine d’Henri is based) in the North and is populated with light clay creating a richer style of Chardonnay. Can even be yellow/exotic fruits styles from here. Their other site in Fye, just next to Blanchot in the South East has very white, chalky rocky soil, offering citrus and the classic saline notes.
CHABLIS 1ER CRU FOURCHAUME 2020
Organic practises – certification pending
Bottle Shot
Fruit is sourced from parcels planted in 2017, 1999, 1970 and 1964. The maturation happens 70% in stainless steel and the rest in oak, 228l, 600l and 1800l. Wine spends 15 to 19 months of ageing before bottling – Margaux thinks it essential to keep aging in these larger vessels before bottling. Having a second winter means the wine settles slowly via temperature, meaning no need for filtration or fining when bottled.
CHABLIS 1ER CRU FOURCHAUME HERITAGE 2019
Organic practises – certification pending
Bottle Shot
The Cuvée Héritage is dedicated to the memory of Henri. Hand harvested and hand selected, this is a “première trie”, or selection, of the finest grapes from the oldest parcel of vines, planted in 1937, now over 80 years old. Vinified and aged in stainless steel tanks (63%) and 228-litre oak barrels (37%), this is an elegant, precise yet racy wine, that expresses the tension and refreshing minerality associated with the great Chablis terroirs. For Henri, this was the purest expression of the Chardonnay grape. The production is limited to only a few thousand bottles per year and the volume will vary each year, depending on the quality of the vintage.
CHABLIS 1ER CRU VAULORENT 2020
Organic practises – certification pending
Bottle Shot
A very special plot within an already highly regarded 1er Cru. This Lieu Dit within the 1er Cru of Fourchaume is in fact the only 1er Cru that sits on the actual Grand Cru slope, on the boundary line with the Grand Cru of Le Preuses. Just 0.4 of a hectare, vines are now 45 years old, planted in 1976. Hand picked, 100% wild fermented and in a combination of sandstone Amphora (35%) and 600ltr barrels (65%). Total elevage 15 months.