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2020 Clos Henri - Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough Stones (750ml)
Clos Henri
SKU 97855

2020 Clos Henri - Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough Stones (750ml)

$44.99 - $44.99
$44.99
$44.99 - $44.99
$44.99
Availability:
12 available

Clos Henri was established in Marlborough's Wairau Valley by the Bourgeois family, Sancerre winegrowers with roughly ten generations of experience cultivating Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir in France's Loire Valley. Seeking a New World counterpart to their Sancerre estate, the family planted vines on the northern bank of the Wairau River and has farmed the property organically and biodynamically since its earliest vintages, applying French winemaking sensibility to New Zealand's distinct growing conditions.

The Stones bottling comes from a single parcel planted on ancient Otira glacial river stones, among the estate's oldest Sauvignon Blanc vines at around eighteen years of age. Released to mark the winery's twentieth anniversary alongside a sister cuvée called Clay, this wine was fermented with native yeasts and aged on its lees in older Austrian oak barrels, with minimal sulfur added throughout. It was bottled unfiltered, allowing the stony vineyard site to show through clearly in the finished wine.

Aromas of pineapple, peach, and lime mingle with white flowers and savory herbal notes of fennel and cilantro. On the palate the wine is textural and layered, with a chalky minerality and gentler acidity than typical Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Its density and food-friendly structure make it a natural match for crayfish, smoked salmon, or a semi-soft cheese such as Saint-Nectaire.

96 Points
"This new special cuvée, launched for this biodynamic winery's 20th anniversary, is a finessed and beautiful bottling from vines on the estate's Greywacke river stones. Wild fermented, with time on lees in old Austrian oak and minimal sulfur, it's bright, upright and linear. Aromas of pineapple, peach, lime granita and white florals are underscored with fresh wild herbal tones like fennel and cilantro. The palate is slinky, with more tempered acidity than your typical Marlborough Sauvignon. The focus here is on texture, complexity and food-friendliness. A beautiful expression of place from one of Marlborough's leading producers."
—Christina Pickard-Wine Enthusiast
95 Points
"The 2020 Stones Sauvignon Blanc is from a single vineyard on the estate, planted at a density of 4,400 plants per hectare. The fruit had a wild ferment in 600-liter Austrian oak barrels and aged on the lees for 20 months, prior to being bottled unfiltered. On the nose, this is opulent and densely aromatic, with quince and persimmon, white peach, crushed nuts and even a hint of tapenade. Cassis and bramble lead through the finish, showing a wine of concentration, impact and width. The acidity on the palate is shale-like and mineral, and it is woven through the fruit, dragging it out, in concert with the phenolics and long over the finish. No malolactic fermentation occurred here. The fruit is from the Otira block in the front. 14% alcohol, sealed under Diam and wax."
—Erin Larkin-Wine Advocate
Appellation: Marlborough
Vintage: 2020
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc/Fume Blanc
Region: Marlborough
Country: New Zealand
Bottle Size: 750ml
Producer: Clos Henri
Clos Henri

Clos Henri was established in Marlborough's Wairau Valley by the Bourgeois family, Sancerre winegrowers with roughly ten generations of experience cultivating Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir in France's Loire Valley. Seeking a New World counterpart to their Sancerre estate, the family planted vines on the northern bank of the Wairau River and has farmed the property organically and biodynamically since its earliest vintages, applying French winemaking sensibility to New Zealand's distinct growing conditions.

The Stones bottling comes from a single parcel planted on ancient Otira glacial river stones, among the estate's oldest Sauvignon Blanc vines at around eighteen years of age. Released to mark the winery's twentieth anniversary alongside a sister cuvée called Clay, this wine was fermented with native yeasts and aged on its lees in older Austrian oak barrels, with minimal sulfur added throughout. It was bottled unfiltered, allowing the stony vineyard site to show through clearly in the finished wine.

Aromas of pineapple, peach, and lime mingle with white flowers and savory herbal notes of fennel and cilantro. On the palate the wine is textural and layered, with a chalky minerality and gentler acidity than typical Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Its density and food-friendly structure make it a natural match for crayfish, smoked salmon, or a semi-soft cheese such as Saint-Nectaire.

96 Points
"This new special cuvée, launched for this biodynamic winery's 20th anniversary, is a finessed and beautiful bottling from vines on the estate's Greywacke river stones. Wild fermented, with time on lees in old Austrian oak and minimal sulfur, it's bright, upright and linear. Aromas of pineapple, peach, lime granita and white florals are underscored with fresh wild herbal tones like fennel and cilantro. The palate is slinky, with more tempered acidity than your typical Marlborough Sauvignon. The focus here is on texture, complexity and food-friendliness. A beautiful expression of place from one of Marlborough's leading producers."
—Christina Pickard-Wine Enthusiast
95 Points
"The 2020 Stones Sauvignon Blanc is from a single vineyard on the estate, planted at a density of 4,400 plants per hectare. The fruit had a wild ferment in 600-liter Austrian oak barrels and aged on the lees for 20 months, prior to being bottled unfiltered. On the nose, this is opulent and densely aromatic, with quince and persimmon, white peach, crushed nuts and even a hint of tapenade. Cassis and bramble lead through the finish, showing a wine of concentration, impact and width. The acidity on the palate is shale-like and mineral, and it is woven through the fruit, dragging it out, in concert with the phenolics and long over the finish. No malolactic fermentation occurred here. The fruit is from the Otira block in the front. 14% alcohol, sealed under Diam and wax."
—Erin Larkin-Wine Advocate
Appellation: Marlborough
Vintage: 2020
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc/Fume Blanc
Region: Marlborough
Country: New Zealand
Bottle Size: 750ml
Producer: Clos Henri