Auvergne

Henri moved to Auvergne in 2021 to begin his new dream of making natural wine after a career in banking and insurance. He studied under Jerome Bressy of Gourt de Mautens and Thierry Allemand before starting his own label.

It was Thierry Allemand himself who thrust a bottle of his wine into my hand last year and said, "you have to work with this guy"

By taking over the estate of Annie Sauvat in Boudes Henri has been able to hit the ground running with an already active winery. The domaine is 10.5 hectares in Boudes planted with Gamay (60%), Pinot Noir (30%), and Chardonnay (10%). The climate and soils around the village have a reputation for producing some of the finest wines of the region.

The soils are quite distinct from vineyards only slightly further north; the village still benefits from the volcanic elements common here but there is a predominance of iron oxide rich clay and quartz. Henri's vineyards are split between this red clay and also parcels with more profoundly volcanic, basalt soils. This complexity of terroir is what drew Henri to the area. He is a serious man and determined to make wines that are true to the soils the grapes are grown on.

2022 is only Henri's second vintage and his goal was is to discover what the different terroirs can give him. This is only the beginning and he's already a star, his wines on global allocation alreday!

Stylistically these, like his mentor Allemand, are made with minimal intervention and maximum expression - and like Allemand's wines, they are clear, bright and straight.