Clos Henri Otira Sauvignon Blanc 2024

Clos Henri Otira Sauvignon Blanc is Marlborough Sauvignon in its most composed form - precise, mineral, elegant and quietly rather serious. From the Bourgeois family’s organic estate in the Wairau Valley, the 2024 vintage is the sort of bottle that usually knows exactly where it belongs. Fortunately, we have managed to divert a little your way.

What the winery says:

Named after the ancient Otiran Glaciation period that formed Clos Henri’s stony terrace soils, Otira is described as the purest expression of the estate’s free-draining glacial terroir. The 2024 vintage shows elderflower, clover honey and lemonade apple characters across a gently pithy, dry palate, finishing with cool citrus acidity, finesse, focus and freshness. Fermentation takes place in 85% stainless steel, with the remaining 15% wild fermented in neutral French oak barrels and Austrian demi-muids, followed by up to 9 months on fine yeast lees.

What the experts say:

Erin Larkin, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, 96/100
“The 2024 Otira Glacial Stones Sauvignon Blanc is just such a fantastic wine. I love it every year. Mineral tension, poise and elongated shape are the hallmarks of this wine. The wine has a smell of fresh sheets, crisp, crushed shells, white spice and ocean air. I appreciate the length and stretch of this wine - it fully extends and lingers, and there is a textural pulsing and undulation. It is truly excellent.”

Stephen Wong MW, The Real Review, 96/100
“Initially reticent, this opens slowly with air to reveal very complex but taut aromas of ambarella, white flowers, fennel bulb, honeydew and oregano. The palate is smooth in texture, with full-bodied weight and late-emerging acidity which allows the tight flavours of citrus and apple to expand into savoury spice and salinity on the sneakily long finish. An impressive and very confident expression of site without obvious use of oak for complexity, this has the finesse and depth to reward mid-term cellaring.”

James Suckling, 96/100
“Very classy with a fragrant nose of ripe lemons, subtle elderflowers, hay and lime zest, accented by a touch of sea spray. The palate is crisp and razor-focused with a backbone of racy acidity and a firm, lightly phenolic structure. Extremely long and precise. From organically grown grapes.”

Wine Enthusiast, 95/100
“There's a gentleness to this single site Sauvignon, from a top French-owned biodynamic estate. It's concentrated, flavorsome, but never forced or over-made. There's pronounced minerality - like stones, shells and fresh cut meadow crunching underfoot - and salted margarita vibes, with pineapple rind garnish. Bright, tangy acidity and herb-and-citrus flavors aren't shy on the palate, but they never shout their presence.”