Henri Chauvet

First working as an insurance banker, the young Brive-born Henri Chauvet quickly tired of the career and found a new and exciting venture in winemaking. Taking the time to complete a viticulture and oenology diploma, he then engaged in tireless training with Jérôme Bressy in Rasteau, then the legendary Thierry Allemand in Cornas. Setting himself up with the perfect combination of experience to go out on his own with the purchase of an estate.

In 2021, Henri moved into the village of Boudes, Auvergne purchasing 10.5 hectares of vines from a local winemaker. A change from the Rhône Valley where he conducted the majority of his training, the excitement and anticipation to explore the unique volcanic terroirs of Auvergne was at an all time high. Thanks to having purchased an already existing winery from Annie Sauvat, he was able to hit the ground running with vines already planted and a functioning winery ready to be used.

Working with 10.5 hectares of Gamay, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on steep slopes, Henri began the conversion to organic the second he set foot in the vineyards. Grounded in his vines, he works to convey and transmit as natural wines as possible to bring out the best of the environment and the varietals together.

A little known region outside of the French borders, Auvergne has a top village named Boudes that has a local reputation of producing some of the most expressive Gamays, Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays of the region. There are two very distinct terroirs on which Henri cultivates his vines. For the plots in Chamaret and Donazat, the vines sit at the bottom of the valley with soils the colour of red clay, and a climat "more Beaujolais than Auvergne," Henri says. Comparatively, the slopes of Baconnet, Côte, and Bavotte (historic terroirs of Boudes), have the essence of Auvergne, from the basalt-coloured earth to the steep slopes tumbling down to the village. His third terroir is that of La Quaire, another basalt hillside with ochre marl, yet is not quite in full condition and currently under “rehabilitation”. Henri’s plots are carefully spread across both styles of soils to express the true complexities of the region through the different grape varietals. With vines as old as 1987, the plots are carefully managed with horse ploughing and hand cultivation.

With 2021 having been his first bottled vintage, he has evolved over the two years to bring his 2023 vintage as his first release for Clos Cachet. With a love for natural wines, Henri has dived head first into producing raw and beautiful cuvees. Yet he is not one to be defined by the ‘natural’ stereotype, Henri states "I'm neither natural nor conventional. I don't want my philosophy in the cellar to take precedence over my terroir". Therefore with his vision of terroir, he pushes back on the pressures from the ‘hyper-natural’ winemakers and ensures the hillsides surrounding his home are represented in the wines every vintage.

All the wines are fermented with indigenous yeasts, unfined, and unfiltered. Each plot and each variety is vinified separately with all wines done as whole bunch. For the addition of sulphur, it varies wine to wine, depending on what Henri feels is necessary each vintage. As a vigneron who respects both the land and sense of place, his focus on each varietal, the resulting wines are stunning with precise juices that are pure and vibrant.

Clos Cachet is honoured to exclusively import Domaine Henri Chauvet’s wines into Australia.