Henri Chauvet
Henri transitioned from a white-collar job and dove headfirst into his wine passion during the 2010’s. After some classic wine education, he worked and studied under Jérôme Bressy of Gourt de Mautens and the eponymous winemaker of Domaine Thierry Allemand. He then searched for unique and under-expressed terroir to work with, and found what he was looking for in the southern Auvergne village of Boudes.
Historically Boudes was the gem of France’s most productive wine region, but shifts in market and tastes nearly dried this region up altogether. The town is a hilly patchwork of different soils: deep clays, limestone, marls of every color — all interrupted by a spray of volcanic soils of all sorts. In 2021 Henri had the opportunity to purchase a winery holding 10.5 hectares, planted with a mix of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and a host of known and unknown Gamay Noir varieties (there are many). He quickly took over, farmed the fruit, and produced his first vintage. This was the vintage that caught my attention.
In his short time managing the estate, Henri has implemented many changes. He introduced organic practices in the vineyards and in a more thoroughly regenerative direction. He purchased two horses so that when plowing was necessary he could still plow more gently. In 2023 Henri built a new cellar that is operated with no need for pumps and is instead gravity-fed. It is rare to find a young winemaker who can put out such confident and exacting wine with his first vintages but it certainly makes them all the more exciting. I’m happy that we all get to follow along for the ride.