List of products by brand LE DOMAINE D'HENRI
Domaine d'Henri represents a quietly significant chapter in the story of Chablis: a winemaker who, having helped build one of the appellation's most recognised names, chose to return to his family roots and craft something altogether more personal.
A new beginning rooted in family history
In 2010, Michel Laroche sold his stake in Domaine Laroche, the estate he had played a central role in establishing as a benchmark in Chablis. The following year, he founded Domaine d'Henri — named in tribute to his father Henri — drawing on the family vines he had inherited. The oldest of these plots date back to 1937, lending the estate a depth of history that no amount of ambition alone can manufacture. It is a story of continuity as much as reinvention: the same Kimmeridgian soils, the same Chardonnay, but a fresh sense of purpose and a more intimate scale.
Terroir: Kimmeridgian limestone at Maligny
The estate's 22 hectares are situated around Maligny, a village in the Yonne that sits at the northern edge of the Chablis appellation. The soils here are the defining feature: argilo-calcaire (clay-limestone) resting on a Kimmeridgian geological layer — the same ancient seabed of fossilised oyster shells that gives Chablis its signature mineral tension and saline edge. This geological foundation, combined with the cool continental climate of northern Burgundy, produces wines of genuine precision: lean, focused, and unmistakably of their place. With only Chardonnay planted across the domaine, every decision in the vineyard and cellar is directed towards expressing this terroir as faithfully as possible.
Organic conversion: a considered commitment
Domaine d'Henri is currently in conversion to organic farming. This is not a marketing gesture: it reflects a deliberate shift in how Michel Laroche wishes to work the land he has inherited. Reducing chemical intervention in vineyards of this age — some over eighty years old — is both a practical challenge and a statement of intent. The estate's approach in the cellar follows the same logic: restraint, respect for the fruit, and a focus on allowing the Kimmeridgian terroir to speak clearly in the glass.
The wines of Domaine d'Henri
The estate produces exclusively white wines under the Chablis appellation, from Chardonnay grown across its 22 hectares of Kimmeridgian terroir in Maligny. The range includes:
- Chablis — the estate's village-level expression: mineral, taut, and driven by the chalk-and-oyster character of the appellation's northern soils.
- Chablis Premier Cru — where individual parcels and greater vine age bring additional complexity, texture, and ageing potential to the classic Chablis profile.
Why we have selected Domaine d'Henri
At Halles Quercamps, we have listed Domaine d'Henri for three reasons that matter to us as merchants. First, the age of the vines: parcels planted in 1937 are a rarity in any appellation, and in Chablis they produce wines with a depth of concentration that younger plots simply cannot replicate. Second, the coherence of Michel Laroche's project: leaving behind a large, successful domaine to work on a more human scale, with inherited land and a family name as guiding principles, is a decision we respect. Third, the direction of travel: the move towards organic farming in these older vineyards signals a long-term commitment to the land rather than short-term yield management.
We recommend these wines to enthusiasts who appreciate a Chablis that is genuinely mineral and age-worthy — ideal alongside a plateau of oysters, grilled sole, or a fine Burgundian époisses at the right stage of maturity.
Explore the wines of Domaine d'Henri
Browse our full selection of Chablis from Domaine d'Henri — village and premier cru — listed below, with tasting notes and cellar recommendations for each.
