Domaine Saint Henri         

The vines have been in the family for five generations. Eric and Christine Saurel now make some great wines on their 54 hectares with their 3 children, Justine, Manon and Marius.

It was Eric's father Max who stopped using some chemicals after noticing the detrimental effect it was having on the soil. In 1987 they abandoned chemical weeding between the vines and by 1990 had completely eliminated chemical pesticides. In 1989, following health problems with their daughter Justine, they discovered homeopathy, which had a major impact to their way of life. Eric and Christine fully converted the vineyard to organic practices by 1996, achieving certification by Ecocert in 1999.

At Saint Henri they work to improve the interactions between the earth and the roots to allow the grapes to express their particular “terroir.” 

The grapes taste fantastic and that translates directly into the wines being produced. The soil can literally be described as “living” and there is a balance between the earth and the plant.

They have separate plots, depending on the wine being made:

• Grenache and Syrah vines making Saint Henri  Vacqueyras
• Grenache and Mourvedre, used to make the AOC Gigondas