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Champagne Antoine Berthelot
Verpillières-sur-Ource · Côte des Bar
Antoine Berthelot is one of those producers you immediately sense has something special. The Pinot Noir material is outstanding, the wines have both generous fruit and finesse, and the still Coteaux Champenois is a wine one clearly remembers.
Behind the domaine
Antoine Berthelot
The family owns around seven hectares in and around Verpillières-sur-Ource. Historically the fruit was sold to the large houses, but in 2023 Antoine chose to take the best grapes back and begin his own domaine. That requires both courage and a very clear belief in the material.
Antoine trained through work in Burgundy and on Corsica. It shows in his feel for Pinot Noir: the fruit has volume and ripeness, but the texture is fine, and the wines are kept alive by strong acidity and a very assured extraction.
He is young, likeable and uncompromising. The first three wines are already far more than a calling card. They show a domaine with real identity, and the Coteaux Champenois Rouge in particular makes clear how great the potential is. The first Danish allocation is expected in autumn 2026.
Vineyards and cellar
Upper parcels and old Pinot Noir vines
Verpillières-sur-Ource lies in the southern part of Champagne, where Kimmeridgian limestone and marl connect the Côte des Bar geologically with Chablis. The family's parcels were planted from the 1980s onwards and sit on stony, well-drained slopes at several elevations and exposures. The most important parcels face south. Antoine selects the best material for his own cuvées.
Grandes Vignes comes from the oldest Pinot Noir vines on the uppermost parcels. The altitude and the limestone give freshness, while the old vines build volume and depth. The two champagnes have had around ten months' élevage on the lees in barrels of 228–500 litres, followed by roughly 16 months in bottle. Assemblage N°1 brings together Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the 2023 harvest and is released as Brut Nature R23.
The Coteaux Champenois Rouge is a central part of the domaine. The still Pinot Noir shows the quality of the fruit material quite directly and has a Burgundian texture with great juice and perfume.
The wines
Assemblage N°1 R23 Champagne Brut Nature
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir · fruit from the 2023 harvest · c. 10 months on the lees in 228–500-litre barrels and 16 months in bottle · disgorgement 2026
Assemblage N°1 is a remarkably convincing first champagne. Ripe fruit, citrus, chalk and clear salinity come together in a vinous form with both power and finesse. The level is already so assured that Antoine appears to be far more than a promising debut name.
Grandes Vignes R23 Champagne Brut Nature
Blanc de Noirs · old Pinot Noir vines from the uppermost, stony Kimmeridgian parcels · barrel élevage and bottle ageing
Grandes Vignes is Antoine's great Pinot Noir cuvée. The fruit has impressive volume, but the texture is fine, and a long saline finish keeps the wine precise. The old vines give depth and complexity, and the wine shows a level that places Antoine among the most interesting new producers in the Côte des Bar.
Coteaux Champenois Rouge Stille rødvin
Pinot Noir · still wine from the family parcels · very small production
The Coteaux Champenois Rouge is one of the strongest wines of the debut. It is juicy, perfumed and full of red berries, spice and chalk. Burgundian texture meets the ripe Pinot fruit of the Côte des Bar in a strikingly beautiful red wine. This bottle shows more clearly than any other how great Antoine's vineyard material is.
The first allocation arrives in October 2026. Current vintages, formats and quantities appear on the price list. The smallest cuvées are distributed by allocation.