Irvin Charpentier

The Path

Academic training can be a workable route into cellar work when it is paired with technical discipline. In Irvin Charpentier’s case, Université (Deug), Université (licence), and Dijon formed that base, with Domaine de la Vougeraie also listed in his education. Since 2023, that background has been put to use as Chef de caves at Champagne Alexandre Bonnet in Les Riceys, where the brief is not general Champagne style but a specific reading of place.

The Work Today

“Champenois we are and we remain.”

Signature

Les Contrées sits within Irvin Charpentier’s signature wines, and it points to the house’s focus on terroir-driven Champagnes from Les Riceys, especially Pinot Noir-based wines.

In Their Words “My favorite moment is the budding of leaves, when nature comes back to life and we start imagining the year ahead.” “Les Riceys is the greatest terroir in Champagne.”

Acclaim

The seasonal marker he singles out is budbreak, the point at which the work of the year becomes visible in the vines: “My favorite moment is the budding of leaves, when nature comes back to life and we start imagining the year ahead.”