The century-old French winery Mandois has introduced one of its most emblematic wines to Brazil: Mandois Victor. This is a Brut champagne (dry) produced using Chardonnay grapes from old vines. A notable characteristic of this wine is its extensive bottle aging period, exceeding eight years. The current vintage available in Brazil is 2013, which received a score of 94 points from Decanter magazine.
A high-end champagne
Visually, the wine presents an intense yellow color with golden reflections, immediately revealing aromas of crystallized citrus fruits, toasted hazelnuts, baking, and spices such as cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and ginger. After aeration, notes of vanilla, butter, and white truffles emerge.
On tasting, it proves to be full-bodied and velvety, possessing a delicate and fully integrated perlage. Prominent flavors include plums, Sicilian lemon zest, brioche, and toasted notes. The finish is characterized by being long, saline, and presenting mineral chalk nuances.
In terms of production, approximately 70% of the wine was fermented in stainless steel tanks, while the remaining 30% was developed in oak barrels. After bottling, it underwent eight years of sur lie aging to develop more sophisticated aromas and flavors.
The origin of the wine
A few years after establishing the wine growers' club in 1971, Henri Mandois (grandfather of Claude, who currently runs the winery) decided to create his own cuvée. This act marked the beginning of Victor Mandois, a tribute to the family's first winemaker and Henri's father.
The grapes used are selected from the Maison's most traditional vineyards. These vineyards have low productivity, meaning they yield fewer fruits, but the resulting juice is extremely concentrated. The final product is a wine of great balance and complexity, endowed with structure to age magnificently in the cellar, also offering excellent aging potential and great finesse.