On our way to the Terroirs ? …
#champagnemandois#terroir#cotedesblancs#vertus#viticulturenaturelle#staytuned#journeedelaterre#EarthDay#EarthDay2021#terroirdechampagne
🌱 EARTH DAY 🌱
🥂 BLENDING WORK 🥂
The #blending work, which demands numerous #tastings, is underway.
Several new #champagnes are planned that we will discover in a few years’ time with #organiccertification.
The search for fruit and terroir has built the #cornerstones of these future compositions which will be bottled between April and July 2021!
#champagnemandois #organicchampagne #champagne #champagnebio #nouvellescuvees #staytuned #lancement2021 #launch
🌿 NATURE HAS THE UPPER HAND 🌿
After a few relatively mild winters, nature is back in the driver’s seat and the cold weather has stayed with us.
The #buds are still in their #winter phase and we can quietly get on with finishing the winter tasks in the #vineyards.
As the old adage goes: “Prune early, prune late, nothing beats #pruning in March.”
#champagnemandois #travaildelavigne #vignoble #viticulturenaturelle #pierry #aufildessaisons #champagne #vigne #vines #beaunay
🍇 INTRODUCING OUR ORGANIC WINES 🍇
After several years working the #vineyards naturally and obtaining #organic certification with the 2020 harvest, our attention now turns to the vinification and drawing out of the expression of the terroir.
The volume of #grapes produced using organic methods is around 30% lower than that achieved using traditional growing methods, but the terroir expression is more pronounced.
The #wine produced from the harvested grapes is regularly tasted in order to tailor the receptacle (wood, cement, enamel, stainless steel) to the vinification process.
For further info, please see our March 2020 newsletter : http://xs82u.mjt.lu/nl2/xs82u/5q7ws.html?hl=fr
The use of these receptacles in different materials allows us to manage the wine’s evolution naturally and to transcribe the terroir into the glass.
Our work will now consist of carefully drawing out the typical character of each local area, in order to craft refined champagnes in a quest for excellence.
At the end of the day, savoir-faire is a combination of tradition and the constant evolution of the winemaker who remains attentive to the needs of his wine.
At Champagne MANDOIS, we have always preferred to carry out our own original #research rather than simply copying others.
This is our family’s DNA.
#champagnemandois #champagnebio #organicwine #viticulturenaturelle #vinbio #certificationbiologique #agriculturebiologique
🌿 THE MANDOIS VINEYARDS 🌿
The leaves of the #vine have now fallen and #pruning is well underway in the #vineyards.
This operation consists of selecting the #buds that will bear the fruit of the future #harvest.
Around 180 hours of work per hectare are required to carry out this very laborious winter task.
Also, and because the vine does not last forever, we have decided to grub up around 2 hectares of our vineyards that are at the end of their life and no longer yielding grapes.
A minimum of 5 years will be necessary to rebuild these #plots with new plantings.
Let’s not forget that our job as #winegrowers also requires us to prepare for the future !
📷 Before pruning / After pruning
#champagnemandois #viticulturenaturelle #travaildelavigne #tailledelavigne #travailmanuel #champagne #mandois #
💚 A GLIMMER OF HOPE 💚
A GLIMMER OF HOPE 💚
The #vine continues its cycle and the #flowering will be early.
The #vineyards will be in full flower between 20 and 25 May.
We will therefore likely be harvesting at the end of August as there are usually 90 days between the flowering and the harvesting.
In the Mandois vineyards, there is an average of 10 bunches of grapes per vine, which is more than enough to give us a decent yield.
The quality of the grapes will be determined over the coming months.
#viticulture #vignoble #champagnemandois #vigne #LaVigneContinue #terroir #vines #viticulturenaturelle #fullflower #floraison #harvest
🌿 THE MANDOIS VINEYARDS 🌿
🌿 THE MANDOIS VINEYARDS 🌿
Spring is already well advanced in the vineyards and the attaching of the shoots will soon be followed by the disbudding work, when we remove the unwanted buds by hand.
In order to comply with the Coronavirus protection regulations in the vineyards, we are operating in small teams of 2 or 3 people working at least 2 meters apart.
So, do take care of yourself, stay home, stay safe and find some small comfort in a delicious glass of Mandois champagne !
Have a nice week end everyone 🥂
#viticulture #vignoble #champagnemandois #vigne #closmandois #travail #LaVigneContinue #terroir #vines #disbudding #shoots #buds #printemps
🙏 STAY THE COURSE 🙏
“These are difficult times and the future is, of course, looking somewhat uncertain.
However, just as our grandparents and great-grandparents did in even more troubled times, we need to stay the course!
First of all, our key focus must remain the respect for human values, the foundation blocks of our Champagne House.
But the growing season continues nonetheless and we should not forget to work the vineyards with purpose and our wines with precision in order to shape the future, as brighter days still lie ahead…
Take care and we’ll be back in touch shortly, “
Claude Mandois
#viticulture #champagnemandois #oenologie #vignoble #pierry #nature #vigne #humain #tradition #patience #philosophie #optimisme #hope #espoir
Mandois Vineyards – Working the soil
The cultivation of the vine
The aim of vine growing is to make the most of the vine’s productive capacity while maintaining its long-term viability.
The goal is to achieve a balanced result between quality, always a priority, and quantity; both must contribute to the prosperity of the wine grower within the region’s wine economy.
Growing practices must take into account the experience of previous generations of wine growers and the regulations in force. Being vigilance against the vine’s enemies (diseases and pests) and preventing accidents is of paramount importance as the potential damage can affect the production and compromise the very life of the vine.
Working the soil
Over the past 10 years, we have become closer to our terroir again through the practice of ploughing. This allows us to master the grass and weeds that compete with the vine and harm its growth, in a more environmentally-friendly manner. Because, although weed killers are able to destroy weeds, they also kill microorganisms and soil life.
Ploughing, well done, improves the aeration of our soil, its physical structure and the penetration of water. It promotes biodiversity, which in turn improves the nutrition our vineyards receive.
Light ploughing also allows us to cut away the vine’s superficial surface roots and thus encourages the vine’s deep rooting.
These practices stimulate the life in the soil and allow the terroir to express itself, to the great delight of wine lovers.
The wines become fresher and livelier and, above all, more complex, and this allows us to reduce the amount of liquor (sugar) and produce a wine in which each aroma is precisely defined.
Our champagnes set themselves apart thanks to their distinctive identity, from the terroir of the Côte des Blancs.
Growing our vines naturally requires us to employ more people per hectare who, through their careful, high-quality work, help us to keep the vineyards in an excellent condition of health which enables the grapes to ripen perfectly.