Domaine de L'Ecu - Gneiss 2015

Bettane & Desseauve

About the estate:

Frédéric Niger Van Herck, driven by a passion for wine, continues to practice biodynamic viticulture on his 21 hectares. He masterfully crafts terroir-driven wines, named after the type of soil on which they are grown. Whether “expression-de-gneiss,” “expression-d’orthogneiss,” or “expression-de-granite,” these wines perfectly express the natural character and elegant minerality of their terroir. The top vintages absolutely must age in the cellar. The reds are more reserved.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the estate:

Frédéric Niger joined the estate in 2009 and benefited from the invaluable expertise of the legendary winemaker Guy Bossard, the former owner, until 2013. Since then, Frédéric has continued the vineyard’s organic (since 1975) and biodynamic (certified in 1998) practices and is committed to the most natural winemaking process possible. The brilliance of the fruit and the genuine aromatic openness of his unpretentious wines reflect this approach. Beyond the delightful Muscadet wines—Classic, Granite, Orthogneiss, and Taurus—the daring winemaker experiments with twenty-eight cuvées aged in amphorae and/or large oak casks and concrete tanks. These vibrant wines take us out of our comfort zone. Following an issue with the Muscadet appellation certification, the wines are now labeled as Vin de France.

Wine Enthusiast