Wine · Le Landreau, Loire Valley
Domaine de l’ECU
A biodynamic Muscadet estate that bottles its wines by the rock they grow on.
- Based in
- Le Landreau, Loire Valley
Their story
Fred Niger Van Herck and his wife, Claire, run Domaine de l'Ecu in Le Landreau, about 29 km east of Nantes in the Muscadet Sèvre et Maine area.
The estate's reputation was built by Guy Bossard, an early champion of organic and biodynamic farming in the Nantais. Fred, who came from a career in IT and a background in law, retrained in viticulture, worked alongside Bossard around the 2008 and 2009 harvests, and took full charge in early 2011.
The vineyards have been farmed organically for more than 40 years and certified biodynamic by Demeter for more than 20.
How it's made
The domaine makes separate cuvées named for their bedrock, such as Gneiss, Orthogneiss and Granite, so you can taste how soil shapes Melon de Bourgogne. Fred tends the vines with biodynamic preparations and plant-based treatments. Some wines ferment and age in a collection of more than 75 terracotta amphorae, and many spend 15 to 18 months on their lees.
Why we carry them
If you think of Muscadet only as an oyster wine, try the Granite and Gneiss side by side. We find the difference is a lesson in terroir.
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