Domaine de l’Ecu, 2016 Update
I remember with some clarity an early experience with the wines of Domaine de l’Ecu. It was the Expression de Gneiss (these days, simply ‘Gneiss’) which I plucked from the shelves of a French supermarket for a very small fistful of francs. With its deliciously mineral and wet stone character and vibrant acid backbone it was an excellent doorway not only onto the world of wine chez Guy Bossard, but onto modern Muscadet as a whole.
As I became more accustomed to the wines of this region Domaine de l’Ecu would more regularly take centre stage. To me, Muscadet is all about limpidity and minerality, purity and frame. These are not wines in which we should look for rich seams of fruit, nor huge textures. Neither is it to my mind enhanced by the polish of oak, or heaven forbid malolactic fermentation. Even the Muscadet crus communaux wines impress with mineral confidence and a fragrant elegance rather than the power, texture or weight that marks many ‘signature’ wines in other parts of the world. The wines of Domaine de l’Ecu frequently delivered on these desires, and I (and others with more tasting experience in the Loire Valley than me) thought of the domaine as Muscadet top-tier.
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