Domaine de l’Ecu

The Integrity Take

Fred and Claire Niger approach their wines and live with an authenticity not often seen. They try to capture the energy of the soil, sun and grapes in their bottlings, on their terms, and we are the better for it. Their wines are poured in some of the top restaurants in the world and enjoyed by people who don't care about the rules. Pure and fresh is the style and we love it that way!

Founded in 1972, Certified Organic since 1975
Biodynamic since 1998 (Demeter) across its 24 hectares.
Certified Biodyvin since 2014.
Passionate about a return to amphora

The Story

“We renounced all technological artifice in the cellar to break with the movement of standardization wines and preserve the bond between each of our vintages a vintage and terroir.”

Fred Niger took over from celebrated owner and natural viticulturist Guy Bossard after working as his assistant for several years. Fred is extremely passionate and is dedicated to maintaining the greatness of the estate. Building on a great foundation, Fred stewarding the vineyards with Bossard as an ongoing consultant, these wines are remarkable.

Like Bossard, Fred is a fanatic in the vineyards, crops extremely low, and makes Muscadets that have remarkable depth, precision and age-ability. His passion and connection to nature guide his every move in the vineyard and cellar. He is always present, observant, and mindful, always with the goal of working in tandem with the forces of nature and never against them. Pure expressions of soil and grape.

Passionate about a return to amphora – while requiring a lot of work, it has many advantages. The natural origin of the clay and the neutrality of the terracotta respect the purity of the fruit and the expression of the terroir. Thermal regulation, the natural circulation of the Lees adds the complexity of the wines… amphoras is not an end in itself but remains for Fred, the culmination of a comprehensive process related to biodynamics, and allows him to offer balanced wines with no added input or SO2.

Prime location – three metamorphic rocks: Gneiss, Orthogneiss, and Granite with healthy, old vines.
A Strong belief in the unique terroirs of Muscadet – vinification and bottling based on soil type, as opposed to appellation blends.
Unlike most regular Muscadet, the wines are aged sur-lie for 15-18 months, resulting in a texture and layered complexity that have come to define the unique style of Domaine de l’Ecu Muscadets and set them apart from other wines in the appellation.
Working the soils, harvesting by hand, fermenting with indigenous yeast, avoiding pumping or racking of the must (only gravity), and minimal use of sulfur. All in all, it is a philosophy of “no make-up”, just true wines without adulteration or artifice.

We are also excited to offer the wines of Fred’s “Love and Grapes” project! Fred has collaborated with vignerons across France and Italy that share the same perspective on winegrowing to offer wines from a diversity of terroirs.