12%abv, Le Landreau, imported by Serendipity Wines LLC., Austin, TX.
The Demeter-certified biodynamic and organic estate of Domaine de L’Ecu has cemented their reputation as a top producer of the Natais area in the Loire River Valley. Here you’ll often find simple and enjoyable wines that taste as if they’ve been kissed by the Atlantic Ocean and are quaffed down with briny oysters in the lively city of Nantes. Having visited this flat and stony terroir before, I was immensely impressed by the beauty of the area and the heights that many producers take their white wines from 100% Melon de Bourgogne, a sister of Chardonnay sired from Pinot Blanc and Gouais Blanc, and affectionally referred to as Muscadet in the stony coastal vineyards of the Loire-Atlantique.
L’Ecu uses wild yeast and extended lees aging for most of their range, but the cuvée ‘Classic’. is a fine entry to the range and is cellared on the lees in underground vats covered with glass tiles for 10-12 months.
The 2020 is beaming with freshness and is medium lemon in color with a nose of medium intensity with aromas of saline, toasted nuts, melon, lemon and pear. This wine is dry with high acid, a medium plus body, medium alcohol and a medium plus finish. There is a medium+ flavor intensity with a good deal of salinity–a bit crunchy on the tongue with mineral and lemon skin–and flavors of Anjou pear, blossom, and a touch of honeysuckle and nutty toasted peanut shells and macadamia nuts from the less contact. Drink now through 2024: this wine is veery good: 9.1/10.