More famous as the classic vinous accompaniment to oysters than as a wine in and of itself, Muscadet has a fairly shoddy reputation. Most people consider Muscadet to be a bland, light-drinking, unmemorable wine. And—to be fair—most Muscadet is exactly that.
But there are exceptions. And this wine is one of them. Domaine de l'Ecu is probably the best producer in the region, making fully biodynamic wines that are true wines of minerality and terroir. The Domaine’s owner, Guy Bossard, makes three wines, each expressive of a different soil type: granite, gneiss and orthogneiss.
I recently had the pleasure of drinking the Expression d’Orthogneiss, an intensely mineral, citrus and pepper-tinged wine of gorgeous texture and a delicate structure. Its degree of purity is instantly obvious, and even inspiring.
What’s even more inspiring is that I bought it for $14.99 . . . at K&L.