Awards and citations:


1997: Le Prix du Champagne Lanson Noble Cuvée Award for investigations into Champagne for the Millennium investment scams

2001: Le Prix Champagne Lanson Ivory Award for investdrinks.org

2011: Vindic d'Or MMXI – 'Meilleur blog anti-1855'

2011: Robert M. Parker, Jnr: ‘This blogger...’:

2012: Born Digital Wine Awards: No Pay No Jay – best investigative wine story

2012: International Wine Challenge – Personality of the Year Award




Thursday 3 October 2013

2013 Loire Vintage: photos of Frédéric Niger and Guy Bossard

Frédéric Niger 

After seeing the Luneau family, shortly to be increased by one as Marie Chartier, Pierre-Marie's wife, is expecting their second child in November (makes sense to augment the picking gang!), we headed just up the road to Fred Niger and Guy Bossard's Domaine de l'Ecu. It is good to see that Fred is bringing a new dynamism to this estate. Most visible are the élèvage jars and the single amphore for creating something similar to the orange wine of Georgia. This is exactly the same type of amphore as I saw at Thierry Michon's Domaine Saint Nicolas last Friday. All part of a delivery of three amphores – Joseph Landron has the other one. 

The amphore has to be filled with water before it is used. They are much more water-tight/wine-tight that the élèvage jars show below. These lose 20% of the liquid put into them. With Fred I tasted his 2012 Cabernet Franc aged both in the barrique and jar. The fruit on the barrique sample was much more vivid with more noticeable tannins, while the one from the jar was softer, rounder with more integrated tannins. The final wine will be a blend of the two.        
Guy@an underground tank – a feature of wineries in the Pays Nantais

Guy Bossard and the amphore


The élèvage jars

Photo by CRM

 2013 Melon 

Fred with the cap of the domaine's Pinot Noir 

Fermenting Pinot Noir

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