Domaines Ott Chateau Romassan Bandol Rouge

Domaines Ott Château Romassan Rouge Bandol is a luxurious and complex red wine that embodies the quintessential flavours and aromas of the Bandol region in France. It presents a lovely garnet hue. The nose opens with spices, nicely set off by slightly minty notes. On entry to the palate, the wine is dense and fresh. This is a sunny wine with predominant black fruit aromas which, combined with silky tannins, lend the wine a rich, luscious character and lingering flavours.

• Winery: Domaines Ott
  
• Varietal: 90% Mourvedre, 10% Grenache
  
• Region: Bandol, Provence, France
  
• Vintage: 2019
  
• Alcohol: 14.5%
  
• Volume: 750ml
  
• Closure: Cork
• Food pairing: Beef short ribs, pork shoulder, barbeque, lamb, rabbit, pork sausage, duck & veal. Lentils, wild rice & shitake/Portobello mushrooms.

Domaines Ott was founded in 1896 by Alsatian engineer Marcel Ott. Today, the wineries are owned and managed by Champagne Louis Roederer, producing some of the world’s most prestigious wines. These wines are made at three distinctively different estates in two different appellations: Château Romassan (Bandol), Clos Mireille, and Château de Selle (both Côtes de Provence).

Château Romassan is the third estate acquired by the Ott family in 1956, located in the Bandol appellation and lies at the foot of the village of Le Castellet. The Bandol appellation is known for its terraced vineyards of varying exposures. The grapes grown in the area offer fresh, crunchy juice whereas those grown at higher altitudes on the terraced hillsides produce wines with more body and structure.

THE JOURNEY OF MARCEL OTT

In 1896, after a tour of France’s many vineyards, Marcel Ott, a young graduate in agronomy engineering from Alsace, finally found an estate that inspired him. To set the scene, we are in Provence. The Mediterranean is lapping at the shore a mere stone’s throw away...

In these parts, growing vines is the legacy of ancient times. Alas, a short while before Marcel Ott’s discovery, phylloxera had wreaked havoc on the vines. The land was cheaper, but the vineyards would have to be replanted. The wine had lost a great deal of its soul in the vineyard’s reconstruction. Marcel Ott bought several estates and began renovating them with the determined ambition to create great Provencal wines from noble grape varieties.

Today, 120 years later, Jean-François Ott has dedicated his life to his ancestor’s love for the site. In 2004, Domaines Ott* joined Louis Roederer and its fabulous selection of wine craftsmen.

Jean-François and his teams run three estates: Château de Selle, Clos Mireille and Château Romassan. Each of these properties has its own individual charm and personality. Each can be proud of their extremely elegant rosé, red and white wines. In their cellars reigns one sovereign wine: the famous “Cœur de Grain”.

THE ETERNAL YOUTH OF THE AMPHORA

Cœur de Grain represents wine-making genius, and its bottle could be considered a veritable master-stroke...

What proud and skilled vintner has never dreamed of providing their wine with the sanctum of an exclusive, unique and instantly recognisable bottle? In 1930, René Ott did exactly that. He, who never stopped loving Provence, its hills and shorelines punctuated by Cypresses and uninterrupted rows of vines, created a bottle with slender curves inspired by the grace of the landscape.

Today, it is still the signature of Domaines Ott* and it evokes the memory of an elegant amphora that kept the wine cool many centuries ago.

CLOS MIREILLE

In the 1930s, Marcel Ott fell in love with a very old property, right on the coast by the intense blue of the Mediterranean. Clos Mireille overlooks the sea at La Londe Les Maures, near the Fort of Brégançon. With all the patience of a passionate amateur, Ott replanted and consolidated the vineyards, which were cooled by the sea’s spray, warmed by the dry hillside air, on land reclaimed from mulberry, olive and umbrella pines. Close to the edifice built by Benedictine monks in the 18th century, the vines soon started producing exceptional grapes bursting with flavour and nourished by both sea and sun.

At Clos Mireille, the average age of the vines is sixteen years old. The soil is composed of schists. Planted on foothills on the shores of the Mediterranean, the vineyard’s location is unusual. The character of the wines is made even more exceptional in that the clay soil on this ancient rocky outcrop contains no limestone. Its broad sea-facing orientation gives Clos Mireille wines their inimitable character. The microclimate and sea spray create perfect conditions for producing subtle and distinctive wines.

CHÂTEAU DE SELLE

Château de Selle was the first estate acquired by Marcel Ott in 1912. It is in Taradeau, near Draguignan, on soil where only olive, lavender and mulberry trees used to grow. Not far from Thoronet Abbey, close to a former 18th century residence of the Counts of Provence, the soil is gypsum, red clay, dolomite and sandstone mixed with gravel and stone, today producing highly distinguished and elegant wines. Perched on high limestone inland slopes where it is sheltered from winter frosts, the estate enjoys a microclimate of mild winters, early springs and warm and dry summers, always with a great deal of sunshine.

Vines are grown in the same way on terraced vineyards. Production is constant, respectful of the environment and well-balanced. The wines draw their flavours from the arid climate and minerals in the soil, demonstrating exceptional character. The average age of the vines at Château de Selle is nineteen years old. Wines are made from an accomplished blend of several grape varieties with which half of the estate’s 140 hectares are planted: Cabernet Sauvignon lends complexity, elegance and magnificent strength, Grenache provides a full-bodied texture, Cinsault adds a delicate and rounded touch, while Syrah gives its rich colour to the blends.

• 92/100 Points - Falstaff (2017 vintage)
• 94/100 Points - Andreas Larsson (2016 vintage)
• 90/100 Points - CellarTracker (2014 vintage)