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 220 acres of vineyards are split between the Bandol appellation’s eight communes and planted on marl and limestone soils that are particularly well suited to Mourvèdre. They are composed of two main climates. The grapes grown in the valley offer fresh, crunchy juice whereas those grown at higher altitudes on the terraced hillsides produce wines with more body and structure.

Hand-harvested grapes are cooled overnight. The grapes are gravity-fed into concrete tanks for maceration. Daily pumping of the juice over the pomace cap. Aged for 18 months in French oak barrels, followed by 18 to 24 months in bottle—well beyond the Bandol appellation's regulations. 

The 2019 wine 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 flavors.

‘The years go by but every year is different’. This quote finds its true meaning with this new vintage whilst also reminding us of the challenges faced by the winemaker. 2019 began with a heatwave in February which is quite unusual for this time of the year. This was then followed by unusually cold weather in April and May which slowed the vine’s growing cycle. The weather settled during the flowering phase with warm, sunny weather and slightly cool nights. We had to observe and adapt to the vine on a daily basis in order to give it what it needed and save it from stress. The health of the grapes was excellent thanks to the consistently warm weather. The harvests kicked off in mid-August and quality was excellent across all the domaines with good balance and expression of the fruit.