“Very pale, creamy pink. The restrained floral notes of this wine's youth have developed into more evident perfumed Sorrento lemon and orange blossom aromas, a characteristic also found in the Romassan rosé. On the palate, the fruit has developed a creamy soft richness, with white saline-mineral freshness and a long salted lemon tang. As the wine opens up there are notes of ripe, dark redcurrant and sour cherries and bitter almonds with a hint of sweet hazelnuts. Lovely fullness of fruit and great intensity, with a gorgeous lacy elegance and vibrancy.”

“Creamy ripe red fruit, floral notes and garrigue aromas, showing similarity to Domaines Ott’s Château de Selle 2021. On the palate there’s juicy cherries, raspberries, crunchy red apples and wild berries, not fruit driven but intense, silky and waxy, leading to mouthwatering acidity with firm saline mineral notes and some black fruit (from the Mourvèdre) coming through on the finish. Lovely weight, texture and intensity with plenty of suggestions of more fruit to follow as the wine opens up. Still youthful, needs time to open up a little more.”

“The Clos Mireille's 124 acres of vines are planted in schist and clay soils within view of the sea. This wine is reticent at first, though a magnetic hint of salted cherry paste suggests what's to come. Indeed, with a day of air, pithy grapefruit flavors and cinnamon spice come out to play, sliding into sea-salt and floral notes in the finish. It certainly shows its complexity, but the intensity of the flavors doesn't pull it away from restraint. The tannins seemed to stick to my teeth, making my mouth water for simple, fatty pork carnitas, shredded and recrisped, pulled off the hot iron with fresh corn tortillas.”

“Château Romassan sits at the foot of the hilltop village Le Castellet, a few miles north of the Bay of Bandol. The Otts rely on mourvèdre for the bulk of their rosé (this one includes 30 percent cinsault and 15 percent grenache), and, though 2021 was another hot summer here, Romassan’s poor limestone and sandstone soils produced a deeply savory wine. This pale Bandol seems to have inhaled the local scrubland and seaside breezes, presenting that savory edge alongside husk cherry, grapefruit and pale melon flavors. Firm and versatile, it would pair nicely with anything from bouillabaisse to a Niçoise salad; or take it abroad alongside chicken yakitori.”

“Soft and ripe mulberry fruit aromas entice the drinker to a wine which opens out to bruised plums, sloes and wild blackberries. The fruit is creamy, dark and inviting with crunchy red-fruit acidity, leading to long, mouthwatering salinity and inky tannins. Structured sweet oak, warm spice and pepper, plush with extracted bite, showing the transition from youthful charm to complex maturity.”