Domaines Ott
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Domaines Ott, founded in 1912 by Marcel Ott, has been one of the most important wine estates in Provence for more than 100 years. Their rosés, which are presented in the unique bottle shape reminiscent of amphorae, are particularly famous.
The winery goes back to Marcel Ott and his wife Elisabeth. Marcel, a young agricultural engineer from Alsace, was looking for a suitable location for his idea of producing wine. He travelled as far as Algeria, which was a major wine-growing country at the time, but his wife Elisabeth persuaded him to settle in Provence, which she found much more beautiful. The Otts decided in favour of Provence in 1896, but initially had little luck, as the phylloxera plague swept the country and did not spare this region. in 1912, the couple acquired the Château de Selle in Taradeau and began producing high-quality rosé, white and red wines. Ott favoured the traditional grape varieties of the region for the necessary new planting and became a visionary and pioneer of the region in terms of modern cultivation methods and quality management. The same applies to his son René, who designed the iconic bottle in 1932, which Marcel originally hoped would be adopted by all Provence producers so that they could present themselves to the outside world with standardised marketing.
Today, the bottle shape, influenced by Greco-Roman amphorae and the cypress trees of the region, is the trademark of Domaines Ott. The Otts also entered the international market with this in 1933 - shortly after the end of Prohibition in the USA. Their wines were very successful there and the Otts had the opportunity to expand their winery by two locations in order to be able to represent other terroirs in Provence. Clos Mireille in La Londe-les-Maures followed in 1936 and Château Romassan in Castellet in 1956, meaning that today not only "Côtes de Provence" are bottled, but also wines from Bandol.
The Domaines Ott are still family-owned today and are managed by cousins Christian and Jean-François. Since 2004, they have been part of the Collection Roederer, a loose association of family-run, traditional wine estates. Today, rosé and red wines are produced on 93 hectares at the high-altitude Château de Selle. Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah and Mourvèdre are planted in the vineyards, which are characterised by limestone. The Clos Mireille was formed by Benedictine monks in the 18th century. It lies directly on the coast. Clay and slate predominate here. The rosés and white wines are made from the Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, Sémillon and Rolle varieties. Château Romassan produces rosé-coloured and red Bandols on 83 hectares from the Mourvèdre, Cinsault and Grenache varieties. The "Étoile Rosé" is a cuvée from all three terroirs that spans all three vineyards.
photos: Domaines Ott
