Domaines Ott* is “the essence of summer in a bottle!”

In a recent interview with Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today, Piers German of Burns & German Vintners extolled the virtues of Domaines Ott* Rosé, describing the range as “the essence of summer captured in a bottle!”

Piers states that Ott* are “pioneers of Provencal rosé” who “outshin[e] the opposition on every occasion”.

To use Piers’ own words:

“This small estate established in 1896 by Marcel Ott is the epitome of what dedication to the vines and a refusal to compromise can achieve. Today Marcel’s principles are upheld by his descendant Jean Francois Ott and its distinctive bottles can be found in restaurants from Club 55 in St Tropez to Dinner by Heston in Knightsbridge. The single vineyard wines, Clos Mireille in particular, are so well made they can be drunk three or four years after release and still burst with the ripe fruit and a hint of Mediterranean minerality for which it is famous.”

Piers also recommends the winery’s newest wine, By Ott, designed to make the Ott range more accessable, so “everyone can share in the joy of what [Burns & German] consider to be the finest rosé in the market today”!

Contact Domaines Ott* Brand Manager, Christine Allen, to find out more.

Domaines Ott* Score 92 Points in Wine Spectator

Maisons Marques et Domaines are delighted to announce that the Domaines Ott* Château Romassan Bandol Rosé 2015 has been awarded 92 points in Wine Spectator Magazine.

The Château Romassan Rosé is made from a blend of 54% Mourvedre, 22% Cinsault, 22% Grenache and 2% Syrah, harvested from the limestone, sandstone and marl soils of Domaines Ott’s stunning vineyards in Bandol.

Wine Spectator described the wine as:

“A long and refined rosé, with a very stony spine supporting light rosemary, white pepper, dried peach and jicama notes that stay tightly focussed through the mineral-edged finish. The ample energy is tightly harnessed, like the vibration of a tuning fork”.

Contact Christine Allen to find out more about this high scoring wine and the Domaines Ott* range.

MMD “Cook Ott*” to celebrate the launch of the Clos Mireille 2016 Vintage

On Wednesday 10th May a lucky few, comprising of members of the wine trade, press and MMD staff, cooked up a storm at Aveqia London at Maisons Marques et Domaines’ second Domaines Ott Cook Ott* event to celebrate the launch of the 2016 vintage By Ott and Clos Mireille Rosés.

The evening began with a toast by Christophe Renard of Domaines Ott*, who talked the guests through the history of the winery, as well as the new vintage releases, while they enjoyed a glass of By Ott.

As the name suggests, the evening revolved around guests competing for the title of Cook Ott* Champion, battling their way through a series of intricate courses devised by Aveqia’s top Chefs. The menu had Provence at its heart, with each dish glorifying a typically Provençal ingredient to complement Domaines Ott’s quintessentially Provençal wines.

Team Entrée prepared an Asparagus and Goat Cheese Beignet to match the Domaines Ott Blanc de Blancs, a blend of and Sémillon, Rolle and Vermentino, which balanced the richness of the goat cheese and beautifully complemented the verdant flavour of the Provençal asparagus.

The Fish Course was a classic Provençal dish of Red Mullet Bouillabaisse with Aioli and Basil Oil to complement Domaines Ott’s Grand Vin, the Clos Mireille Rosé 2016. The savoury fish broth enhanced the delicate redcurrant, candied melon and peach flavours of the wine, while the Rosé’s freshness cut through the richness of the garlic mayonnaise.

Two teams worked together to tackle the main course of Lamb Rump, Provencal Vegetables, Olive Tapenade, Persillade and Lamb Jus, designed to match the Domaines Ott* Bandol Rouge. The dish balanced Provençal rusticity with fine dining, making it the perfect partner to the silky tannins, pepper spice, thyme and ripe black fruit notes in the Mourvèdre led Bandol Rouge.

The meal concluded with a Lemon Panacotta, Peach Compote, Caramelised Peach, Lavender Ice-Cream and Sabl Biscuit. The dish, designed to celebrate Provence’s most famous flower, was paired with the Ramos Pinto White Reserva Port. Ramos Pinto, like Domaines Ott, is a member of the Louis Roederer family, making it a fitting complement to this stupendous dessert.

After tucking into a fabulous meal of their own making, guests anonymously voted for their favourite course, ultimately crowning the Goat Cheese and Asparagus Entrée and Domaines Ott* Blanc de Blancs as the winning pairing. This victory for the Blanc de Blancs should come as no surprise given that, although Domaines Ott* is often considered to be synonymous with Rosé, it is a winery that achieves excellence and quality across its award winning range.

Bosco sponsors the Italian National Polo Team

Castiglion del Bosco are delighted to announce that they are the sole sponsor for the National Italian Polo Team in the upcoming European Champion Championship.

The Championship will begin on Saturday 6^th May in France, at the Chantilly Polo Club.

This is the first time that Italy has competed on an international level and Castiglion del Bosco are very proud to support this fantastic team.

View the video here.

Contact Castiglion del Bosco Brand Manager, Effi, to find out more.

Domaine Faiveley Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru 2014 is a “Collector’s Wine”

The latest edition of Wine Spectator, released during Prowein, rated several of Domaine Faiveley‘s wines highly, in particular the Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru 2014 which scored an impressive 95/100. The superb quality of the wine, and this high score, led the Mazis-Chambertin to be featured in the “Spectator Selections” article, where it was described as a “collector’s item”. Wine Spectator described the wine as having:

“Brilliant aromas and flavours of cherry, strawberry, currant and mineral [which] highlight this complex red, which is intense and elegant, building to a kaleidoscopic finish. Structured and harmonious, with terrific ageing potential”.

Contact Christine to find out more about the Mazis-Chambertin 2014.

Ca’ Florian scores 95 Points!

We are delighted to announce that the Tommasi Ca’ Florian Amarone della Valpolicella Riserva 2009 was the highest scoring wine, with 95 points, in a recent Decanter Panel Tasting by Andrea Briccarello, Michael Garner and Susan Hulme MW. The Ca’ Florian was one of only two ‘Outstanding’ wines in this Panel Tasting which critiqued over 160 wines!

The Ca’ Florian vineyard lies on the limestone soils of the hill separating the valleys of Marano and Negrar at the heart of the classico area. From the terraced vineyard planted to the ancient pergola system to the use of the ancient arele (slanted bamboo racks) for the appassimento process, the long, slow fermentation and the four-year ageing period in wood (mainly in old Slavonian oak botte), giving this wine great personality and balance.

Andrea Biccarello’s tasting note revealed that:

“You can sense the maturity on the nose here, with its balsamic and shoe polish characters. The sour cherries and blackberries poke through gradually in a very traditional style, giving this wine great personality and balance.”

Michael Garner described the wine as:

“Fresh and edgy with a slightly volatile cordial fruit nose, this evokes aromas of cherry stones and irises. It displays a juicy freshness alongside its brisk acidity and cedar flavours.”

Susan Hulme MW enjoyed the “smoky, autumnal aromas and flavours [that] float around the glass. On first impression it is super silky, with mature notes of liquorice, raisin, brown sugar and molasses. Fine chalky tannins but with no hard edges, this is a mature wine at its best.”

Contact Effi to find out more about this “Outstanding” wine.

Domaines Ott “defends the colours of Provence”

La Revue du Vin de France, a leading French wine magazine, has named Domaines Ott as one of the Provencal producers that are ‘conquering the planet in the two colours of Provence’!

The magazine praised the ‘legendary Domaines Ott’ for their balanced Rosé Coeur de Grain 2015 and Chateau Romassan Rouge 2014.

La Revue du Vin de France describes the Rosé as ‘fleshy and savoury, subtly enhanced by the mourvèdre. This cuvée typifies the merits of the region’.

According to La Revue du Vin de France the Bandol Rouge is ‘suave’ and ready to drink, yet capable of ageing for fifteen years!

Contact Christine to find out more about Domaines Ott.

Ramos Pinto give the Style Range a ‘facelift’

In 2011, Ramos Pinto divided their award winning range into three categories: Style, Terroir Gold and Terroir Platinum, in order to help both the seasoned connoisseur and the basic wine lover to select the perfect wine for any occasion. Each category has different labels, colours and images to reflect the style and quality of the wine.

This spirit of accessibility and transparency has led to Ramos Pinto’s recent ‘facelift’ of the Style range. The labels of these Reserve Port wines incorporate some of the House’s most iconic advertising posters. Ramos Pinto wanted to ‘clean-up’ the labels, in order to make the most of these bold, quintessentially ‘Ramos’ images.

Maisons Marques et Domaines and Ramos Pinto hope that you are as pleased as we are with the results of these changes.

Contact Christine Allen for more information about Ramos Pinto.

Castiglion del Bosco in the Top 5 on James Suckling’s “Top 25 Brunello 2012”

We are delighted to announce that the Castiglion del Bosco Brunello di Montalcino 2012 and the Millecento Riserva 2011 have been awarded outstanding scores by world renowned critics James Suckling, of JamesSuckling.com, and Monica Larner of The Wine Advocate.

The Brunello di Montalcino 2012 was awarded 96 points with the tasting note: “It shows pure and fresh fruit that many others don’t have. Also, there are plenty of linear tannins. Precise and beautiful. Medium to full body. Persistent finish.” The Capanna vineyard, where this beautiful wine comes from, is unique in Montalcino for its terroir and elevation. The wine is aged for 24 months partly in barriques and partly in French oak barrels between 30 and 50 hl capacity.

The Millecento Riserva 2011 also performed exceptionally well, scoring 94 points by The Wine Advocate. Monica Larner gave the wine the following tasting note: “The 2011 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Millecento sees fruit sourced from a vineyard of that same name that was planted in 1998. The castle that dominates the Castiglion del Bosco property was once an military fortress built to defend Montalcino against its rowdy neighbors in Siena and Florence. This wine is aged in large oak casks for three years. Only 6,000 bottles are made. The bouquet offers enticing tones of spice and dark fruit with rustic garden herb and wild mushroom thrown into the mix. The mouthfeel is extremely polished and fine. This is a very elegant wine that drinks beautifully right now.”

Contact Effi to find out more about these high scoring wines.

Toby Webb interviews Jean-François Ott

Toby Webb, author of Sustainable Wine Blog, has published a podcast following his recent visit to Domaines Ott. In the podcast, titled: “Jean-François Ott, Domaines Ott, on Provence and Bandol Winemaking and Consumer Trust”, Toby asks Jean-François about what consumers want from his wines and winemaking practices, his suspicion of certification schemes and the idea of further transparency in the wine industry. Toby also finds out a little more about the history of Domaines Ott, which dates back to 1896!

Click here to listen to the podcast.