Toasting summer like you Ott to
There are few things that say summer more clearly than a chilled glass of Provençal rosé, and Clos Mireille is as good as it gets. This is no Johnny-rock-star-come-lately kind of estate. In the 1930s, long before Provençal rosé became a thing, Marcel Ott fell in love with an old property overlooking the Mediterranean at La Londe-Les-Maures. It took him years to replant and consolidate the vineyards.
The location is great. The vineyards lie on slopes facing down to the sea. They are nourished by a mix of direct and reflected sunshine, and sea spray. The blend is a broad-ranging mix of local grape varieties, foremost Grenache, with Cinsault, Syrah and a little (white) Rolle for an extra note on the aromatic register.
Good Provençal rosé tends to be subtly flavoured, bone dry, a little salty. These wines are more about the texture and the mineral crunch on the finish. It's that salinity that makes you salivate and want to drink more (especially on a hot day). There are many slightly flat, insipid examples of Provençal rosé that get away with wine murder because rosé tends to be served colder than most wine. Now try a glass of the real stuff and see what quality is about. /NT
Offered subject to remaining unsold
