Originally from Alsace, the Ott family arrived in Provence at the beginning of the 20th century.e century and operates a beautiful synthesis: bet on the rosé, but give a not insignificant part to the white wine, which has Mediterranean saline notes, not found elsewhere. Whether in Burgundy, the land of Meursault, or in Bordeaux, the land of Pessac-Léognan. Southern juices are no better, just different. And cheaper.
The Ott family owns three properties in the Var, which form a whole, the Domaines Ott, of more than 250 hectares. Since 1912, the Château de Selle, in Taradeau, near Draguignan. Since 1956, Château Romassan, in Bandol, which exclusively produces rosé and red. And then, between the two, bought in 1936 by the founder of the estates, Marcel Ott, the famous Clos Mireille, which allows the family to display 15% white on the 800,000 bottles from its own vines, a rate largely superior to its neighbors in the region.
A site blessed by nature
The site has a unique configuration, in La Londe-les-Maures, near Bormes-les-Mimosas, on the seafront, just in front of the Gulf of Hyères. Or a plot of 60 hectares in one piece, separated from the sea by a sandy beach 20 meters wide. The site is planted with trees and rich in wildlife. Blessed by nature. Fort Brégançon, residence of the Presidents of the Republic, is a handful of kilometers away. The neighbor of Clos Mireille is another famous wine property, Château Léoube. Other winegrowers cultivate their land all around.
“Neither our grandparents nor our parents switched to chemistry. Our vineyards have therefore never been polluted. We go further by adopting biodynamics. “ Jean-François and Christian Ott, cousins at the head of Domaines Ott
Since 2006, the Clos Mireille (like the two other properties) has had Roederer champagne as its majority shareholder. But the family still has a stake in this gem, which is more than just a place of work. “We spent all our vacation on the beach with our cousins. We were looked after by Odette, our grandmother. She only saw us at mealtimes. Around us, the sheep were part of the natural environment ”, tell the cousins Jean-François and Christian Ott, who today jointly manage the Domaines Ott.
At the beginning, in the 1930s, Clos Mireille was exclusively devoted to white grape varieties, Semillon and Rolle, with even an effervescent cuvée that has now been abandoned. Its shale and quartz soils, shallow and filtering, as well as the proximity to the sea, invited to the exploration of this color. From the first cuvée, “Comtes de Provence blanc de blancs”, the family adopted the singular form of the amphora for its bottles, which is still a mark of its identity today.
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