Before rosé became the go-to wine in Provence, white wines were the fashion, and the one produced at Clos Mireille is what brought Domaines Ott its initial fame. It was unusual in that it was based on sémillon, a Bordeaux transplant that turned out to do well in Mireille’s schist soils, the fruit giving Ott’s white an uncanny opulence. You can taste that opulence in the 2018, the blend still focused on sémillon, including some rolle (vermentino) for its acidity. A silvery pale yellow, the wine has a stealthy richness, building from bright, lean lemony scents into a vast expanse of gauzy, head-filling flavor. It feels like liquid sunshine, weightless but saturating in its bright sea-spray notes and citrus richness, yet it’s surprisingly meaty and firm, ready to stand up to a creamy fish stew in the middle of winter.
Maisons Marques & Domaines, Oakland, CA
94
Domaines Ott 2018 Cotes de Provence Clos Mireille Blanc
$43
Every week, our editors highlight a wine that intrigued them in our blind panel tastings, expanding on their tasting note in this space. These are entirely editorial choices; there are no paid placements. Subscribers can also access the original tasting note by searching here.
is W&S’s editor at large and covers the wines of the Mediterranean and Central and Eastern Europe for the magazine.
This story appears in the print issue of February 2020.
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