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Tasting Notes
Medium bodied with plus acidity, this serious, yet easy to drink rosé has attractive and refreshing red berry fruit, fresh wild herbs, and subtle floral notes, along with a persistent mineral finish.
Body is the impression of a wines weight, density, or its ‘mouth-feel’. Some wines feel weighty, or full bodied, while others feel light bodied. Wine runs the gamut from light to full, with most falling somewhere in between.
TANNIN
Low
Subtle
Balanced
Pronounced
High
Tannin can range greatly in wine, but it is necessary to some degree, and a necessary constituent for red wines to age well. In high amounts, it can cause a drying affect, which is sensed mostly on the gums and tongue. Tannin is a natural preservative extracted from grape skins, otherwise known as polyphenols that are micronutrients and antioxidants with potential health benefits.
ACIDITY
Soft
Subtle
Balanced
Pronounced
High
Acidity is a foundational component in wine. In fact, low acidity, or ‘flabby’ wine (as the term suggests) is a negative. You can sense acidity mainly on the sides of your tongue. Acidity generally ranges from balanced to high. Crisp acidity adds freshness, making your mouth water. Acidity is a necessary element and helps to balance other components.
SWEETNESS
Dry
Off Dry
Medium Dry
Medium Sweet
Very Sweet
Most wines are characterized as dry to off-dry, but there are some grape varietals, like Riesling, that run the gamut from dry to sweet. The tip of the tongue mainly detects sweetness, which is why it is often the primary characteristic detected. Sweetness is derived from residual sugar that did not ferment into alcohol.
ALCOHOL
13%
Alcohol is the by-product of fermentation. Differing grape varieties have differing potential alcohol levels, but regardless warmer areas result in riper grapes resulting in higher alcohol. Alcohol level is an objective number, but its affect on its palate impression is largely determined with how well integrated and balanced it is with other components.
Serious and complex, yet perfect for anytime after five, (noon on the weekends).
GRAPE VARIETAL(S)
Grenache
70%Gruh-NASH
Grenache is widely planted throughout the world but some of the best expressions come from the southern Rhone, and in Spain’s Priorat. Grenache has small berries with thick grape skins resulting in dark, tannic wine in its youth combined with an almost ripe sweetness and elevated alcohol. Often part of a blend, Grenache offers a lot of fruit, spice, with floral and herbal notes.
Cinsault
20%Sen-SO
Cinsaut is an underrated grape variety from Southern France because its proclivity for high yields. However, when yields are restricted, it can make fruit forward aromatic wines best suited for blends and/or fresh, perfumed and fruity rosé wines.
Syrah
10%See-RA
Syrah is widely planted throughout the world, but that was not so until the late twentieth century when Syrah was principally grown in the Rhone Valley and, as Shiraz, in Australia. Stylistically, the Palate Character of Syrah can vary depending on ripeness from a rich Round & Fleshy, Tone & Backbone, to a Powerful & Extracted. The flavors and aromas can also vary with a dark, sometimes sweet, fruit character, varying amount of spice, floral, and earth, and smoke, and meaty aromas and flavors.
Domaines Ott was founded in 1896 by Marcel Ott just after the region had been devastated by phylloxera, a blight that provided opportunity as well as an incredible amount of work replanting vineyards.
Ott is now run by Christian and Francois Ott and consists of three estates: Château de Selles, Clos Mireille, and Château Romassan. The family organically farms these mostly old vines on often terraced vineyards that help to optimize drainage and eliminate runoff.
These wines, especially the rosé, are among the finest in Provence and are characterized by their elegant amphora-shaped bottles,a tribute to the large antique winemaking vessels historically used to make wine at the estate.