A Summer Rosé Crawl Through Provence With Model and Winemaker Michele Ouellet Inline
Photo: Courtesy of Michele Ouellet1/9There are three separate estates in the Domaines Ott universe with distinctive terroir: Clos Mireille, Château Romassan, and Château de Selle. Each of these estates is under the watch of its own cellar master, and we were lucky enough to visit the lovely Clos Mireille, located in the town of La Londe-les-Maures.
Photo: Courtesy of Michele Ouellet2/9The Grenache-based rosé on this property is made in a modern facility in stainless steel, which encourages the clean, soft peach and floral aromas, as well as the bright citrus on the palate and a crisp finish.
Photo: Courtesy of Michele Ouellet3/9I loved learning that the first Ott rosé shipped to the United States in 1938 was sent to Bloomingdale’s.
Photo: Courtesy of Michele Ouellet4/9My mom and I were particularly thrilled to explore the Domaine Tempier winery, as it is widely considered to be the winemaker’s rosé and is the inspiration for our own label, Lorenza.
Photo: Courtesy of Michele Ouellet5/9A toast to our favorite! Not only is its wine magnificent, it was also cool to find out that Domaine was actually founded in 1843 by a woman, Léonie Tempier—girl power! The estate continues to be family run, and the great-granddaughter, Véronique Peyraud Rougeot, was our host while we were there. The highlight of our trip was when she opened a 1999 bottle of rosé for us, which was like an apricot-scented nectar of the gods.
Photo: Courtesy of Michele Ouellet6/9Mom taking off with wine bottles in hand. The grapes at Domaine Tempier are grown in rocky soils, where the family takes a natural approach to vitriculture by employing sheep to trim the cover crop in the spring.
Photo: Courtesy of Michele Ouellet7/9My mom and I also spent time at Château d’Esclans, otherwise known as the popular Whispering Angel rosé. The name was inspired by two cherubs seen on the wall in the château’s chapel.
Photo: Courtesy of Michele Ouellet8/9The gorgeous grounds at Château d’Esclans. Aside from Whispering Angel, the other barrel-aged rosé wines made at the château include Rock Angel, Les Clans, and Garrus, which is supposedly the most expensive rosé currently on the market.
Photo: Courtesy of Michele Ouellet9/9We were very much intrigued by the state-of-the-art winemaking facility at the château, led by veteran winemaking consultant Patrick Léon. He told us that nearly 3.3 million bottles of Whispering Angel are produced and distributed here each year. It was an inspiring experience to say the least!
