Wines

This cuvée—made with the same care and approach as the Palette—is from the original terroir of the monastery vineyards on north-facing limestone slopes, where the vines are over 30 years of age. The grapes are hand harvested and sorted both in the vineyard and the cellar, ultimately yielding a wine comprised of 80% Clairette and 10% each of Ugni Blanc and Viognier. A mere 720 bottles are available to the US each vintage, which is barely enough to tide us over while we wait for the Palette Blanc to reach maturity.

The white from Simone is a truly unique creation based primarily on Clairette that is supplemented with Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc, Ugni Blanc and a touch of Muscat Blanc. The white, brisk in its youth, animated by a bouquet of pine-resin, evolves slowly into a sensual masterpiece with its lingering finish built on a mass of minerality. This is a remarkably age-worthy wine with the potential to give ever-more pleasure over a span two decades or more. We have the pleasure of purchasing 2,400 bottles per vintage for the US market.

45% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, 20% Merlot and 5% Cinsault from the original vineyard of the Carmelite monastery 5 km from Palette. Vinified exactly like the Palette rosé, which is to say, partial whole cluster, fermented in barrique and foudre (12 hl) with no malolactic and relatively long lees ageing. The Rougiers do not consider this Vin de Pay a “second label” but a wine of equal quality from a distinct terroir.

The Château Simone Rosé is a wine that belies the notion that rosés are simple wines to be drunk up young. We have indulged ourselves with 10-year old Château Simone Rosé and have marveled at the tenacity, vibrancy and complexity of this very serious wine. The blend is identical to the rouge: 45% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, 5% Cinsault, 20% Syrah, Castet, Manosquin, Carignan, Muscat Noir & Blanc. Aged in barrel, it is powerful and age-worthy with a steely character and a grey-tinted aura to the faded rose-petal robe. We import, on average, 1,500 bottles per annum for the US market.

Those of you who know Simone realize that the red, a tenacious but ultimately elegant wine, is an equal, rather than dominant, partner to the striking rosé and the sublime white. Like the rosé, it is a blend primarily of Grenache, Mourvèdre and Cinsault but there are pockets of old-growth vines of Syrah, Manosquin, Castet, Carignan, Cabernet Sauvignon and Muscat Noir that season the vineyards and add to the stunning complexity of these wines. The influence of Mont Sainte Victoire, its surface covered in rich pine forest, is apparent in the flavors and aromas of the red wine of Simone. Annually, there are 2,400 bottles available for the US market.