I work hard to express my passion about each wine SommSelect offers with accuracy, and to not lapse into the trap of pushing bottles with tired superlatives, magazine scores, or blatant overstatement. Still, sometimes there is no alternative to admitting a wine is widely regarded as The Best. After all, some properties are simply heads above every other producer in their respective appellation. And when that’s the case, we want our customers to know about it. Château Simone is one of these few elite, region-defining estates.
With a multi-century history of producing singular wines of outstanding quality and near-infinite cellaring potential, Simone is one of southern France’s undisputed Grand Crus. We offered today’s extraordinary 2009 vintage two years ago—since then, it’s a wine I’ve thought of fondly and often, and this specific vintage is one that many SommSelect subscribers have asked us to hunt down again and again. Unfortunately, with an estate like this, it’s never that easy—or so I thought! We recently uncovered a few more cases of this legendary red, and with almost nine years of age, it’s just exploding out of the decanter. For those who have never experienced one of these extremely rare gems (don’t worry: most people haven’t!), then prepare yourself. Simone deserves its crown as one of the undisputed great reds of Southern France and it belongs in the cellar, and glass, of every dedicated European wine lover.
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**NOTE: Our limited allocation is only available on pre-arrival and will ship from California the week of Monday, September 17th.]
Grapes have been cultivated on the grounds of Château Simone since the region’s earliest recorded history, and for two centuries, generations of the Rougier family has been working these same vines. The family’s property clings to a single hillside in Montaiguet, a small hamlet just east of Aix-en-Provence, 20 miles north of Marseille. The appellation that encompasses this village is Palette AOC, and even as a small independent producer, Château Simone produces a majority of the wine labeled within the designation. To the naked eye, Simone appears to be a classic family-run château, but it’s impossible to discuss the property without immediately diving into the myriad qualities that make this one of the most inimitable estates in France.
The first and perhaps most shocking feature of the Rougier family’s vines is that they are north facing. Yes, you read that correctly—their vineyards cling to a 750-foot limestone face that is angled directly away from the sun. This is unusual, but it allows the grape clusters to retain their famous freshness, despite the region’s fierce heat. It is one of the very few north-facing vineyards I’ve ever seen that produces world-class wine. Next, there is a mind-boggling diversity of grape varieties present among these ancient vines. Château Simone sits directly between Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Bandol, so it’s unsurprising to see standards like Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Syrah, and Carignan—but if you look a little closer in the vineyard, you will discover Cabernet Sauvignon, Manosquin, Castet, Muscat Noir, Théoulier, Tibouren, Picpoul Noir, Muscat de Hambourg, and many others. Finally, the character of Château Simone’s wines is perhaps what is most fascinating for sommeliers and collectors. Despite Provence’s long and sometimes punishingly hot growing season; the century-and-a-half old vines; and the diversity of thick-skinned black grapes, Château Simone does not produce heavy or overpowering wines. On the contrary, it is renowned for bottling elegant, floral, aromatic reds that caress the palate rather than hammer it with alcohol and extract. This is a Provençal Grand Cru for lovers of Burgundy, Barbaresco, and traditional Bordeaux.
Château Simone’s grape clusters are all harvested by hand, destemmed, and lightly pressed before fermentation. Indigenous yeast fermentation lasts for two to three weeks in wooden vats. Afterward, the wine is racked into foudres to rest on lees. After 18-24 months, the wine is racked once more into neutral, older barriques where it rests for an additional year before being bottled. All told, the entire process takes over four years before release into the US market—but it’s still not enough! In our experience with Château Simone, the wines often require an additional few years of cellaring before they start to show their stuff. Today’s wine is no exception—but it is now entering its sweet spot.
The 2009 Grand Cru Palette Rouge has indeed crossed over into its prime drinking window. With a giant like Simone, you can expect it to continue developing and opening up for another 15 years, but we’re finally getting a sense of the wine’s true potential. That means a tightly knit bouquet of violets, fresh-cut roses, Earl Grey tea, wild thyme, lavender, and Perigord truffles. As always, Simone’s fruit is focused and restrained, with currant, plum skin, tart cherry, and dried blood orange peel layered over a foundation of shattered white stone minerality. Still, it’s futile to define a wine like Simone with words, because it’s always evolving in the glass. One moment it’s reminiscent of Barbaresco, then Bordeaux, then the finesse leads one back to Burgundy. It’s a magnificent wine that defies all efforts to narrowly define it. If enjoying it now, please decant for 90 minutes, or more, and serve in large Bordeaux stems at 60 degrees. If you’re enjoying it alone, I encourage you to try it, without decanting, over the course of 24 hours; experiencing this wine’s metamorphosis is an immensely satisfying adventure for anyone blessed with sufficient free time and patience. And of course, please find an appropriate dish to accompany today’s bottle! I enjoyed it with a plate of braised lamb neck over mashed potatoes. I love contrasting an elegant wine with rustic cuisine and this combination of garlicky lamb was one for the books!
