Château Simone - White 2023
A few kilometers from Aix-en-Provence, Château Simone holds a unique place in the Provençal wine landscape. The Rougier family has been caring for this vineyard located in Meyreuil, at the heart of the tiny Palette appellation, recognized as an AOC in 1948, for nearly two centuries. The vines cling to the slopes of Montaiguet, mainly facing north, opposite the Sainte-Victoire mountain, in a wooded environment that naturally tempers the Mediterranean climate's intensity. Beneath the vines lie the scree from the Langesse limestone, a stony terroir emblematic of Palette. This cool exposure, combined with altitude and the limestone nature of the soils, plays a decisive role in the balance of the wines. Simone has thus forged a very distinctive identity in Provence, far from whites built solely on aromatic brightness and immediate consumption. Its white wine, on the contrary, has substance, a true structure, and above all, a remarkable aging potential.
Clairette makes up 80% of the 2023 blend, complemented by 10% Grenache blanc, 5% Bourboulenc, 3% Ugni blanc, and 2% Muscat blanc. The vines average over fifty years old, with some plots exceeding a century, giving this mosaic of grape varieties an uncommon depth. The grapes are harvested exclusively by hand at full maturity, with sorting done before vinification. The work in the cellar remains deliberately traditional: light crushing, draining, pressing on vertical hydraulic presses, light settling, and fermentation with indigenous yeasts. Aging in wood fully contributes to the wine's character, with a passage in small oak vats, including six months on fine lees, then aging in barrels before bottling. More than a simple aromatic contribution, this long refinement builds texture and prepares the wine for its evolution in the cellar. The 2023 thus retains Simone's immediately recognizable personality: Mediterranean breadth, limestone freshness, and complexity that reveals itself more with time than through a demonstrative aromatic profile.
In its youth, this white shows a golden robe and an already deep nose, where white flowers mingle with ripe yellow fruits, citrus, apricot, and discreet hints of honey, wax, and Mediterranean herbs. The aging appears in the background, more perceptible in the texture than by marked oakiness. The palate is ample, almost enveloping in its attack, then gradually tightens around a freshness that gives the wine its energy and length. Clairette brings this particular combination of aromatic finesse and depth, while the complementary grape varieties enrich the wine's contours without blurring its line. With aging, notes of beeswax, dried fruits, citrus peel, spices, and dried flowers characteristic of old Simone whites will appear. Its stature allows for ambitious cuisine: roasted turbot, John Dory, lobster, poultry with morels, or sweetbreads are particularly suitable, while a well-aged pressed cheese will offer a more evolved pairing. A bottle not to be served too cold: around 12 °C, it gains width and reveals the subtlety of its aromatic palette.
Grape varieties: 80% Clairette, 10% Grenache blanc, 5% Bourboulenc, 3% Ugni blanc, 2% Muscat blanc
