Lot presentation

Palette Château Simone Famille Rougier 2012

The wine

This is a complex blend of regional varieties, grown on 50 year-old vines on a hillside of limestone scree using traditional and respectful methods. Grapes are harvested by hand and sorted both on the vine and again in the winery, where they are gently crushed, partially destemmed and blended with a proportion of “bled” juice. The wine is then matured exclusively in wooden barrels on fine lees.

About the Producer Château Simone

At the foot of Sainte Victoire, Château Simone is named after one of its former owners, Madame de Simon. It is "the" big name in the Palette appellation, an AOC as small in size as its wines are great in stature, when they are enhanced by the talents of the winemaker. The Rougier family's wines are definitely in this category: they have have watched over the Simone style for nearly two centuries. Vines have been grown here since Roman times; located at an altitude of 200 metres, on a north-facing slope surrounded by forests that protect them from the searing heat of the Provencal summers. The vineyard and winery are managed according to traditional methods, and the wine is aged in a series of multi-level vaults that were carved out of the rock by the Grands Carmes d'Aix monks in the 16th century. The property consists of 20 hectares, eight of which are planted with white grapes (Clairette, Grenache, Ugni, Muscat), and the rest with red (mainly Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah and Cinsault). Note that there are also some very rare typically Provencal grape varieties such as Manosquin and Castet. The property produces wines in all three colours.

Detailed characteristics