Château Simone

The History of Chateau Simone

At the beginning of the 16th century, the monks of the Grand Carmelite order invested in the estate, they began by digging the cellar of the Château into the hillside, it was later fitted out on different levels and secured before receiving the wine.

After the phylloxera crisis, the property was rebuilt before being taken over in 1830 by the Rougier family. This family, despite the crisis, has never ceased to perpetuate the culture and traditions of the vineyard in order to preserve the quality of the Château's wines.

The Rougiers have always been aware of the strengths of the Provençal soil. To protect the wines of the estate, Jean Rougier asked to have Château Simone classified as an AOC. In 1948, with Château Crémade, they collaborated and ended up taking the name of the hamlet that lies between the two estates: Palette.

The vineyard

23 hectares of vines make up the vineyard. These vines, the oldest of which are over a hundred years old, are located in Meyreuil, near Aix-en-Provence. This vineyard produces wines under the appellation AOC Palette. It benefits from all the advantages of the Provençal soils: a northern exposure which allows a progressive maturation of the grapes, hillsides sheltered from the wind and the heat but also shallow clay-limestone soils. The river on the outskirts of the estate also keeps the vineyard cool. Few vineyards can boast so many fertile assets.

Concerning the grape varieties of the vineyard, the Château favours the clairette with 80% of the vineyard. This is followed by different grape varieties that will make up the different palettes of white, red and rosé. For the red and the rosé, one will find mainly grenache, mourvèdre and cinsault, as for the white, one will find in a more important way the white grenache, the white ugni and the white muscat.

This vineyard benefits from the quality of the soils, the climate but also from the age-old know-how that has only been perfected over time to produce wines of great quality.

Tasting tips

When it comes to pairing white AOC palette wines, it is advisable to favour fish-based dishes, with shellfish and seafood. The white wine also goes well with creamy poultry, stuffed vegetables and all goat's cheeses, with priority given to banon. It can be kept for 5 to 10 years.

The red wine of Château Simone is very powerful, it goes wonderfully with all meats in Provençal stew such as wild boar, venison or beef. It can be kept for 5 to 10 years.

Finally, the rosé will go perfectly with your charcuterie, your exotic dishes and also your cheeses. It can be kept for 2 to 4 years.