Château Simone

The history of Château Simone

At the beginning of the 16th century, the monks of the Grands Carmes order took over the estate. They began by digging the Château's cellar into the hillside, which was later fitted out on different levels and secured before being used to house the wine.

After the phylloxera crisis, the estate was rebuilt before being taken over by the Rougier family in 1830. Despite the crisis, this family has never ceased to perpetuate the cultivation 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 Provencal soil. To protect the estate's wines, Jean Rougier asked for Château Simone to be classified as a Château AOC. In 1948, they collaborated with Château Crémade, eventually taking the name of the hamlet between the two estates: Palette.

The vineyard

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

As far as grape varieties are concerned, the Château favors clairette with 80% of the vineyard. This is followed by a variety of grape varieties that make up the different palettes of white, red and rosé wines. Grenache, Mourvèdre and Cinsault make up the majority of the red and rosé wines, while Grenache Blanc, Ugni Blanc and Muscat Blanc make up the majority of the white wines.

This vineyard benefits from the quality of the soil and climate, as well as age-old know-how that has been perfected over time to produce wines of the highest quality.

Tasting advice

When it comes to pairing white palette AOC wines, we recommend giving preference to fish-based dishes, with shellfish and seafood. The white 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.

Château Simone's red wine is a powerful accompaniment to Provençal daube meats such as wild boar, venison and beef. It can be kept for 5 to 10 years.

Finally, rosé goes perfectly with charcuterie, exotic dishes and cheeses. It will keep for 2 to 4 years.