2020 Chateau Simone Blanc - AOC Palette

Palette is a tiny French appellation just outside of Aix-en-Provence. It’s home to a handful of wine producers farming a total of less than 50 hectares (~100 acres). About half of those vineyards belong to the Rougier family’s Château Simone, which is beyond any dispute the star of the appellation - and one of the stars of French wine.

Their Blanc comes from 50-100+ year-old head-trained (gobelet) vines growing in limestone-rich soils. The vineyards face north rather than the usual south or west, which is a distinct advantage in hot southeastern France and in a warming world. Farming is certified organic. The cépage is mostly clairette, with small amounts of grenache blanc, ugni blanc, bourboulenc, muscat blanc, picpoul, furmint, and sémillon. The wine ferments with wild yeast for 15 to 20 days in small wooden vats and then ages for one year in 2000-3000-liter casks and then one year in older barrels. The Rougier’s cool cellar naturally prevents malolactic fermentation, which helps preserve freshness in the wine.

The nose of this wine is a swirl of enchanting complexity, including orchard fruits and citrus, minerals, honey, and smoke. There is a piney and resiny note, perhaps from the pine forests surrounding the appellation. In the mouth, the wine is deeply savory, waxy in texture, and very, very long. If you have a decanter handy, don’t hesitate to use it an hour or so beforehand. Drink the wine in a Burgundy or other large and wide glass, or cellar it for up to a decade. It would be lovely and apt with bouillabaisse or any other fish stew.