Château Simone rouge, Palette - 2022

Located in the commune of Meyreuil and just four kilometres from Aix en Provence, the old bastide of the Grands Carmes d'Aix monks, now the Chateau Simone, has been in the hands of the Rougier family since 1830. Jean Rougier, the representative of the fourth generation, played a leading role in the decisive period when the grand historic terroirs of Vins de France acquired the AOC status. As a relentless and tireless worker, he identified with this vineyard that the previous generation had reconstituted after the phylloxera crisis. 
In 1947 he applied for the "Chateau Simone" AOC and on 28 April 1948 he obtained the AOC for the Palette terroir.
The domaine itself is established on a vast terrace overlooking the oldest parts of the vineyard with a fountain by the famous Marseille sculptor, Jules Cantini. The vineyards are planted  on the north-facing slopes of the Montaiguet massif in a natural bowl-shaped formation protected from the winds and crossed by the Arc river. Influenced by the biodiversity of the nearby forest, the humidity coming from the river with its mass of greenery, and the exposure to create unique expression of Provencal wines. The soil consists essentially of limestone scree formed in lakes in the Tertiary Era combined with clays, pebbles and gravel.
The cellars of Chateau Simone were dug out in the 16th century by the Grands Carmes...