Description
Château Simone’s Palette rosé boasts a pale ruby colour with amber highlights. The aromatic profile delicately showcases red fruits (strawberry, cherry). It displays great finesse. Supported by a firm structure, the palate combines liveliness, roundness and a salty minerality. This great wine from Provence has real class!
Palette appellation
The ‘Palette’ Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée is situated in the heart of Provence, just a few kilometres east of Aix-en-Provence. The vineyard covers some fifty hectares, strictly demarcated on scree soils derived from Langesse limestone. It is mainly spread across hillsides facing the famous Sainte Victoire mountain and benefits from a unique microclimate. The appellation covers white, red and rosé wines. The main grape varieties are: Clairette, Grenache Blanc and Bourboulenc for the whites, and Grenache, Mourvèdre and Cinsault for the reds and rosés. Harvesting is done by hand and vinification must take place within the defined area. The classification as AOC Palette by the decree of 28 April 1948 follows on from the INAO’s recognition of the ‘Château Simone’ AOC, obtained by Jean ROUGIER on 21 July 1946.
In the vineyard, in the cellar
- Appellation: AOP Palette red
- Vineyard: On north-facing hillsides, limestone scree soils.
- Average age: Over 50 years (some plots are over a century old).
- Grape varieties: Grenache 45%, Mourvèdre 30%, Cinsaut 5%, ‘secondary’ varieties 20% including Syrah, Castet, Manosquin, Carignan and various Muscats.
- Harvest: Carried out exclusively by hand, at full ripeness, with sorting of the grapes, fermentation with indigenous yeasts and temperature control.
- Vinification: Light crushing, partial destemming, pressing in a vertical hydraulic press, manual racking. Blended with a proportion of saignée juice.
- Ageing & maturation: Exclusively in wood, in small oak casks. Kept on fine lees. Natural decanting by racking.
For further information, visit the Château Simone page.
What to eat with a Château Simone Palette rosé?
- white meat
- poultry
- fish
- vegetable gratins
- omelettes
- cheeses
