Château Simone, Palette Rosé, Provence, France 2019

Chateau Simone Rose is 5% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, 5% Cinsault, and 20% Syrah, Castet, Manosquin, Carignan, Muscat Noir & Blanc.

The Chateau Simone Rose is a wine that belies the notion that rosés are simple wines to be drunk up young. Aged in barrel, it is powerful and age-worthy with a steely character and a grey-tinted aura to the faded rose-petal robe.

This historic estate is situated in the hills just south of Aix-en-Provence, has been in the hands of the Rougier family for two centuries and holds a virtual monopoly on the appellation of Palette. The domaine encompasses twenty hectares of vineyards that sit on limestone soils at elevations between 500 and 750 feet above sea level on the slopes of Montaiguet. The special microclimate of this appellation is influenced by the encircling pine forests, the mass of Mont Sainte-Victoire, and the Arc River.