Les Grands Carmes de Simone 2011

Bettane & Desseauve

About the domain :

This is the most famous château in the Palette appellation, for which the Rougier family has overseen style for almost two centuries. The 25 hectares of vines are situated at an altitude of around 200 metres, on a north-facing slope that protects them from the force of the sun and the Mistral wind. But the real treasure of the estate is undoubtedly its many very old vines, pampered by respectful viticulture, whose official organic certification has been underway since 2018. The wine, matured in vaulted cellars built into the rock by the Grand Carmes monks of Aix in the 16th century, is often underestimated in its youth. After a few years' cellaring, all the cuvées reveal admirable complexity and depth, including the rosés. So it's best to keep the bottles in the cellar for a while, in spite of impatience.

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the domain :

From the top of the Château Simone slopes, you can see a Cézanne canvas: the centuries-old vines clinging to the limestone of Langesse open out to the north towards Mont Sainte-Victoire. "La Simone", as the Rougier family likes to call it, is certainly the most famous cru in the eyes of lovers of great Mediterranean white wines. It's true that René and Jean-François Rougier cultivate this white far from any technicality, displaying incredible breed, balance and fullness. One of the secrets lies in the slow pressing and twenty-month ageing in foudre, then in barrel. It's also the fruit of an 8-hectare plot, planted with several grape varieties, mainly clairette (with 2% muscat, which makes all the difference!), harvested and vinified as a blend. The rosé, Simone's other trump card, is always colorful and intensely fruity. It is highly concentrated on the palate, with good ageing potential. The reds have now reached the dimensions of some of the great wines of the southern Rhône Valley. The Grenache and Mourvèdre grapes give it a spirit embodied by a level of maturity and a heart on the palate that are more accomplished than in previous vintages.