Chateau Simone Palette Rose 2022

The rose Palette from Chateau Simone has a strong deep ruby-red color with amber highlights.  It is a densely packed rose, not your garden variety from Provence.  The nose and palate are vigorous and it is known for its fuller body, but with great finesse and delicacy.  This ALWAYS gets top billing from most wine pros and aficionados as one of the top rose wines, running neck and neck with the king of rose, Domaine Tempier.  If there were to be a Grand Cru Rose or First Growth winery in Provence, Simone is it!  Their whites and reds are also excellent, and these all age beautifully and gracefully.

Vineyard
On north-facing slopes, limestone scree soil. Average Age of more than 50 years. Traditional wine-growing with soil maintenance. No weedkiller used.

Varieties
Grenache 45%, mourvèdre 30%, cinsaut 5%, "secondary" Varieties 20% including syrah, castet, manosquin, carignan, various muscatel.

Harvest
Harvested exclusively by hand, when the grapes are fully mature. Grapes sorted at the vine and in the cellar.

Vinification
Light crushing, partial destemming, pressing with a vertical hydraulic press, must reworked manually. Blending with a proportion of bleeding juice.

Maturation
Wood storage only, in small oak casks for a whopping 18-24 months! Maintained on fine lees. Natural decanting by racking.