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Red

2013 Château Simone Palette

Red Rhone Blend

  • France
  • Provence
  • Palette

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Community Tasting Note

  • PaulusLoZebra Likes this wine: 90 points

    August 9, 2020 - I have a soft spot in my heart for Chateau Simone. I did a few days of the harvest there one year because I had some mutual friends with the Rougier family. I returned the next year for a tasting (with Tim Johnston of Juveniles Paris fame) that included many outstanding old bottles from the family’s cellar. I have never had a bad wine from Simone, many that were great, yet also many that were merely good. Over time, several things have stood out to me about the wines, namely that the white and rosé are even better than the red in relative terms; that they need a lot of age to show their greatness; and that they are a bit too expensive in terms of QPR. I bought the wines routinely for many years, but because of the QPR issue I eventually stopped. So with that background, I recently decided that too much time has passed and that I wanted to be re-acquainted with an old friend.

    This 2013 had a three-hour decant and remained tight during the entire evening. Transparent, dark garnet color with a bit of sediment. Muted aromas of dark cherry, pepper and spices dominate, with a hint of incense. Medium+ body, firm acidity, moderate tannins, savory and balanced palate, and a fairly long finish. No obvious oak or alcohol. On this last point it is truly wonderful to see a 13.5% wine from Southern France, as the heavy alcohol has become a scourge throughout the region, although many winemakers are now working very hard to keep alcohol down and balance up.

    The wine was hardly different on night two, and if anything, was a bit less interesting. So, unfortunately my re-acquaintance with Simone was a bit disappointing. It’s a very good wine, but lacks complexity and charm, and isn’t worth its $50 price tag. Perhaps it will blossom in 2030?

    3 people found this helpful 1,142 views

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