still wine from Champagne

Nestled in the forested hills just south of Aix-en-Provence, Château Simone encompasses twenty hectares of vineyards on limestone soils in a tiny appellation called Palette, which is virtually a monopoly of the domaine. The north-facing slopes and forests that surround the vineyard create a cool microclimate that makes for wines of great freshness and ageability. The white is predominantly Clairette, with small amounts of Grenache Blanc and Ugni Blanc, and a dash of Bourboulenc, Muscat Blanc, Picpoul, Furmint and Sémillon. The white is aged one year in 20–30 hl casks then one year in older barrels. The red and rosé from Simone are primarily composed of Grenache and Mourvèdre with a mélange other grape varieties in small proportion including Cinsault, Syrah, Carignan, Cabernet Sauvignon, Castet, Manosquin, Théoulier, Tibouren, Picpoul Noir and Muscat de Hambourg. The rosé is powerful and delicious, unique in its category and well worth your time.

Jean-Michel was born into a family of apricot farmers at a time when the steep vineyards of Côte-Rôtie were so devalued that his family was gifted a parcel within the appellation with the purchase of a plot of fertile farmland along the Rhone River. Though the family grew a small amount of grapes that they sold off in bulk, Jean-Michel was the first to take a real interest in wine, planting his first vineyard in 1986 and making his own wine starting in 1994. From the beginning, Jean-Michel was drawn to organic farming and natural winemaking. Along with friends like Marcel Lapierre and Philippe & Michèle Aubèry of Domaine Gramenon, Jean-Michel was an early pioneer of what is now popularly known as natural winemaking. Now working with his son Romain, he remains one of the best to work in this style, crafting wines that are consistently profound without the use of sulfur.