Château Simone's Blanc is one of the great unsung wines of France.

Along with the legendary 2008, Simone's 2016 Blanc seems poised to be one of the greats.

In early March, we opened a bottle for the staff to taste blind, and everyone was blown away by it.

Of course, many struggled to identify what the wine was. White Bordeaux and white Rhône came up often. As we've written before, Simone's greatness is a confounding greatness. It doesn't fit neatly in categories or expectations. The wine is all the more exciting for it.

I'm happy to offer Château Simone's 2016 Palette Blanc for $56.95 on bottles and $49.95 in 4-packs.

What makes Simone extraordinary and so compelling is its refinement and grace. You'd never expect to find a wine this aristocratic in the sun-soaked south, but for over 150 years, Simone has been turning out this wine of unmatched class and utter uniqueness.

The 2016 amazes with its density and its finesse. It possesses a very similar profile to the 2016 northern Rhône wines that we are so fond of.

Simone's 2016 Blanc shows incredible purity, verve, and elegance while showing richness and stately grandeur. Of course, you get the head-spinning complexity that's typical of Simone's white - minerality, herbs, pine resin, and various stone fruits possessing an emphatically caressing depth.

Andrew Jefford writes that “the Simone vineyards are unusual in every respect.” Simone is located in the small, obscure limestone dominated appellation of Palette (it totals a mere 35ha) just north of Aix-en-Provence in the heart of Provence. Compared to the rest of sun-soaked Provence, the north-facing vineyards give Simone's wines shocking poise and finesse. The blend is also pretty unusual. It's mainly Clairette along with Grenache Blanc, Ugni Blanc, Bourboulenc, Muscat Blanc, Picpoul, Furmint, and Sémillon. Some of these vines are over 150 years old.

Simone's white ages beautifully for decades. In a vintage like 2016, the wine will almost certainly reach an incredible level. For the price, it's difficult to think of a wine with this much breeding that ages as well. Don't miss.

To order, email offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.

Joe Salamone

Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits

2016 Château Simone Palette Blanc

Special Bottle Price: $56.95

Special 4-Pack Price: $199.80 ($49.95/btl)