Château Simone Blanc, read the blend.

Published 4 November 2026 · WHV

The small name on the label is Palette. At Château Simone it points to a white whose composition is worth looking up before opening the bottle. Clairette leads the blend, with Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc, Ugni Blanc and Muscat Blanc listed by the estate. The white has a clearer identity once the appellation and grape names are read together.

The estate describes ageing the white in small oak casks, including time on its fine lees. For a curious drinker, that makes the bottle a way to investigate a place rather than choose by a familiar regional shorthand. The old cellar in the photograph is part of that story. Its barrels make visible the work that continues after the grapes leave the vineyard.

Try it with a meal and pay attention to how the wine changes with time in the glass. If choosing an older bottle, ask who stored it and how it travelled. The estate’s account explains its approach to making the wine. The history of the bottle in your hand still has to be established separately.