Looking back, the New York-area restaurant scene was a vinous playground in the 1980s and 1990s, when good wine lists were full of mature bottles at prices that seem shockingly low today.

Whether it was 1928 Montrose at Lutece, 1953 Margaux at Bruxelles, or 1985 Sassicaia at Felidia, it was all there for the asking in Manhattan. And if you were willing to venture to Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, you could drink old Giacosa at Tommaso’s, or to Connecticut, you’d find 1961 Palmer on Fine Bouche’s list for $100. And who could forget all the treasures at Crabtree’s Kittle House in Chappaqua?

Over time, as the economics of the restaurant business changed, such opportunities became fewer and fewer. Yet, as recently as 10 or 15 years ago, you could still go into Daniel or Eleven Madison Park and find mature and remarkably affordable bottles of one of the iconic, and most ageworthy, white wines of France, Provence’s Château Simone Blanc.

In those days, Simone Blanc was an insider’s wine, with a loyal following within the city’s wine trade. Today, it’s still an insider’s wine, despite the fact that the estate dates back centuries, with vineyards of both red and white grapes that are up to 130 years old. Château Simone doesn't own the Palette appellation today, but when the appellation was created in 1948, it did.

Made primarily from old-vine Clairette Blanc, Château Simone’s white wine has a taste and character all its own. The Château's high-altitude, north-facing amphitheater, and its limestone soil, give the wine its ideal balance of richness and finesse.

Beginning in its youth, it has the cut and minerality of the North, and the richness and opulence of the South. Its distinctive herbs de Provence bouquet could come from nowhere else, while its palate can, with age, eventually approach Hermitage Blanc in its breadth and power.

Revue du Vin de France says Château Simone Blanc is Provence’s “most beautiful white wine,” but that just scratches the surface of its seductions. It is a profound reminder that the world’s greatest wines are born of great terroirs and traditionally inspired winemaking, built to develop with grace for decades.

To learn more about Château Simone, read our profile here.

Wines available from this offer:

Year	Description	Size	Notes	Avail/ Limit	Price
2018	2018 Chateau Simone Palette Blanc		RVF17.5/20 Read Notes	1	$57.95	add