Bob McDonald

9.8

Still a very dense crimson with no tawny rim, at 28 years of age but the tawniness is beginning. A certain feral, Animale, earthy note. Palate is ultra smooth, medium bodied / very savoury yet with a sweetish earthy note with a hint of raspberry. Jancis Robinson was invited by Stephen Henschke to a vertical tasting at the winery in May 2013 to cover vintages back to the late 1950’s. She described the 1996 as “pure hedonism “ and gave it 19/20. Medium plus intensity on the delicious palate with those gnarled old 160 year vines showing through. An absolutely stunning wine - one of the best we’ve had this year. — 25 days ago

Aaron Tan

9.3

“Perfectly rounded” was what first came to mind when I drank this. Rich and opulent, yet incredibly seamless. Even in its youth, the mealy and creamy vanilla oak character did not feel out of place, especially against the preserve-like fruits ranging from lemons to apricots. Expectedly long with a dense glycerol-like texture, savoury finish, and energising acidity. Not typically a style that I’d rave about, but credit where credit’s due, the concentration, texture, and oak quality were all remarkable. CW even went so far to say that it was Monty-like, and I’m certain he isn’t the first nor last person to make such a claim. However, we too noted that the warmth and lack of verticality in structure was a dead giveaway of its Napa origin. A contemplative wine of great presence at this point, but probably needs another decade or more to be truly digestible. — 2 years ago

KD

9.2

Inky dark purple, bold nose with dark cherries, blackcurrant, blackberry jam and a touch of smoke and baking spice. Chewy tannins that recede softly with a medium acidity and a certain sweetness. On the palate, very fruit forward with dark cherries, jammy figs and molasses with some earthy dark potting soil and notes of wet hay. Nice medium long finish that leaves you with a hot feeling. — 2 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.3

Medium + lemon yellow in colour. Aromas of yellow fruits (peach) with a honeyed note. Carries through to the medium + intensity palate with a certain texture from the oak maturation. As outlined in previous notes putting Riesling to oak doesn’t seem right although it is more integrated than previous tastings, but it is an old German thing - arguably the Godfathers of Riesling. Impossible not to like this. The GG quality coming through. Ready to drink. — 9 months ago

Tom Garland

9.3

1 hour decant(decent fine/cloudy sediment). A remarkable dark purplish magenta color. On the nose: certain vintages really embrace the brett on the property, this is on the milder side. Notes of red plum, nutty vanilla, pine, funky wet earth, old leather, some cherry. Taste: smooth, delicate, silky wine with savory notes of cigar box, currants, wet dirt, peppery, little dark plum, cedar, slightly meaty. YUM! A very good vintage for Cain, a little more intensity could have increased the score even more. — a year ago

with Brenda

Michael Chelus

8.9

Apple, lemon, grapefruit, peach and honeydew melon. Bright acidity and great minerality. — 2 years ago

Paul T HB

9.7

Tasted & immediately looked up what I had bought, $50.00 but so worth it.
K&L notes,

This is no cheap rosé, it's true. But consider, for a minute, that this is no simple quaffer of a pink wine. It hails from Palette, one of the smallest appellations in all of France. It is, in a sense, a sort of Provençal monopole, since Château Palette owns nearly all the acreage in this tiny 23-hectare zone. Their vines are old, too. In some cases, more than 100 years old. The red grapes are the usual suspects for this part of France: Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Syrah with small amounts of Cinsault, Carignane, and other local varieties. But at Simone, they translate into a rosé unlike any other. We're talking power here, and a certain something serious. The rosé is fermented in small foudres and is then racked into barriques and left on the lees until the following spring. Rich with raspberries and herbs, this mouth-filling rosé holds onto its natural acidity, as it does not undergo malolactic fermentation thanks to the very cool cellars of this historic chateau. This wine costs as much as many reds. Fortunately, it has the concentration and complexity to go along with the price. Serve it with serious food and be prepared to broaden your appreciation of what rosé can be.
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— 2 years ago

Adam Kincaid

9.0

Blind tasting no2. We all immediately pegged this as old world Riesling. The tell tale signs of petrol and dried apricot gave it away entirely. But we all missed Austria. Probably need to learn more about differences in common Riesling areas.

Clear and bright straw yellow with powerful petrol fumes. Off dry but medium-high acidity with a low-medium body. Dried apricots with some slate completely dominate the flavors. It’s not complex, but has a good finishing length. Riesling for certain. Austria? Wouldn’t know! — a year ago

with Jillian

Romain Fitoussi

8.9

Bright light purple dress. Pure explosive nose on fruits (red and black) and flowers, typical of carbonic maceration. In mouth the first is light, airy, confirming the nose; carried by a beautiful necessary freshness balancing the little terroir extraction. A modern, "natural" wine, on the fruits at first fond that does not prevent a certain complexity from expressing itself on a peppery and mineral finish. A very beautiful juice to drink from the aperitif, which blindly could pass for a rosé.

Robe légère violine éclatante. Nez pure explosifs sur les fruits (rouge et noirs) et fleurs, typique des vins en macération carbonique. En bouche l’abord est léger, aérien, confirmant le nez; porté par une belle fraîcheur nécessaire équilibrant le peu de terroir extrait. Un vin moderne, “nature”, sur les fruits á l’abord friand n’empêchant pas une certaine complexité de s’exprimer sur une finale poivrée et minérale. Un très beau jus à boire des l’apéro, qui à l’aveugle c’est pourrait passer pour un rosé. — 2 years ago

Kevin Cahoon

9.3

Not quite as good as my last bottle in 2019. Lots of red cherry, strawberry and pomegranate fruit accented with deft touch of oak and just a hint of sous bois. A touch compact at opening but develops nicely wine air. Bright red fruit tones on the palate with brown spice, baked stones and a bit of dried earth. Quite fresh with good extract that plays nicely with the tannins. Finish of red fruit and Corton minerality. This bottle is missing a level of focus and depth that would really elevate the palate.
Drinking well now with potential for more developed. Certain to be enjoyable over the next 5 to 7 years. — 2 years ago