Chateau Simian Chateauneuf du Pape Rhone Wine, Complete Guide

Learn everything about Chateau Simian Chateauneuf du Pape with wine tasting notes, wine and food pairing tips, best vintages, a history of the property, information on the vineyards and winemaking. If you want to read about other important wineries and wine makers from the Rhone valley: Links to all Rhone Valley Wine Producer Profiles

The birth of Chateau Simian can be dated to 1920. That was the year when the owner of the property, Sophie Simian died with no family heirs to pass the vineyard on to. Instead, Marcelle Laudret, who was an employee that worked at Chateau Simian, inherited the estate.

Today, Chateau Simian is owned and managed by a direct descendant of the Laudret family, Jean Pierre Serguier. Over the past few years, the owner of the property has managed to increase the size of their vineyards in Chateauneuf du Pape.

Chateau Simian Vineyards, Wines, Winemaking

Chateau Simian owns 6 hectares of vines in the Chateauneuf du Pape appellation. Their vines are in 3 main lieux-dits. They have plantings in Bertaude, Cabrieres and Caladas.

Their oldest Grenache vines, which were planted in 1880 reside in Caladas. As you would expect, their terroir includes sand, rock, clay and limestone soils.

They also own 20 hectares of vines located in the Cotes du Rhone Villages appellation. They also produce a Vin de Pays wine. All their vineyard is done with biodynamic farming techniques. Chateau Simian has been certified for both Agriculture Biologique and Agriculture Biodynamique.

Chateau Simian produces 2 red Chateauneuf du Pape wines and 2 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc wines.

Chateau Simian Le Traversier made its debut with the 2011 vintage. The wine replaced what was bottled simply as Simian Chateauneuf du Pape. Le Traversier is made from a blend of 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 5% Mourvedre and 5% Cinsault.

he vines are on average at least 50 years of age. The grapes are destemmed. Vinification takes place in either concrete tanks or stainless steel vats and the wine is aged for 8 months in demi-muids before bottling.

Chateau Simian Les Grandes Grenachieres d’Hippolyte made its debut with the 2007 vintage. The wine is made from 95% old vine Grenache from vines that are more than 80 years of age. The wine is a blend of 95% Grenache and the remaining 5% comes from various other allowable grape varieties.

Yields for this cuvee are always quite low at close to 18 hectoliters per hectare. The grapes are destemmed. Vinification takes place in either concrete tanks or stainless steel vats. The wine is then aged in tank for between 10 to 12 months before bottling.

Simian Les Grandes Grenachieres d’Hippolyte is not made in every year. the wine is only produced in the best vintages. As of 2014, the wine has only been released from the 2007, 2009 and 2010 vintages.

Chateau Simian Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc Le Traversier is made using a blend of 50% Grenache Blanc, 35% Roussanne and 15% Bourboulenc.

Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc La Font d’Hippolyte comes from blending 60% Roussanne, 20% Grenache Blanc and 20% Clairette.

When to Drink Chateau Simian, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time

Chateau Simian can be enjoyed on the young side. Young vintages can be popped and poured, or decanted for about 1 hour, give or take. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.

Chateau Simian is usually better with 3-4 years of bottle age. Of course that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage. In the best vintages the wine should be consumed within 3-12 years after the vintage.

Serving Chateau Simian with Wine, Food Pairing Tips

Chateau Simian is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.

Chateau Simian is best served with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, stewed dishes, sausage, barbecue and cassoulet. Chateau Simian is also good with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, mushrooms pasta, eggplant, cheese and tomatoes.

The white wine of Chaeau Simian is best served with a myriad of different seafood dishes, shellfish, crab, lobster, sushi, sashimi, chicken, pork and veal, as well as Asian cuisine.

Chateau Simian produced a regular red Chateauneuf du Pape wine that was discontinued after the 2011 vintage. That wine was replaced by the cuvee, Le Traversier. Interestingly, both wines were produced in the 2011 vintage.

Chateau Simian produces several wines in the Cotes du Rhone appellation that includes 3 red wines, 2 white wines and a rose’. They also produce several different Vin de Pay from both red and white wine grapes.

www.chateau-simian.fr