Château Palayson is in Provence, 45 kilometres west of Cannes, right next to the impressive, reddish-brown Rocher de Roquebrune. Nearby are famous wine villages such as Les Arcs and Le Muy and the city of Saint Raphaël. There is plenty of sun here, a magnificent region for viticulture. Most producers choose to make rosé wine, but Château Palayson has decided to go against the flow. Here, 90% of the production is red wine.
Christine and Alan Rudd are a Swedish/American couple. They have owned Château Palayson since 1999. Today it is a magnificent wine estate. Christine and Alan have put in a massive effort to renovate the chateaux, the gardens and the vineyards. They have a superb villa for rent. It accommodates eight guests and has its own private swimming pool.
The rosé production in Provence was already booming when they came here in 1999, but since then, it has increased even more. “It’s a bit sad with all this rosé in Provence,” Christine says. “We knew from the beginning that we wanted to focus on red wine,” she continues. “And we wanted to plant cabernet sauvignon”. They also set an ambitious goal for quality from the start. Their customers appreciate the wines and understand the hard work behind them.
Alan and Christine do most of the work themselves. They have an employee who does a little of everything, not least, says Christine, “drives the tractor and crawls into the tank”.
The frost that hit France in April did not do much damage at Palayson, but Christine points out, “we have started to have floods a little too often now, floods that kill the vines”.
The 2020 harvest was special for Christine and not just because of covid-19. Alan had an accident, and Christine had to manage the harvest on her own. At first, she did not intend to make any wine at all, but the grape quality was superb, and it was hard just to leave them.
They decided that Christine would do half the quantity of what they usually do. The harvest workers were given strict orders to take only the most perfect bunches and leave the rest. What a waste, they thought. But 2020 will probably be something exceptional.
The pandemic has affected sales. Like most wine estates in Provence, Alan and Christine sell quite a lot directly on the property. Now, they have not had any visitors in almost a year. Christine hopes it will start again in the autumn.
We have tasted Château Palayson’s three top cuvées in two different vintages. The grapes are the same in all three cuvées but different proportions. It is cabernet sauvignon and syrah, a blend that is not common in France. But these grapes go very well together, and the wines from Palayson are the proof of that.
Cuvée Christine, 80% cabernet sauvignon and 20% syrah
Château Reserve, 80% syrah and 20% cabernet sauvignon
Grande Cuvée, 50% syrah and 50% cabernet sauvignon.
The prices are around 35-40 euros. The wines are made in small quantities, approximately 3000 bottles of each cuvée. They are aged in oak barrels with 60-70% new, from the French oak forest Allier. The wines stay there for around 18 months, but it varies with the vintage. The barrels that are not new have previously been used for their white wine. It gives the red wines a little extra spice, says Christine.
Domaine Palayson Cuvée Christine 2015
Powerful wine with some tannin and lots of smooth, dark berries. Despite the power, there is a good balance and the acidity, as well as the tannins, give the wine a superb freshness. The wine is not heavy but pleasantly drinkable.
Domaine Palayson Cuvée Christine 2016
Very good with structure and tannins but at the same time a generous, southern-style fruit that gives softness to the wine. A good combination. Savoury and long finish.
Domaine Palayson 2016, Château Reserve
Full-bodied, tasty, with a dense structure. Classic syrah style, with dark fruit, warm spices and a good dose of tannin. Delicious.
Domaine Palayson 2017, Chateau Reserve
Compact and dark in colour. Dark fruit and exotic spices on the nose, quite structured with fresh acidity and fine tannins. Some oak aromas and overall a good balance. Long finish. Superb.
Chateau Palayson 2016, Grande Cuvée
The wine is lighter in style and elegant with freshness, aromas of cedarwood. It reminds me a bit of the right bank of Bordeaux. As always at Palayson, there is a generous fruit, balance and length.
Chateau Palayson 2017, Grande Cuvée
Also elegant and stylish with lovely, refreshing and juicy fruit. But still very complex with layers of aromas.
