Simi Wines

It is always a fine day when one is reunited with an old friend and then to discover that the old friend has not changed over the years but has only improved. Of course you realize than the old friend is a wine, but an old friend is still an old friend. In this case, the old friend are the wines of Simi Vineyards, one of the first wines we had the privilege of reporting on and which we had not had the opportunity to sample in a very long time.

One of the items that a wine columnist must have is a very long memory. With all of the wines we report on, it is necessary to make the inevitable comparison to wines that we taste and keep written or mental notes about them even as far back as several decades. While our wine memory does not go as far back as ancient Greece, it does go back a long way and in that memory, Simi has always rested gracefully. With that all said, we would like to introduce you to what we believe are the outstanding wines of Simi Vineyards.

Simi 2010 Sonoma County Pinot Noir ($23.99). The 2010 growing season was warmer than usual, which accounts for the extra fruitiness of this wine. The first thing that caught our attention was the color, which is much darker than most California pinot noirs. Next, we found the aroma to be extremely complex and multi-layered and an ever changing display of black cherry, blackberry and plum, with leather, coffee and clove in the background. The flavor is just as expansive and explosive as is the aroma and concentrates on plum, blackberry, and boysenberry with oak in the background and ending in an explosive finish. This is a wine that should not be missed.

Simi 2011 Russian River Chardonnay ($25.99). This wine is a true American beauty and a perfect example of what dedicated winemakers can do with a variety that has become rather mundane in recent years. The aroma displays orange blossom and jasmine, coupled with a mélange of tropical fruits and a great deal of citrus. The citrus and tropical fruits carry over into the flavor where they merge with Granny Smith apple, oak, vanilla and a mineral effect that is, to say the least, unforgettable. This wine is a true California chardonnay, big fruit, big flavor, and definitely enjoyable. With all that has been said and written about chardonnay wines, all we can add is try this wine as we are sure that you will not be disappointed.

Simi 2012 Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc ($13.99). This is a very easy drinking wine and is typical of a California sauvignon blanc, but without accenting the grassy flavor often associated with this variety. Both the aroma and flavor center on the lemon, lime rind, summer fruit, grapefruit and apple, characteristics of the grape. The Simi 2012 Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc is the perfect wine to accompany shell fish and other lightly prepared sea food dishes but it is also a wine to serve with veal or pork and white sauce pasta dishes.

Simi 2010 Sonoma County Landslide ($35). The name is derived from the specific section of the Simi vineyards where the grapes for this wine were grown. Landslide is primarily cabernet sauvignon with small amounts of merlot, cabernet franc and petit verdot blended in to add extra layers of complexity. After fermentation, the wine was allowed to quietly age for 28 months in small French oak barrels. The wine that resulted from all this TLC displays an aroma that is a compendium of interesting sensations running from black cherries to tobacco to cedar. The flavor accents dark berries and cassis with a whole series of under flavors running from chocolate to mint. There is also a mineral quality in this wine that carries over to the long finish. The best word to describe this wine is elegant as it is well crafted and thoroughly enjoyable.