Simi Sonoma County Chardonnay 2005
Simi is a California winery founded over 125 years ago by two brothers named Giuseppe and Pietro Simi, from Tuscany, Italy. The Simi brothers built a successful business before both died just after the turn of the 20th century, leaving the estate to Giuseppe’s daughter Isabelle, who continued the business with help from her husband Fred Haight. The business continued to flourish until Prohibition (1920), and picked up right where it left off when Prohibition was repealed in 1933.
It’s an interesting story, told in more detail at the Simi website. What you need to know is that Simi remains an historic estate — by most accounts the longest continually operating winery in California (they made “sacramental” wines during Prohibition) and has gained significant respect and popularity over the last 30 years, thanks to high quality bottlings. Current winemaker Steve Reeder is a star in the industry, with a resume that includes stints at Kendall-Jackson and Chateau St. Jean — where he made some highly acclaimed wines. Simi has been and remains a producer of consistent, high quality wines — you will get what you pay for when their label is on the bottle.
Simi Chardonnay Tasting Notes
The grapes for this wine come from Sonoma County (duh) — specifically, from Alexander Valley, Russian River, and Carneros. The wine was aged in oak barrels for six months prior to bottling.
Lots of bright, ripe, spiced pear on the nose and the palate. Nose also has some honeysuckle and vanilla. Texture is creamy smooth and rich, an ideal vessel for the creamy vanilla, maple, and spice flavors. Though it is obviously oaked and has an almost maple syrup quality, it is not cloying. A decent amount of acidity tries to stand up to the fruit, but needs help from a fair dose of alcohol to provide structure. A thick, rich, full-bodied, full-flavored wine that may be best drunk alone, but also has enough acidity to match successfully with equally rich dishes. Go with bolder pork and poultry dishes, gamey fish (salmon), flavorfully prepared scallops or sea bass, corn chowder, and other dishes that you might consider matching with Pinot Noir or Beaujolais. Tasty and succulent. At somewhere between $15 to $18, appropriately priced.
a-8 t-9 b-7 fc-7 v-7 ~ 88 Points
Website: Simi Winery
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