Dark purple-black, somewhat staining, actually, with wide ruby edges. Heady brier and effusive cassis, sharp mint, eucalyptus, and bright petrichor notes so overwhelming it is easy to confuse with overt alcohol. I think it lies in the fact there isn’t a whole lot of fruit laying around in there.
I have a ton of these and when all our plans cancelled tonight and we decided to stay in and make comfort food, I went down looking for something easy, relatively cheap, yummy and fulfilling, but I didn’t want to have to think about it too hard. Wasn’t even planning on blogging about it. A *comfort wine*. Simi always rewards in these situations. Alexander Valley to me is just comforting. I was a little surprised at how dark and dense it was in the glass but the tidal-wave of bouquet doesn’t surprise. This stuff is always heady. It’s more in the expectations, I suppose. You pull a 20$ bottle of cab which is on every supermarket shelf from here to Pensacola and you expect…. well…. something a little more fruit-forward, jammy and easy on the structure. Not with Simi. What a winner–year-in and year-out.
In the mouth, full and rich, filling every crevasse with full, supple nuances of just about everything in the nose–but fruit just a tad lacking. Brightly acidic, while rich and ripe, and packed with graphite and conifer and sweet oak and still-vibrant tannins backing things up, but a tad thin entry and middle prevents you confusing it with something double the price. Still, oh so fun to drink and if past vintages are any indication, its dozen-or-so brothers and sisters will be amazing beverages for the next decade.
These wines–no matter how technically critical you are of them–taste fabulous after a couple years of polish and they are so balanced, 20 years is very rewarding. This thing is just about perfect. What a bargain.
2008 SIMI Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley Sonoma 13.5
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