Bonnie Brae Wine & Liquor Mart
785 S. University Boulevard • Denver, CO 80209
Phone: (303) 733-7261

The Simi Winery
– Healdsburg (Sonoma County), CA

Simi Winery was founded in 1876, during the Gold Rush. “Simi continued to make and store wine in their stone cellars for the 15 years until Prohibition ended in 1933, and was then primed with a large supply of perfectly cellared wine to sell.” “When you think of the great wineries of Sonoma County…Simi is at the top of the list." “Renowned French winemaker-consultant, Michel Rolland’s, first American client.” Russian River’s numerous soil types and microclimates allows us to produce wines with a great diversity of flavors and a flexibility that winemakers will never have in Bordeaux or Napa Valley.”

The Monthly Selection

$6.00 a bottle off this month!!

2005 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignonn  

WINEMAKER'S NOTES: Alexander Valley was shaped by dramatic geologic activity-from an ancient landslide that changed the course of the Russian River, to earthquake upheavals that redistributed whole sections of land. The incredible diversity of soil types and microclimates in Alexander Valley produces wines with velvety textures and bright, luscious flavors. Simi Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon reflects the best of Alexander Valley, with the bright fruit character and elegance that made this world-class growing region famous.

Aged 14 months in 20% new French oak and 7% new American oak, this vintage is 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot, 2% Malbec, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petite Verdot. It is dark red with a ruby cast; with aromas of blackberry, cassis, and plum, laced with cedar, spice and rose petals. The flavors are lush black cherry and black berry, highlighted with vanilla and a dusting of cocoa and herbs. The wild berries, ripe plums and sweet oak mingle with approachable, forward tannins in our richly styled Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

Regular Price $22.99 Web Special $16.99

The Simi Story

Giuseppe and Pietro Simi founded Simi Winery in 1876. The brothers had traveled from Tuscany, Italy, to California during the Gold Rush and by 1876 had settled in San Francisco where they began making wine. When they discovered the rolling hills of Sonoma County, they were reminded of home. In 1881 they moved their winemaking operations to the little town of Healdsburg in northern Sonoma County, where they completed construction of Simi's first stone cellar in 1890. The cellars were built from native basalt dug from the hillside and were set back into the side of the hill to enjoy the natural insulation of the earth. Early success in making and selling wine led to doubling the size of the cellars in 1904. Then, tragically, both brothers died within four months of each other. Giuseppe's daughter, Isabelle, took over management of the winery at age eighteen.

Isabelle Simi married local banker Fred Haigh, and together the two continued to grow the winery until Prohibition began in 1920. Forbidden to sell their wine, Isabelle and Fred continued to make and store wine in the stone cellars for the 15 years that Prohibition lasted. Unfortunately, they were forced to sell much of the family's vineyard property to save the winery itself, but when Prohibition ended in December of 1933, Isabelle and Fred were ready with a large supply of perfectly cellared wine to sell. To celebrate the repeal of Prohibition, they planted a grove of still-standing redwood trees around the winery. The following year, Isabelle established Simi's first tasting room out of a 25,000-gallon Champagne tank. In 1970, at the age of eighty-four, Isabelle retired and sold Simi Winery, although she continued to work there for many years.

Over the course of that time, Simi grew in boundless measure. Winemaker Zelma Long joined the winery in 1979 and set the course for modernizing the winery. In 1982, Simi returned to its beginnings by acquiring the Landslide Vineyard in Alexander Valley. Three years later, renowned French winemaker Michel Rolland began consulting for Simi – his first American client. In the following years, Simi continued its acquisition of estate vineyards in the Alexander Valley and Russian River Valley. These major milestones and the outstanding quality of the wines drew critical notice and acclaim for Simi Winery. As the winery says, “A lot of what we do at Simi is based on tradition, enhanced with cutting-edge innovation. Our philosophy has always been to maintain the quality and style that we're recognized for, while at the same time improve our methods for growing grapes and crafting wines to reflect the experience and knowledge we are accumulating and have been throughout the winery's 125-year history. Long ago we also realized the importance of Alexander Valley and knew that it would be a leading appellation for growing Bordeaux varietals.”

Then, in 1990, Simi began major changes. A new Visitor Center replaced Isabelle's Champagne tank tasting room, and New Zealand winemaker Nick Goldschmidt came to Simi. Then, in August 2003, following the tradition of great winemakers before him, California-native Steve Reeder took over the reigns as head winemaker and became Vice President of Winemaking for Simi Winery. Reeder, an internationally recognized winemaker, has received wide acclaim throughout the wine industry for many varieties, especially the Bordeaux-varietal wines. Among his accomplishments was securing the number one and number two places on Wine Spectator's prestigious Top 100 Wines of the Year list in 1999 and 2002 respectively, for Cinq Cépages, Chateau St. Jean's proprietary Bordeaux-varietal blend. “When you think of the great wineries of Sonoma County, Chateau St. Jean and Simi are at the top of the list." Reeder confides, "In fact, I've lived across the street from Simi for many years and have thought it would be just a matter of time before I worked here."

“Today, we showcase the region with our Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot as well as our vineyard-designated Landslide Cabernet Sauvignon. In 1989 we purchased our Russian River Valley Goldfields Vineyard and planted it to hand-selected original cuttings from some of the best and oldest vineyards in California. This innovative technique gives us the amazing diversity of flavors that has made Simi's Russian River Reserve Chardonnay famous.” Simi's unique vineyards are the genesis of our distinct wines. Our warm Alexander Valley Estate Vineyards are planted primarily to red Bordeaux varietals and are the source of Simi's Cabernet Sauvignon. These vineyards encompass nearly 600 acres and possess some of the most diverse soils of any wine-growing region, resulting from eons of geologic activity including a catastrophic landslide which changed the course of the Russian River. Alexander Valley possesses the greatest diversity of soils in any wine-growing region of California. It has a long history of dramatic geologic activity, from an ancient mudflow that changed the course of the Russian River to earthquake upheavals that redistributed whole sections of land. This created numerous soil types and microclimates. This is a blessing because it allows us to produce wines with a great diversity of flavors. This gives us flexibility that winemakers will never have in Bordeaux or Napa Valley and that is why Alexander Valley is destined to be such an important appellation.”

November 2009 SPECIAL FEATURES

Big House Winery - Monterey County, CA
• 2008 "Birdman" Pinot
  Grigio