Simi, Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, Alexander Valley

Waited too long. Not flawed, just a little flat.

2004 vintage

Still drinking well!

1987 vintage

Incredibly impressed by this wine. I am generally unfamiliar with the scope of Simi wines today, but happened upon this bottle while doing a cellar clean out. What stands out most is its incredible color. The core is still jet black, showing just a touch of fading on the rim. In a blind tasting, I would never have guessed this wine is nearly 36 years old. Upon tasting, it’s age is revealed. A strong earth nose, with just a little …

1987 vintage

48x 1990 (37x Bdx, 6x Napa, 5x others) : Six Napa wines were added to this Bdx tasting. 1990 was not an overly exciting vintage in Napa Valley, clearly overshadowed by the 91/92/94 vintages. Almost all of the wines are past peak with not enough fruit left. In addition the vintages misses a bit of charm and creaminess and remains rather on the astringent side of things. The only star was the Heitz Martha’s Vineyard (94 pts) which showed complex, …

1990 vintage

Appearance: medium+ ruby, garnet highlights, starting to show some bricking at the edges, medium tearing, no staining, good amount of fine sediment. Nose: clean, developing, pronounced intensity, blackcurrant, black cherry, red plum, charred red bell pepper, graphite, bay leaf, crushed gravel, cigar box, leather, coffee grounds, brown sugar, baked plum. Palate: dry, medium+ acid, medium+ tannin, medium alcohol (13.0%), medium+ body, medium+ intensity, long finish, blackcurrant, black cherry, red plum, charred red bell pepper, graphite, bay leaf, crushed gravel, cigar …

1990 vintage

Still youthful. Dana’s birthday!!

1987 vintage

We had two bottles with Christmas Eve dinner. I had the wine with lamb and my wife had it with tenderloin and it worked well with both dishes. The Somm decanted the wine, which really let it open up. Tannins were smooth. The wine looks brick colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like sandalwood and acacia. It tastes like tobacco, eucalyptus, cranberry and blackberry. The body is medium/full. The wine has polished …

2009 vintage

Stunning, mature, rich, layered, complex, Very Fine

1990 vintage

Classic cabernet. Red fruits combined with tertiary elements, just what I needed to scratch the itch.

1990 vintage

Surprisingly youthful, rich, minerals and dark berry fruit. The fine yet somewhat dry tannins persist, but never take over so the wine stays interesting. This could even go another year or 2 but is wonderful now. My earlier bottles showed the tannins where quite dry and pronounces but this has aged nicely.

1990 vintage

Finally got to this after 7 years. Received as a gift. Wood is prominent. Black cherry fruit, some mint. Too hot. Not much to recommend here vs anything one could find in Bx for the same price or less.

2004 vintage

Over the hill quickly after opening.

1987 vintage

Decent mild nose, medium bodied red, balanced with a spicy tart finish.

2013 vintage

Fill into neck with solid cork. It took about 45 minutes to come around. Modest bricking. Teaspoon of fine sediment. This bottle had another 5+ years left in its ideal drinking window. Black and red fruits beautifully with some eucalyptus and hints of herbs and cassis. Smooth, not quite silky. A 30+ second finish.

1990 vintage

Opened 72+ hours; murky ruby at the core. Sweet/ripe blackberry fruit on the nose. Nice medium-bodied palate presence here - this was popular with the group on Sunday (and I was less impressed with it then), but this is a well-made wine that has handled the years nicely. I still have a few bottles left from the original case, but IMO this wine won't be improving, so if you have it in the cellar, put it in the "drink soon" …

1990 vintage

Black fruit and leather. Decent.

2013 vintage

Very nice indeed. Fully mature but keeps on developing in the glass. Very much on the red berries and classical Napa style. A beautiful wine

1990 vintage

A nicely balanced Cabernet Sauvignon. Solid fruit but still robust tannin and acid. Some Simi Reserve has deteriorated with time and he cork was compromised but this bottle expressed the vintage well.

2004 vintage

Soft tannins, med(-) acid. Drink now.

2009 vintage

Full-bodied, quite well balanced, lots of dark berry fruit, accessible, moderate tannins, good but not great.

2009 vintage

Clear, light purple. Green pepper, vanilla, clove, cinnamon. Low acid, medium tannin. Blackberry on the palate. Long acidic finish. Needs 2-3 years.

2009 vintage

Another one of those hazy winery visits: softish tannins, cassis, pretty nicely resolved. Make sense of that.

2009 vintage

Disappointing at this point. Well past its prime. Fruit has receded, not very complex. Mundane. Not recommended.

2004 vintage

This wine is really coming into it's own. Great berry flavor, long legs, a very nice finish.

2004 vintage

3L Dark fruit, pepper, spice, and some oak. Definitely lacks some complexity and the fruit had a candied jam quality. B+

1987 vintage

American Belle 2nd Edition (Switzerland) : Tasted blind: Clear garnet in color. Nose of berries and chocolate. Nice sweetness and elegance. The wine is quite classical and 'calming'. Now fully mature. Great Cab

1990 vintage

Over the hill with red bell pepper, cherry and earth. Not concentrated and finishes with a short to medium finish.

1983 vintage

No specific notes, but really excellent flavor and depth.

2004 vintage

seems to be getting better...

2004 vintage

A very nice cab. Two hours of decanting proved to be a good move. Nice fruit, very smooth. Finished with a slight cherry flavor.

2004 vintage

Sensational, well preserved Alexander Valley reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. Ink colored, with dried fruit and underbrush aromas out of the bottle, this opens with overpowering fresh earth that reseeds after an hour or so, creating intricate, impressive characteristics woven together into a harmonious combination of fruit and mature red flavors. Unleashes black plum, cassis, and striking blackberry accented by smashed cloves. Full bodied and concentrated, this delivers precision and remarkable balance for a wine it's age. Gaines intensity on the illustrious, …

1990 vintage

This is past it's time. Rusty rim and a little cloudy. Alcohol consumed nose. A little up front with less in the middle and a tiny finish. Reserve?? A poor effort for $50 retail.

2004 vintage

Decanted one hour. Dark ruby. Dense, full bodied palate with smooth and elegant mouth feel. Hints of cassis and licorice. Can last 3-5 more years if well stored.

1987 vintage

Sampled 9/24/11 in Magnum. Same as 6 months ago. Almost no sediment. Rich sweet cassis and tannins, some blackberries and raspberries. Smooth and elegant.

1987 vintage

(originally 64.99) Dark garnet; nose full of cherries and tar. Mouth of cherries, smoked meat and road tar. Very tasty and excellent with steak. Good finish with moderate tannins.

2004 vintage

Some straight forward medium rustic red fruit, some new leather and a nice finish sporting good grip. Nothing too special, but not a bad bottling whatsoever.

2004 vintage

Sampled 3/25/11 in Magnum. Almost no sediment. Rich sweet cassis and tannins, some blackberries and raspberries. Smooth and elegant.

1987 vintage

Nice bottle.

2004 vintage

A very tannic cab, built for steak. I would avoid pairing with much else. Typical Alexander valley flavors. Still has easily another 3 yes in bottle IMHO.

2004 vintage

Fantastic and mellow!

1990 vintage

95% cab. no merlot. big tannins. i guess that's the theme of this tasting.

2004 vintage

At its peak right now, wonderfully exotic nose I don't see much in cabs, Bordeaux-like. Smoky overtones, almost a soy-sauce like component. Wonderfully smooth and the tannins have just melted away. Very complex, damn good bottle.

1990 vintage

Black and red fruit, cassis, and smoke on the nose. Fine and broad on the medium weight palate. Ripe, if restrained, cherry fruit flavors, accessible tannins, and a touch of capsicum on the cedary finish.

2004 vintage

very floral

2004 vintage

very floral fruit

2004 vintage

drank with out letting it air wasnt good after 2 hours of airing out the bottle it got smooth still a bit young definetly have again

2004 vintage

decanted... Great complexity, chocolate, coffee, good finsih was excellent

1987 vintage

Currant, cherry, capsicum, cedar. Medium bodied and okay structure, drinking well but very forgettable. Very typical Cali cab though I think I enjoy the Simi Landside more. Not much QPR even at the discounted $35. Enjoyed with cardamom beef stew, did not change much after decanting for 4 hours. 88 points

2004 vintage

Rich, full bodied, hints of chocolate, cassis. Extremely well balanced.

2004 vintage

Decant and pour. Color dark cherry red, medium-full body. Early on the nose was generous with medium depth sweet cherries, cassis, black currant, and menthol - overall slightly mediciney. Delicious dark slightly sweet cherries, with some earth and dark chocolate in the mid. Medium acid, tannins are slightly firm but fairly smooth and in the middle of integration. Medium length finish that is still showing some oak. After a couple hours in the glass there is some leather and a …

2004 vintage

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Simi, Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, Alexander Valley

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