Winemaker Notes
This Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is incredibly food friendly and not a puzzle to pair with. It will bring out the best in grilled steaks with roasted mushrooms, Moroccan spiced lamb, and braised duck breast with carrot purée.
Blend: 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot, and 1% Malbec.
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: My palate always links Simi Winery with the Alexander Valley, and with good reason. This winery has been consistently good in producing wines that reflect this AVA. The 2015 Simi Cabernet Sauvignon is on point. TASTING NOTES: This wine is nicely balanced with just enough tannins to give it structure. Its aromas and flavors of red currants and savory spice should pair it well with a Moroccan chicken entrée accented with a balance of cloves, cumin, and turmeric. (Tasted: September 28, 2018, San Francisco, CA)
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
Nearly a northern extension of Napa Valley, Alexander Valley starts just north of the small, Knights Valley, and is just a few minutes drive from the Napa town of Calistoga. It is Sonoma County’s hottest AVA. But the Russian River, which runs through the valley, creates cooler pockets and its soft, alluvial soil is ideal for grape growing, especially Cabernet Sauvignon. In fact, some believe that Alexander Valley Cabernets truly rival the best from Napa Valley and many of the heavy-hitter producers have largely invested here.
In addition to Cabernet Sauvignon, which makes up over 50% of plantings, Merlot and old vine Zinfandel thrive here. Ample, fleshy Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc dominate white wine production. Some old-vine plantings of Grenache have also been discovered and more recent experiments with Sangiovese and Barbera show great promise.