SIMI. SYNONYMOUS WITH SONOMA COUNTY:
When Giuseppe and Pietro Simi immigrated to Northern California, they settled in Sonoma County because it reminded them of their native Tuscany—where wine had been made for centuries. In 1876, they founded SIMI Winery. Today, we’re still making wine from diverse Sonoma County grapes in the same stone cellar built at our Healdsburg winery in 1890.
VINEYARDS:
Greatness often shows itself from the very beginning, and that’s true for the Alexander Valley, which first achieved fame for its red wines in the 1860s. Today the Alexander Valley remains focused on reds, in particular Bordeaux varieties such as Merlot. Most of the fruit for this wine, rich with cherry and plum, comes from the Alexander Valley, including grapes from our estate vineyards. We harvested the remaining fruit from Robert Young, Rafanelli, and Passalacqua, each offering unique character—from red cherry and toasty oak to depth, richness, and light spice notes—culminating in an incredibly balanced wine, layered with ripe fruit flavors.
VINTAGE 2019:
The 2019 growing season brought nearly ideal grape-growing conditions. Spring rains in April and May benefited the grapevines and warm days through September resulted in slow, even ripening and flavor development. Harvest began on September 30 and wrapped on October 12. Brix at harvest was between 24 and 27 degrees.
WINEMAKING:
We fermented our 2019 Sonoma County Merlot in stainless steel, with daily pump-overs to increase color and flavor extraction. We left the juice on the skins to allow rich flavors and dense color to develop. All the wine then underwent a secondary, malolactic fermentation before aging between 10 and 12 months in a combination of French and American oak, much of it from World Cooperage, Radux, Vicard, and Damy. To enhance the full flavors of this Merlot, we blended it with a small amount of another red Bordeaux varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon (2%).
WINEMAKER NOTES:
Our 2019 Sonoma County Merlot is deep garnet in color with a ruby edge. Aromas and flavors of rich red cherry, dried plum, toasty oak, spice, vanilla, and coffee bean are present from the first sip. Its lush flavors and medium body lead to a silky finish. Enjoy this Merlot with garlic spot prawn and mushroom pizza, cedar-smoked squab with Merlot grape compote, or roasted salmon with wild risotto cake.
- VARIETAL COMPOSITION:
- 98% Merlot
- 2% Cabernet Sauvignon
- AGING: 10–12 months in French and American oak
- TOTAL ACIDITY: 6.5 g/L
- pH: 3.63
- RESIDUAL SUGAR: 0.7 g/L
- ALCOHOL: 13.8%