What's not to like here, especially for $20 (albeit 10 years ago). Nice balance and flavors. Not deep or profound, but good drinking. Mine was well cellared, and while perhaps not at peak, nothing flabby or over the hill about it. 2014 end too early, but don't wait.
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The last of a case and still drinking well, albeit a bit thinner than I remembered, has kept much better than I expected. No decanting, but did let it sit for about 30 minutes. Nice dark fruit, with some subtle spice undertones. Nice balance of tannin on the finish.
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Good year, good value. Everything in place, not profound or great complexity, but good flavor, depth and balance. Easy and nice to drink over three days under pump.
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Nose is blackberry. Color burgundy. Delightful on front of tongue, working way towards the middle of the palette. Medium bodied, refined tannins have aged well. Taste introduces accents of plum and oak to the blackberry. Nice smooth finish. I love it.
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shared with pat at selkirk manor to celebrate the end of the work week. a far cry from the simi wines of the past. nothing very memorable here. a decent cab but fairly straight forward with little complexity and limited prospects for improvement with more time in bottle. light to medium body. dark fruit and a hint of spice. not much else to speak of.
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So I had my last bottle of this the other night and it really lost something. Dark purple in color with a muted nose of dill and earth. This is my last bottle of this and while it a decent middle of week cab it is by no means mind blowing. On the second night it opened up a bit and some plum and blackberry started to show up but the overall earthiness and tannins really stood out. Again not a bad bottle but not much here.
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herbal nose, dark, medium to full bodied, black currant/cassis with mild vanilla and some black cherry, balanced, tannins in between dusty and grippy but help to prolong a finish that keeps the fruit flavour, in the end an elegant wine
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Fine tone of blackberry in this dark coloured wine that has become quite expressive, medium bodied with auster tannins on the back end but quite enjoyable
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Some sour cherry and black currant along with some spice, medium bodied,dry, austere, fine tannins and a nice finish but the fruit is beginning to thin out.
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This bottle was quite a bit less enjoyable then several otehrs that preceded it. Rather thin with glycol and more pronounced oak. Some improvment on the second day but still a more rounded taste then previously when a good deall of structure was experienced.
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The 85 is just out of respect. I bought this wine as a close out at World Market. I'm pretty sure it spent it's entire life upright in a case. The overall impression I could describe probably is a long way from what this wine could be. That being said. The wine has super, typical Cabernet color. The nose is weak and watery. There is a nice hint of black cherry on the palate. There is no doubt this saw some serious oak. Will try to find another bottle and follow up. Later.
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Nose of vanilla and cherry. Flavour of red and black currant which continues to roll over the in this case pleasant tannins which are not astringent but there is some oakiness at the end.Good length, austere wine and not overly acidic in my view.
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Dark coloured black currant flavoured wine with deepening notes of cocoa and the beginning of a tantalizing mouth feel that ends with a good finish. Dry and medium but not quite full bodied wine.
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Reasonably happy with this bottle and at this price point. It was enjoyable to drink and relatively smooth. There wasn't much else distinctive but would come back to this wine.
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This time it was just "OK". It seemed unbalanced and too vegetative. I'm not sure if it is bottle variation, the mood of my palette, or that this time I had it with food (Bison). I really enjoyed this wine in May, but this one was lackluster.
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nose of dark fruit and alcohol. cherries. a little thin.slightly green finish. not unpleasant. faded after two hours. hoping for more depth from an excellent vintage for the north coast.
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Received as a gift, I was excited to try this with neighbors as an Cab exemplar of an outstanding CA vintage from a good producer, but instead it turned into a big disappointment. Aerate to decanter, served 10 min. later. Characteristic bouquet of moderate intensity, with cherries, red berries, herbs, and earth. On taste, the red fruit flavors are simple, quite sour, thin, and even watery, along with some green herbs, and oak sticking out awkwardly. Overall, the fruit is austere and tastes unripe, while the finish is dry and shows youthful tannins. A consistent impression across two glasses at different times of the night, I really did not enjoy this at all. Not expensive at 20, but even at less than half the price I've had Cabs that were fuller, more interesting.
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Great varietal aroma, no rough edges–acid and ripeness all in composed balance–and ripe. Not over-ripe, not barely ripe: ripe. It was so nice to have Cabernet like that, and this hopefully sheds light not only on how great a vintage 2007 was when not overly exploited, but also perhaps a new stylistic vanguard within the ranks of higher case-production wineries. If that’s really the case, I’m all in. One taster mentioned a degree of acid not usually seen in Cali Cabs; I agree. This acid was intense, which I'm quite fond of, so long as it's not protruding into the "we obviously acidified this year" territory (which I hope is not the case here). I'm really confounded by James Laube's 80 point score for this over at the Spectator. Then again, this is the same guy who tastes verticals of over-hyped wines with the producers themselves present and accounted for. So I wouldn't exactly say the 80 points is an objective, credible score, for all you score-hounds out there who may have passed on this wine on account of the plonk-ish rating.
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Not the densest wine as it is in the northern style but actually quite flavourable. Some decanting softens the presence of an acidity not usually seen in wines from California. I expect this wine to continue to improve. It has good potential.
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Shetland / Wilshire Wine Tasting: Tasted Blind at Shetland/Wilshire Wine Tasting. Decanted for about 90 minutes. Generic red fruit, some oak, not offensive by any means, but really no pop either. Was a bit disappointed on the reveal to see that this was the Simi.
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Pleasing balanced wine; medium bodied; black currant flavour with good structure carrying into a good finish; not overpowering but with definitely enough interest to enjoy on its own
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Medium red color. The nose was reserved, slowly expressing itself as the stronger part of this wine with oak, spice, black cherry and blackberry on the nose. The palate is thin, sharp edged tannins though not overly tannic, dark red fruit, very spicy, short finish. Not one of the better efforts from Simi I have had. Ok.
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Characteristic Simi nose of black fruit, cassis, plums, earth, and spice. Full-bodied, taut acidity, good structure, and a medium finish. Not overpowering; a decant pulls all the components together nicely.
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2/12/2021 - Docemann5 wrote: 88 Points
Fizzling out of sweetness. On its last leg but smooth enough
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6/6/2018 - levinml wrote: 89 Points
What's not to like here, especially for $20 (albeit 10 years ago). Nice balance and flavors. Not deep or profound, but good drinking. Mine was well cellared, and while perhaps not at peak, nothing flabby or over the hill about it. 2014 end too early, but don't wait.
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5/31/2018 - KGudek Likes this wine: 88 Points
Was ok
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1/23/2018 - jimmieL wrote: 88 Points
The last of a case and still drinking well, albeit a bit thinner than I remembered, has kept much better than I expected. No decanting, but did let it sit for about 30 minutes. Nice dark fruit, with some subtle spice undertones. Nice balance of tannin on the finish.
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2/13/2016 - Rkgreen5 wrote:
The wine has medium acidity. The body is full. The wine finishes long. The wine has round texture.
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10/20/2015 - levinml wrote: 90 Points
Good year, good value. Everything in place, not profound or great complexity, but good flavor, depth and balance. Easy and nice to drink over three days under pump.
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10/5/2014 - GoHarry Likes this wine:
Nice
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7/25/2014 - tmf3lehigh wrote:
D
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1/28/2014 - JeffnShari0614 wrote: 90 Points
Nose is blackberry. Color burgundy. Delightful on front of tongue, working way towards the middle of the palette. Medium bodied, refined tannins have aged well. Taste introduces accents of plum and oak to the blackberry. Nice smooth finish. I love it.
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1/11/2014 - JeffE27 wrote:
Disapointinh watery short on finish
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12/31/2013 - dmitchell4 wrote: 87 Points
Nothing special.
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12/24/2013 - King Saba wrote: 85 Points
Nothing special. Consistent and predictable A little short on length.
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11/22/2013 - bacchus wrote: 87 Points
shared with pat at selkirk manor to celebrate the end of the work week. a far cry from the simi wines of the past. nothing very memorable here. a decent cab but fairly straight forward with little complexity and limited prospects for improvement with more time in bottle. light to medium body. dark fruit and a hint of spice. not much else to speak of.
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10/4/2013 - j30 wrote: 87 Points
Medium nose of dark fruit and vanilla. Fine palate that's ripe but balanced. It's what I was looking for.
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4/26/2013 - Zuebolla wrote: 86 Points
Smooth
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11/14/2012 - JDV.DDSPHD wrote: 86 Points
So I had my last bottle of this the other night and it really lost something. Dark purple in color with a muted nose of dill and earth. This is my last bottle of this and while it a decent middle of week cab it is by no means mind blowing. On the second night it opened up a bit and some plum and blackberry started to show up but the overall earthiness and tannins really stood out. Again not a bad bottle but not much here.
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8/10/2012 - JDV.DDSPHD wrote: 89 Points
Licorice on the nose with some black fruit. Not overly complex but for what it is very nice hints of oak & black currants.
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7/3/2012 - MilesLP wrote: 89 Points
herbal nose, dark, medium to full bodied, black currant/cassis with mild vanilla and some black cherry, balanced, tannins in between dusty and grippy but help to prolong a finish that keeps the fruit flavour, in the end an elegant wine
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6/25/2012 - TPV Wine Cellar wrote:
OK, nothing great. Very rough and tart when opened. Much better the second day after it had time to breath.
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6/23/2012 - MilesLP wrote: 90 Points
dark, medium to full bodied, black currant, drinking deep and complex, good finish, very enjoyable
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6/16/2012 - MilesLP wrote: 88 Points
good nose good black currant flavour, dry, becoming a bit astringent with bottle age
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4/29/2012 - cipote wrote: 84 Points
Tasted very hot to me, cherry and lots of oak. Would maybe try another bottle.
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4/27/2012 - dave smigielski wrote:
Dessert Wine Tasting Party (Katie & Scott's House): I didnt taste this but wanted to include it in the list of wines served.
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4/26/2012 - MilesLP wrote: 89 Points
well structured black currant flavoured wine
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4/11/2012 - nick.dean wrote: 87 Points
Nice dry wine with nice tannins great value at $16.00 from Costco
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3/13/2012 - MilesLP wrote: 89 Points
Fine tone of blackberry in this dark coloured wine that has become quite expressive, medium bodied with auster tannins on the back end but quite enjoyable
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2/28/2012 - MilesLP wrote: 89 Points
Dark coloured wine, medium to full bodied, black currant and plum flavoured, smooth wtih a nice finish
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2/23/2012 - Bob Newman wrote: 84 Points
nice wine
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2/13/2012 - MilesLP wrote: 88 Points
Some sour cherry and black currant along with some spice, medium bodied,dry, austere, fine tannins and a nice finish but the fruit is beginning to thin out.
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2/8/2012 - MilesLP wrote: 87 Points
This bottle was quite a bit less enjoyable then several otehrs that preceded it. Rather thin with glycol and more pronounced oak. Some improvment on the second day but still a more rounded taste then previously when a good deall of structure was experienced.
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2/2/2012 - Edzo wrote: 87 Points
A decent Cali Cab. Great everyday wine. Very good for the $$
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1/17/2012 - Mike Kopanski wrote: 85 Points
The 85 is just out of respect. I bought this wine as a close out at World Market. I'm pretty sure it spent it's entire life upright in a case. The overall impression I could describe probably is a long way from what this wine could be. That being said. The wine has super, typical Cabernet color. The nose is weak and watery. There is a nice hint of black cherry on the palate. There is no doubt this saw some serious oak. Will try to find another bottle and follow up. Later.
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12/28/2011 - MilesLP wrote: 89 Points
Dark fruit flavoured, medium bodied, dry, slightly overly tannic wine with a lengthy finish
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12/28/2011 - tabrand wrote: 92 Points
Earthy taste with hints of leather and tobacco. I enjoyed this wine, and would definitely purchase again. Great QPR!!
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12/24/2011 - jmull wrote: 88 Points
Very nice value, showing a lot of restraint for a ripe year. Classy stuff for the price point. 88+
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12/22/2011 - JAprile wrote: 89 Points
Smooth yet full bodied. Nice cab
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12/13/2011 - MilesLP wrote: 89 Points
Dark fruited, austere, tannic wine in the Bordeaux or northern climate style
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12/8/2011 - MilesLP wrote: 89 Points
Blackberry, plum and graphite, medium bodied, structured, pleasing tannins more in the bordeaux style then a typical fruit forward oaked Cali cab.
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12/7/2011 - Rmoir16 wrote: 83 Points
Light body for a cab
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11/28/2011 - MilesLP wrote: 89 Points
Nose of vanilla and cherry. Flavour of red and black currant which continues to roll over the in this case pleasant tannins which are not astringent but there is some oakiness at the end.Good length, austere wine and not overly acidic in my view.
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11/22/2011 - MilesLP wrote: 89 Points
Dark coloured black currant flavoured wine with deepening notes of cocoa and the beginning of a tantalizing mouth feel that ends with a good finish. Dry and medium but not quite full bodied wine.
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11/20/2011 - moega wrote: 87 Points
Reasonably happy with this bottle and at this price point. It was enjoyable to drink and relatively smooth. There wasn't much else distinctive but would come back to this wine.
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11/19/2011 - Lulu2 wrote: 86 Points
Fruity- needs a bit of breathing but as Val said - it can do that as she's drinking it..;) birthday dinner of Val& Di in Vegas at Capital Grille!
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11/19/2011 - AngelicWines wrote: 84 Points
This time it was just "OK". It seemed unbalanced and too vegetative. I'm not sure if it is bottle variation, the mood of my palette, or that this time I had it with food (Bison). I really enjoyed this wine in May, but this one was lackluster.
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11/19/2011 - mike410 wrote: 88 Points
Slightly unbalanced with acidity more prevalent. Medium body. Lacks fruit. .
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11/12/2011 - Grumbling_Goat wrote: 85 Points
Pretty good, not bad for a $15 bottle of cab. Berries, plums. Not outstanding, makes a good wine with the weekend dinner.
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11/5/2011 - pupaes wrote: 88 Points
nose of dark fruit and alcohol. cherries. a little thin.slightly green finish. not unpleasant. faded after two hours. hoping for more depth from an excellent vintage for the north coast.
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10/27/2011 - davem511 wrote: 87 Points
Not bad, just really nothing notable. Very smooth, but thin and lacking flavor. Will not spend $20 on this again.
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10/2/2011 - Ponesy wrote: 83 Points
Seems young, could be decanted and might be better
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9/24/2011 - Vinacull wrote: 80 Points
Received as a gift, I was excited to try this with neighbors as an Cab exemplar of an outstanding CA vintage from a good producer, but instead it turned into a big disappointment. Aerate to decanter, served 10 min. later. Characteristic bouquet of moderate intensity, with cherries, red berries, herbs, and earth. On taste, the red fruit flavors are simple, quite sour, thin, and even watery, along with some green herbs, and oak sticking out awkwardly. Overall, the fruit is austere and tastes unripe, while the finish is dry and shows youthful tannins. A consistent impression across two glasses at different times of the night, I really did not enjoy this at all. Not expensive at 20, but even at less than half the price I've had Cabs that were fuller, more interesting.
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9/23/2011 - Wesley wrote: 89 Points
This is a consistently good quality wine for the money.
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9/5/2011 - jvogel wrote:
Great varietal aroma, no rough edges–acid and ripeness all in composed balance–and ripe. Not over-ripe, not barely ripe: ripe. It was so nice to have Cabernet like that, and this hopefully sheds light not only on how great a vintage 2007 was when not overly exploited, but also perhaps a new stylistic vanguard within the ranks of higher case-production wineries. If that’s really the case, I’m all in. One taster mentioned a degree of acid not usually seen in Cali Cabs; I agree. This acid was intense, which I'm quite fond of, so long as it's not protruding into the "we obviously acidified this year" territory (which I hope is not the case here). I'm really confounded by James Laube's 80 point score for this over at the Spectator. Then again, this is the same guy who tastes verticals of over-hyped wines with the producers themselves present and accounted for. So I wouldn't exactly say the 80 points is an objective, credible score, for all you score-hounds out there who may have passed on this wine on account of the plonk-ish rating.
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9/2/2011 - Risenc wrote: 84 Points
Okay. Too dry for me. Lots of plum, some spice on the finish. Had it with pizza; would have enjoyed it more with something heartier.
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8/27/2011 - MilesLP wrote: 89 Points
Not the densest wine as it is in the northern style but actually quite flavourable. Some decanting softens the presence of an acidity not usually seen in wines from California. I expect this wine to continue to improve. It has good potential.
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8/18/2011 - Ckwinter Likes this wine: 86 Points
A no-brainer Cab. A crowd pleaser but no complexity to it.
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7/29/2011 - bpobric wrote: 80 Points
Not worth $20. Very little to nothing on the nose and no finish at all. Even worst without bite of food...Will not buy it again. Sorry...
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7/27/2011 - riskun wrote: 84 Points
Very light nose of sweet candied fruit. Sweet entry with little body. Touch of currant on the finish but little interesting going on.
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6/18/2011 - Lesliepop wrote: 86 Points
Nice strong red. Not special but would buy it again
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6/3/2011 - Coupe 60 wrote: 85 Points
Shetland / Wilshire Wine Tasting: Tasted Blind at Shetland/Wilshire Wine Tasting. Decanted for about 90 minutes. Generic red fruit, some oak, not offensive by any means, but really no pop either. Was a bit disappointed on the reveal to see that this was the Simi.
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5/14/2011 - AngelicWines wrote: 90 Points
Nice smooth flavor, plum notes with hint of chocolate and tar.
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5/12/2011 - joshwoodward wrote: 90 Points
Corks: Sonoma: Smooth, oaky, creamy, medium body and structure. Bright.
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4/22/2011 - eteyemd wrote: 88 Points
Good wine with a great steak. Nothing special, but an enjoyable wine.
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4/17/2011 - Jim Maurice wrote:
Just not as incredible as I remembered it
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4/2/2011 - MilesLP wrote: 89 Points
Pleasing balanced wine; medium bodied; black currant flavour with good structure carrying into a good finish; not overpowering but with definitely enough interest to enjoy on its own
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3/17/2011 - Jim Maurice wrote: 84 Points
Not as tasty as I remembered. Very dry and oaky. Overpowering tannins hid the fruit. Finish was a tongue curler.
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2/13/2011 - joalyons wrote: 82 Points
Strong wood taste
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2/12/2011 - bruceb wrote: 87 Points
Full bodied cab; fruit forward. Drank at restaurant dinner, so detailed tasting notes were limited. Was enjoyable enough to purchase again.
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1/15/2011 - rocknroller wrote: 86 Points
Medium red color. The nose was reserved, slowly expressing itself as the stronger part of this wine with oak, spice, black cherry and blackberry on the nose. The palate is thin, sharp edged tannins though not overly tannic, dark red fruit, very spicy, short finish. Not one of the better efforts from Simi I have had. Ok.
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12/31/2010 - Crnsha wrote: 91 Points
New years 2010
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12/18/2010 - bruceb wrote: 88 Points
Nothing complex, but a decent, full-bodied Cab to go with steak.
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12/10/2010 - Henry Adams wrote: 91 Points
Very fruit forward
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9/18/2010 - Baron Slick wrote: 88 Points
Characteristic Simi nose of black fruit, cassis, plums, earth, and spice. Full-bodied, taut acidity, good structure, and a medium finish. Not overpowering; a decant pulls all the components together nicely.
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