This shares a family resemblance to Simirsquo;s 2003 Sonoma County Chardonnay, both finishing with a white cornmeal flavor of toasted lees (perhaps from a higher proportion of lots fermented with native yeasts). In the reserve, you get substantially more elegance, and a gentle delivery of finely ripened fruit. It tastes of white peach, golden delicious apple and camomile, the fruit integrated into the oak, lasting along with that leesy tone. Zelma Long set the standard for Simi Reserve in the eighties and nineties, now taking impressive new directions under winemaker Nick Goldschmidt.

Rating for United States-California: 92 (good year)<br/><br/>Drinkability: drink now<br/>