135 years is a long time, especially in US wine history, but that’s how long Simi winery in Sonoma, CA has been producing wine. In fact, Simi was making wine even through the years of Prohibition as an authorized producer of sacramental wine.

In celebration of this milestone, I was invited to an event in the winery for a treat: a vertical of cabernet sauvignons from 1935, 1941, 1956, 1964, 1974, and 1984.  Amidst the fruit flies and the barrels of its Russian River Chardonnay cellar, we tasted alongside two of Simi’s past winemakers and present staff.

The wines were vibrant, showing the long life of these wines: from the figgy, fruity, still full-bodied 1934 and the wild strawberry and balsamic delicacy of the ’41; to the more modern styles of the ‘74, with its big, spicy tannins and bright black fruit still present, and the concentrated, rich, and powerfully structured ‘84. We concluded the evening with a three-course meal paired with more current vintages and a sip of undated Simi port-style wine dug up from the cellars—perhaps even from the days of Prohibition.

Photo Credit: Susana Bates for Drew Altizer