Deep gold color; tropical fruit, yellow apple, pear, oak spice on the nose; apple, pear, peach, butter, sea salt on the palate.
Dry; rich, very soft, and appealing. Fruity with hint of sweetness. Significant oak—75% new French and American barrels. Butter is there, but somewhat limited—70% maloactic fermentation. 14.9% ABV.
The Riboli family’s wine story dates back to 1917 when they opened the San Antonio Winery in downtown Los Angeles. The family is now in the fourth generation of wine and wine making, with Anthony Riboli the principal winemaker, assisted by Arnaud Debons. You sometimes will find references to the brand as “San Antonio Winery San Simeon Estate…”
San Antonio Winery is the oldest winery in Los Angeles. It also has winery locations in Ontario, California, and in Paso Robles. In addition to San Simeon Estate Reserve, other labels include Stella Rosa, Riboli Family Wine Estates, Opaque, Maddalena, and Windstream.
San Simeon Estate Reserve Chardonnay, Monterey 2017 is rich, soft in the mouth, with ripe tropical fruit in addition to the traditional yellow apple flavor. Pair with shellfish—lobster, shrimp, pan-seared scallops—especially with rich cream or buttery sauces; crabcakes; strawberry jam infused cream cheese over smoked salmon; corn on the cob. $17-24
