Giuseppe and Pietro Simi founded Simi Winery in 1876. The brothers had traveled from Tuscany, Italy, to California during the Gold Rush and by 1876 had settled in San Francisco where they began making wine.

When they discovered the rolling hills of Sonoma County, they were reminded of home. In 1881 they moved their winemaking operations to the little town of Healdsburg in northern Sonoma County, where they completed construction of Simi's first stone cellar in 1890.

The cellars were built from native basalt dug from the hillside and were set back into the side of the hill to enjoy the natural insulation of the earth. Early success in making and selling wine led to doubling the size of the cellars in 1904. Then, tragically, both brothers died within four months of each other. Giuseppe's daughter, Isabelle, took over management of the winery at age eighteen.

Isabelle Simi married local banker Fred Haigh, and together the two continued to grow the winery until Prohibition began in 1920. Forbidden to sell their wine, Isabelle and Fred continued to make and store wine in the stone cellars for the 15 years that Prohibition lasted. Unfortunately, they were forced to sell much of the family's vineyard property to save the winery itself.

When Prohibition ended in December of 1933, Isabelle and Fred were ready with a large supply of perfectly cellared wine to sell. To celebrate the repeal of Prohibition, they planted a grove of still-standing redwood trees around the winery.

The following year, Isabelle established Simi's first tasting room out of a 25,000-gallon Champagne tank. In 1970 at the age of eighty-four Isabelle retired and sold Simi Winery, although she continued to work there for many years.

Over the course of that time, Simi grew in boundless measures. Winemaker Zelma Long joined the winery in 1979 and set the course for modernizing the winery. In 1982, Simi returned to its beginnings by acquiring the Landslide Vineyard in Alexander Valley. Three years later, renowned French winemaker Michel Rolland began consulting for Simi -- his first American client. In the following years, Simi continued its acquisition of estate vineyards in the Alexander Valley and Russian River Valley. These major milestones and the outstanding quality of the wines drew critical notice and acclaim for Simi Winery.

In 1990, Simi saw two changes. A new Visitor Center replaced Isabelle's Champagne tank tasting room, and New Zealand winemaker Nick Goldschmidt came to Simi. One year later, he took over the role of head winemaker. In 2003, following the tradition of great winemakers before him, California-native Steve Reeder took over the reigns as head winemaker, creating a strong future for this winery with such a storied past.