Wine of the Week: Sauvignon Blanc, Simi Sonoma County, 2008

Chalk it up to spring fever. All we can think about are light and lively white wines like the 2008 Simi Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc (about $13 at big-box stores).

This wine is a pretty straw color in its clear bottle and in the glass offers a lightly citrusy nose. On the tongue it is crisp with just enough acidity for zing. The dominant flavors are grapefruit, lime and melon with a lively whiff of gooseberry. It is nicely balanced throughout, with pleasantly understated flint at mid palate and a hint of ginger on the short, clean finish. A touch of semillon adds texture but no additional, unnecessary sweetness.

Simi sources its Sonoma sauv blanc from vineyards all over the county, some warmer and some cooler, which adds to its complex character.

The next time you sit down to a big platter of chilled peel-and-eat shrimp boiled in Old Bay, think of this wine as the crustaceans' indispensable sidekick.

By Colette and John Bancroft. She is the Times' book editor, and he is a freelance writer specializing in food, wine and travel.