[Cornell Wine] Cornell Wine This Week

[Michael Beard]

CORNELL WINE COMPANY
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  July 21 – Zinfandel

July 28 - German & Austrian Wines with Ewald Moseler

August 4 – Spanish Wine

August 11 – Wines from the Mediterranean

August 18 – California Pinot Noir vs. Oregon

August 25 – Wines of Walla Walla



FRIDAY, July 14th, 4:30 - 7:00pm

  Celebrate Bastille Day with French Wines

Most Brits have a love-hate relationship with the French (let’s face  
it, until the 20th Century we were usually at war!).  However, anyone  
with interest in good food and good wine has to love France’s  
agricultural products and the cuisine that uses them.  Being a  
Bordeaux freak, I am upset that most Classified Growths are now out  
of my price range (even Costco prices on the 2003 First Growths are  
around $300/bottle), but this tasting will show lovely wines are  
coming out of France at moderate prices.  I think some of the French  
wine makers have finally woken-up to the competition out there.  For  
example, French wines had always been the number one import into the  
United Kingdom, but in 2005 it was…Australia!
Bastille Day Sale!

On Friday, to encourage you to sample the fruits of France and to  
join in France’s celebrations (they lost the World Cup, so they need  
something to celebrate), we are offering a 15% discount on all in- 
stock French wines and ciders.  Pre-paid orders for full cases will  
enjoy a 20% discount.  No other discounts will apply.

To help you select your wines we will taste:
1. We start in the south of France in the CÔTEAUX du LANGUEDOC and  
the sub-appellation of PICPOUL-de-PINET.  This area is near the  
Mediterranean coast in the centre of the Languedoc just to the east  
of the town of Béziers.  This wine from the PICPOUL GRIS grape is  
made at the CO-OPERATIVE in the town of POMÉROLS (they also produce  
the excellent value HUGHES de BEAUVIGNAC 2005 VIOGNIER $8.75).  Some  
Picpouls have a reputation of being “flabby”, but this is not one of  
them.  With hints of lemon on the nose, lovely fruit balanced by  
appropriate acidity, this is a great aperitif, or an accompaniment to  
many lighter foods.  Excellent value - $8.75

2. One cannot have a summer French tasting without a dry rosé.  The  
surprise here is that the rosé is from BORDEAUX.  Until a recent  
trade tasting I cannot remember having a Bordeaux rosé, but at the  
tasting I tried two.  The 2005 LE ROSÉ de PHÉLAN SÉGUR is made by  
CHÂTEAU PHÉLAN SÉGUR, a SAINT ESTÈPHE CRU BOURGEOIS EXCEPTIONNEL.   
The grape blend is 50% CABERNET FRANC, 25% CABERNET SAUVIGNON and 25%  
MERLOT.  The nose has floral overtones and cassis nuances, followed  
by great intensity (for a rosé!) on the palate, and one of the  
longest finishes I’ve experienced on a rosé.  Outstanding value (the  
distributor has it on “introductory special”) - $12.00

3. For our first red we go to BEAUJOLAIS, probably one of the most  
misunderstood wine regions of the world.  Most people just think of  
Nouveau which is a fun wine but a waste of good GAMAY NOIR.  My  
passion is for the ten “Crus” (such as Morgan or Moulin- à-Vent), but  
when you get a great BEAUJOLAIS-VILLAGES such as the DOMAINE du GAY  
MONTOUX 2003, you realize what GAMAY NOIR is all about.  Blind, many  
people would pick this as a PINOT NOIR, as it offers cherry fruit  
with touches of “forest floor” and spice.  This is a serious  
Beaujolais - $13.50

4. For our next red we go to BURGUNDY.  In the village of BLIGNY-lès- 
BEAUNE is a producer of fabulous value red Burgundies, CATHERINE et  
CLAUDE MARÉCHAL (in most vintages their SAVIGNY lès-BEAUNE is  
sensational).  Their 2004 BOURGOGNE ROUGE “CUVÉE GRAVEL” is just too  
good to be called “Bourgogne Rouge”.  The fruit comes from 40+ year- 
old vines in a vineyard with gravelly soil, hence the cuvee name.   
The wine offers wonderful berry aromas which are followed by a medium- 
bodied palate of pure, almost opulent, red fruit.  This is classic  
Pinot Noir - $20.00

5. We return to the LANGUEDOC for our next red.  CABARDÈS is an  
appellation in the west of the Languedoc.  It is to the north of the  
fortified town of Carcassonne.  The PENNAUTIER 2004 ROUGE is from a  
property founded by the Pennautier family in 1620.  The blend is  
equal parts GRENACHE, SYRAH, CABERNET SAUVIGNON, MERLOT, MALBEC and  
CABERNET FRANC, and the wine offers copious black fruit coupled with  
some earthiness.  As Parker would say, “Gobs of flavor for your  
buck”  - $10.00

TRY THESE FIVE WINES FOR $10.00

For our EXTRA POUR we offer a wine from the Southern Rhône:

My favorite CÔTES-du-RHÔNE-VILLAGES appellation village is CAIRANNE  
(it is scheduled to get its own appellation in the not-too-distant  
future), and one of the best producers is DOMAINE de L’ORATOIRE St.  
MARTIN.  Their “reserve” bottlings are under the HAUT-COUSTIAS label,  
and the 2003 CAIRANNE is exceptional.  This GRENACHE-based wine  
avoids some of the “over-ripeness” of many European 2003s, offering a  
lovely amalgam of black fruit, spice and white pepper all wrapped up  
in subtle oak  Not inexpensive for a CDRV, but excellent value - $23.50

TRY THIS WINE FOR $3.00/Taste or $5.00/4 ounces

During the tasting, while stocks last, we will have PÂTÉ available  
for you to enjoy with the usual baguettes and water crackers.  In  
addition we will have a FRENCH BEER for free tasting (and purchase).  
The BIERA PIETRA is from CORSICA, brewed with a blend of malts, hops  
and chestnuts without any chemical additives or preservatives.  
$2.65/330ml bottle + deposit (note: at this price no discounts apply).

SATURDAY, July 15th

Noon – 5:00PM

As usual we will have a couple of interesting wines open for FREE  
TASTING and we will keep the French thême going.

For a WHITE we offer LÉON BEYER 2003 LA CUVÉE.  This is a refreshing  
blend of four of ALSACE’S white varietals – RIESLING, MUSCAT, PINOT  
BLANC and SYLVANER.  Very aromatic with bold fruit and good acidity,  
this wine is almost dry whereas many similar blends have noticeable  
residual sugar.  Was $12.00, now a SPECIAL at $9.00 (please note no  
discounts apply at this price).

For a RED we offer DOMAINE du FONTENAY 2003 “L’AUTHENTIQUE”.  This is  
from the CÔTE ROANNAISE in THE AUVERGNE region of the LOIRE VALLEY.   
It is 100% GAMAY NOIR, but tastes more like PINOT NOIR in a similar  
way that many MORGONS from the BEAUJOLAIS region do.  Was $15.00, now  
a SPECIAL at $12.50 (please note no discounts apply at this price).

Looking forward to seeing you all,

Cheers,

Mick
Cornell Wine Company
14740 NW Cornell Road, #90
Portland, 97229-5400
(503) 531-3981
mick at cornellwine.com
www.cornellwine.com
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