[Cornell Wine] Cornell Wine This Week

[Michael Beard]

CORNELL WINE COMPANY
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UPCOMING TASTINGS
March 02 – Southern Italy/Sicily
March 09 – Spain
March 10 – March Club Selections
March 16 – Bordeaux
March 23 – Greece (Independence Day is March 25)
Saturday March 24 – CWC’s 13th Anniversary and Mick’s ??!


FRIDAY, February 23, 4:30 - 7:00pm

MERLOT FROM AROUND THE WORLD

CHEESE PLATE
These recommendations to accompany Merlot come from the New York  
cheese shop, Artisanal Premium Cheese, but were purchased locally  
from Whole Foods.  Note: if any of you are a fan of the great  
Yorkshire cheese, Wensleydale, Whole Foods currently have it on sale  
at $11.99/lb (was $15.99/lb).  This cheese has a short shelf life,  
and Whole Foods in the Pearl has at least four wheels.  We may not  
see it again!

Appenzeller                                          Cow’s  
Milk               Switzerland

During production this cheese is bathed several times in a mixture of  
herbs, liquor and wine.  This process gives a mild cheese an  
intriguing herbaceous, but at the same time, nutty flavor profile.

Cantalet                                                 Cow’s  
Milk               France

This cheese from Auvergne is weighty, moist and creamy on the palate  
but has a delightfully sharp finish.  The French claim this cheese  
was the model for traditional English Cheddars.

Idiazabal                                               Sheep’s  
Milk             Spain

 From Basque country, this sheep’s milk cheese is lightly smoked over  
beechwood and cherry for 10 days.  This may replace Etorki as my  
favorite Basque cheese (Etorki comes from the French side of the  
border).

SAMPLER PLATE COST $4.00

MERLOT was getting “bad press” well before the movie Sideways, mainly  
because wineries were pushing out Merlot wines that could be  
considered mediocre at best (some still are!).  This week we are  
going to showcase Merlots from two USA states and three other  
countries to illustrate good Merlot is out there.

1. MERLOT is a traditional BORDEAUX grape, so that is where we will  
start.  No, I cannot offer CHÂTEAU PÉTRUS, but instead we will pour  
CHÂTEAU LABARTHE 2003 BORDEAUX SUPÉRIEUR.  This wine is 100% MERLOT  
and comes from the commune of SAINT TERRE which is just outside the  
SAINT ÉMILION Appellation.   While offering lots of lush Merlot  
fruit, this wine exhibits its Bordeaux heritage with touches of  
tobacco and cigar box - $18.50

2. Just in time for Passover we offer our first wine from ISRAEL.   
This week I tasted an array of Kosher wines from Israel, Italy and  
Australia.  Most were good wines, but some were not good value.  The  
KINNERET 2005 MERLOT is from the ELLA VALLEY which is close to  
Jerusalem.  The wine does not see any wood, and offers lots of bright  
berry fruit, some complexity, and great length.  Wonderful value -  
$10.75
3. Now we go to CALIFORNIA and the NAPA VALLEY.  NAPA CELLARS does a  
great job in the area between supermarket “end stack” wines and more  
expensive wines.  Their 2002 MERLOT offers wonderful value for the  
quality.  The wine offers great fruit, modest oak, and a long,  
complex finish - $17.50

4. Can OREGON compete with the rest of the world?  A few Saturdays  
ago Mark Retz from ZERBA CELLARS was pouring some of their wines.   
The 2004 COLUMBIA VALLEY MERLOT was a big hit, and so I thought “the  
Friday crowd” should have the chance to try the wine.  ZERBA CELLARS  
is in the WALLA WALLA American Viticultural Area but is on the OREGON  
side of the border in MILTON FREEWATER.   Typical of WALLA WALLA, the  
wine offers gobs of rich fruit, noticeable oak, and a long finish.   
However I think ZERBA avoids some of the excesses of several wineries  
in the area - $28.50

TRY THESE FOUR WINES FOR $10.00
For a Premium Pour we offer a change of pace:

ITALY is not often thought of the home for Bordeaux varietals  
although they have been grown there for a very long time (of course,  
there are a few very expensive wines from such varietals on the  
Tuscan coast and elsewhere).  The ROSA BOSCO 2003 IL BOSCOROSSO  is  
100% MERLOT from COLLI ORIENTALI del FRIULI and, to Pauline and me,  
is just about the best MERLOT we have tasted from ITALY.  The wine  
exhibited lush berry fruit, well-integrated oak, and a classic touch  
of chocolate on the finish.  We did have it with a meal, and will be  
interested to see how it shows as a “sipping wine” with bread and  
crackers - $39.75

TRY THIS WINE FOR $4.50/Taste or $8.00/4 ounces

NB: All prices are subject to change without notice.  The above  
information is based on verbal information from distributors, and  
actual wine prices will depend on the price invoiced at delivery to  
Cornell Wine Company.



SATURDAY, February 24th

Noon – 5 PM

Free tasting

As usual we will have a couple of wines open for free tasting.   
Included in the provisional selections is:

 From OREGON wineries it is getting very difficult to find any PINOT  
NOIR under $20 that is worth drinking (there are a few), but when it  
comes to under $10, it is impossible!  SMOKING LOON is one of DON  
SABASTIANI’S labels and they make good, everyday wines.  Their 2005  
CALIFORNIA PINOT NOIR smells and taste likes PINOT NOIR and is only… 
$8.75

Looking forward to seeing you all,

Cheers,

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