[Cornell Wine] Cornell Club August Selections

[Michael Beard]

CORNELL WINE CLUB
AUGUST WINE SELECTIONS

Below are details of the August selections for our Wine Club.  Wines  
are available for pick-up by members from Wednesday, August 1st  The  
wines will be available for all to taste on Saturday, August 11th  
Noon – 5:00PM.  Remember, members get a 15% discount on monthly  
selections, so SIGN-UP AND SAVE!

EARL and COUNTESS LEVEL

HANDLEY 2006 GEWÜRZTRAMINER, ANDERSON VALLEY, CALIFORNIA

GEWÜRZTRAMINER is not exactly an “in fashion grape”, but some wine  
drinkers (e.g. Pauline and I) think it can do no wrong when properly  
made.  The grape – in addition to a unique flavor profile - has faced  
two main problems: there have been many insipid, sweet versions made  
in California which gave the grape a poor reputation and this caused  
the other problem – not many people would pay more than $10/bottle,  
making its production uneconomic.  For example, Russ Raney at  
Oregon’s Evesham Wood used to make lovely Gewürztraminer, but stopped  
because the cost of production could not be adequately recovered.   
Canada is somewhat different.  On our recent visit to the OKANAGAN  
VALLEY we were surprised at the number of Gewürztraminers made that  
were selling for CDN$18-22.00…and were selling out! (Pauline and I  
brought a few back).  This Handley version is one of the best USA dry  
Gewürztraminers I’ve ever tasted, rivaling many traditional Alsace  
and northern Italian versions.  The nose has classic lychee nut and  
rose petal aromas, followed by great fruit intensity and a touch of  
spice on the finish.  The wine makes a good aperitif, and is a good  
accompaniment to many Indian and Asian foods.

Regular Price: $16.00
Member Price: $13.60

LA SPINETTA 2005 LANGHE NEBBIOLO, PIEMONTE, ITALY

LA SPINETTA is one of the great BARBARESCO producers, and the price  
of their wines match the reputation (think $100+/bottle).  The  
Rivetti brothers single vineyard Barbarescos are regular Tre  
Bicchieri winners in Gambero Rosso’s Italian Wines.  This wine is  
from young vines (8-10 years old) on one of their Barbaresco  
vineyards.  As the wine was aged for less than 24 months, it cannot  
be called Barbaresco, but it is better than some Barbarescos which  
cost more.  It has the classic Nebbiolo aromatic nose of dried rose  
petals, berry fruit and nuances of tar.  The wine is medium-bodied on  
the palate, and has a long finish with soft tannins.  An excellent- 
value Nebbiolo to drink over the next 3-4 years.

Regular Price: $27.50
Member Price: $23.38

Total Member Monthly Cost: $36.98

BARON and BARONESS LEVEL

HANDLEY 2006 PINOT GRIS, ANDERSON VALLEY, CALIFORNIA

OREGON is home to many lovely PINOT GRIS wines but I agree with Matt  
Kramer’s comment in a recent Sunday Oregonian that there are several  
insipid versions out there.  Recently I’ve tasted some PINOT GRIS  
wines from our neighbors, CALIFORNIA and WASHINGTON.  With the price  
of the better OREGON versions creeping towards $20 and beyond, not  
only do some of our neighbors match OREGON quality, but also do it at  
a lower price.  This bottling from CALIFORNIA’S HANDLEY CELLARS is  
one such wine.  It is almost as though it is the result of taking a  
good OREGON wine and mixing it with a good ITALIAN PINOT GRIGIO.  The  
wine has the ripe upfront and mid-palate fruit of a typical OREGON  
wine, but the dry finish contains mineral elements typical of an  
ITALIAN version.

Regular Price: $14.75
Member Price: $12.54

CELLAR de CAPÇANES 2004 MAS DONÍS BARRICA, MONTSANT, SPAIN

Several vintages of this wine have been popular in the shop, and the  
2004 current release was rated “outstanding” in The Wine Advocate  
(February 07 issue).  The MONTSANT D.O. is in Catalonia and basically  
surrounds the famous PRIORAT DOC.  The wine, a blend of 80+% Old Vine  
GARNACHA with the balance being SYRAH, is opaque but the nose offers  
up blackberry, blueberry, spice and vanillans.  The palate is full- 
throttle with layers of black fruit and spice, and the finish long  
and pure with noticeable tannins.

Regular Price: $13.50
Member Price: $11.48

Total Member Monthly Cost: $24.02

Cheers,

Pauline & Mick Beard
Cornell Wine Company
(503) 531-3981
mick at cornellwine.com
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