[Cornell Wine] Cornell Wine This Week

[Michael Beard]

CORNELL WINE COMPANY
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December 07 – Annual Bubbly Tasting
December 14 – Cabernet Sauvignon
December 21 – Christmas Treats
December 28 - Zinfandel

THIS WEEK

We are continuing our BEAUJOLAIS SALE – buy any three bottles of in- 
stock wines and receive a 15% discount.  This applies to Nouveau,  
Beaujolais, Beaujolais-Villages and the five Beaujolais Crus we have  
in stock, and also to our Beaujolais Blanc.  We have sold-out of two  
wines, so buy at these prices before it is too late.  Of the Crus we  
still have SAINT AMOUR, FLEURIE, CHENAS and two different MORGONS  
available.

FRIDAY, November 30th
4:30 - 7:00pm

SPAIN

CHEESE PLATES
This week we will go with SPANISH CHEESES to go with Spanish wines –  
I assume there is some logic in doing this somewhere!
Murcia al Vino                            	Goat’s  
Milk                                 		Murcia
This goat’s milk cheese is bathed in red wine.
Ibérico                                            Cow/Goat/Sheep’s  
Milk                         	Central Plains
Over 50% of Spanish cheese production is from a blend of milks, and  
this cheese’s name comes from a style of cheese produced all over the  
Iberian peninsular.  This one comes from the Central Plains and shows  
mild acid from cow’s milk, the deeper flavor of sheep’s milk, and the  
finishing tang of goat’s milk.  In theory this should be the best  
match to Tempranillo.
Manchego                                       Sheep’s  
Milk                                 	 	La Mancha
 From the land of Don Quixote, this is probably Spain’s most famous  
cheese.  It is aged in grass molds for at least two months, giving it  
after notes of dry hay.  A great match to many wines from dry sherry  
to rich reds.
CHEESE SAMPLER PLATE $4.00

For this tasting of Spanish wines we decided to range over several  
Denominación de Origen (DO) to illustrate the best of the “old” and  
“new” of the Iberian peninsular.

1. We start with the VALENCIA DO.  When Pauline and I were embarking  
on our wine exploration journey in England in the late 1960s, this  
area was mainly known for “plonk”.  Now there has been much  
investment in new facilities, and many long-established wineries are  
improving quality.  BODEGAS LOS FRAILES has been family owned since  
1771!  Their 2004 BARRICA is a blend of 80% MONASTRELL (MOURVEDRE)  
and 20% CABERNET SAUVIGNON, and all the Estate grapes are organically  
grown.  Aged in American oak, the wine is modern in style with lots  
of forward black fruit and a long, spicy finish - $14.50

2. Now we move to the VINOS de MADRID DO.  This area, near the  
country’s capital, has not been known for great wines, but advances  
are being made although the sprawling city is eating into some  
vineyards.  The VINOS SIN LEY 2006 G5 PUERTA BONITA is 100%  
GARNACHA.  This is very much a New World style wine with lots of  
smooth, ripe, black raspberry fruit wrapped up in oak.  The wine was  
a “Kramer Rave” earlier in the year - $14.00

3. Next up is RIBERA del DUERO and PAGOS de QUINTANA.  This winery is  
a new producer for me and the 2004 CRIANZA is a knock-out.  Made from  
100% TEMPRANILLO, the wine has lots of rich, ripe fruit, together  
with American oak.  It is like a RIOJA on steroids, but in the nicest  
way.  There are considerable tannins, but they are of the ripe style,  
not reducing current drinking pleasures.  This a wonderful mix of  
tradition and modern wine making, and why do you have to pay more  
from NW wineries to match this quality in Tempranillo? - $17.50

4. PRIORAT DO became the darling of the “in crowd” in the late 1990s,  
ands most wine prices went through the roof.  For some time I’ve been  
looking for a wine that represents the tradition of the area at a  
reasonable cost.  Don Oman, of our favorite importer Casa Bruno, has  
come to the rescue.  He has imported the MAS d’en CATALÀ 2003  
CRIANZA.  This is a 50/50 blend of GARNACHA and CARIÑENA and offers  
lots of spicy black fruit, modest oak, and great length.  This wine  
matches the quality of much more expensive wines from this region -  
$16.75

TRY THESE FOUR WINES FOR $10.00

For this week’s PREMIUM POUR we offer a stellar wine from RIOJA:

VIÑA IZADI 2001 SELECCIÓN is a wine made only in exceptional  
vintages, and 2001 was such a year.  This wine is a blend of 80%  
TEMPRANILLO and 20% GRACIANO from vines averaging 50+ years of age.   
It has received 90+ points in the Wine Spectator and the Wine  
Advocate.  What is interesting is that the WS said “…drink now  
through 2015” and the WA said “…drink 2010 through 2020”.  I’m in the  
middle; while there are considerable tannins, the wine is lovely now,  
but will get more complex with another couple of years in a cool  
cellar.  The WA’s definition was: “The wine is fermented in barrels,  
aged for 18 months in new French oak, and bottled unfiltered.  Dark  
ruby-colored, it possesses a gorgeous nose of scorched earth, smoky  
black fruits, and licorice.  This is followed by a medium-bodied,  
elegantly styled wine with excellent definition and focus, ripe fruit  
and a pure, lengthy finish”.  What more can I say! - $52.75

SPECIAL ON FRIDAY $48.50/bottle

TRY THIS WINE FOR $6.00/Taste or $11.00/4 ounces

For all those asking, we have just received a small quantity of TORRE  
ORIA 1999 RESERVA, UTIEL-REQUENA, which was a big hit earlier this  
year (the bottle has a gold colored mesh surrounding it).  This is  
what I said earlier this year “This wine is 100% TEMPRANILLO, aged  
for 24 months in AMERICAN OAK – a classic RIOJA formula!  The vines  
are over 30 years old.  The wine has an unmistakable nose of  
Tempranillo and American oak, the palate has gobs of sweet plum fruit  
and oak, and the finish is balanced and long.  A RIOJA of the same  
quality would be much more expensive.  Bring on the wild boar,  
suckling pig, or best yet, saddle of hare!” - $15.75
(note: we will NOT be tasting this wine)

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, December 1st
Noon – 5:00PM
Free

As usual we will have a couple of interesting wines open for free  
tasting.  One wine will be:

CHÂTEAU d’OUPIA 2006 MINERVOIS – while not as rich as the sensational  
2005, this blend of old vine CARIGNAN and GRENACHE is a remarkable  
wine for its modest cost - $10.75
(Note:  we have a small amount of their cuvée LES BARONS 2005 which  
is the “reserve” bottling at $18.75 – this is sensational value).

Cheers,

Pauline & 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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