[Cornell Wine] Cornell Wine This Week

[Michael Beard]

CORNELL WINE COMPANY
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September 14 – Zinfandel
September 21 – Toscana
September 28 – Syrah/Shiraz
October 05 – South America
October 12 – Walla Walla
October 19 – South Africa

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

Wines from the Rhône Valley

CHEESE PLATES
Once again I’ve resorted to the internet to discover recommended  
matches to Rhone wines.  This week we offer:
Gruyère                        Cow’s Milk                            
Switzerland
Cantal                          Cow’s Milk                            
France
Raclette                       Cow’s Milk                            
France
CHEESE SAMPLER PLATE $4.00

The Southern Rhône Valley is a source of many spectacular value wines  
– and many mediocre wines!  We offer a couple of basic Côtes-du-  
Rhône wines, one from a village with its own Appellation Contrôlée,  
and then have thrown in a wine from the Northern Rhône Valley to add  
variety to the proceedings.

1. We start with a basic 2005 CÔTES-du-RHÔNE wine from CHATEAU  
SÉGRIÈS, but it would be an insult to think of the wine as “basic”.   
A blend of 50% GRENACHE, 30% SYRAH, 10% CINSAULT and 10% CARIGNAN,  
the wine offers lots of flavor for your buck.  It is a complex wine  
for the money with lots of black raspberry fruit and touches of white  
pepper on the finish.  Wonderful value - $11.50

2. We stay with the CÔTES-du-RHÔNE Appellation for our next wine,  
also from 2005.  GRAND VENEUR is the estate of grower/négociant ALAIN  
JAUME, who also bottles juice from other growers.  His CÔTES-du-RHÔNE  
RÉSERVE from estate fruit is a blend of 80% GRENACHE and 20% SYRAH  
according to the producer’s website, but according to the back label  
on the bottle it is 70% GRENACHE, 20% SYRAH and 10% CINSAULT.  Who  
cares, the wine is lovely!  In this wine I find blackberries and  
black currant whereas Robert Parker in The Wine Advocate says “a  
beautiful CÔTES-du-RHÔNE which displays wonderful sweet cherry fruit,  
some spice box, and a round elegant style.  It is a seductive wine to  
drink over the next 2-3 years”. I’m not going to argue with “god”!  
Was $14.50, now - $13.00

3. The village of VACQUEYRAS was the second CÔTES-du-RHÔNE VILLAGE to  
receive its own Appellation Contrôlée after its neighbor GIGONDAS.   
The wines tend to be a little more rustic than those of its neighbor,  
but in some ways show a more complex character.  The DOMAINE LA  
FOURMONE 2004 TRÉSOR du POÈTE is typical of the village in being  
mainly GRENACHE (>90%) with the balance being SYRAH (and in some  
years other varietals).  The wine offers lots of black fruit and  
spice, and the rustic tannins cry out for food or a little more  
cellar time - $22.50

4. For our final wine in the basic flight we move to the Northern  
Rhône and the Appellation of CROZES HERMITAGE.  This area is always  
in the shadow of its famous and much more expensive neighbor,  
HERMITAGE.  While many CROZES wines can be mediocre, when you find a  
good one, it offers stupendous value relative to HERMITAGE.  Just as  
with other Northern Rhône wines, CROZES HERMITAGE wines are 100%  
SYRAH.  The DOMAINE des HAUTS CHÂSSIS 2004 LES GALETS offers lots of  
black plum fruit, but also has those touches of earth, leather and  
bacon fat that make Northern Rhône Syrahs so distinctive - $20.00

TRY THESE FOUR WINES FOR $10.00

For our PREMIUM POUR we move to a CHÂTEAUNEUF-du-PAPE:

CDP is the most famous village in the Southern Rhône Valley, and,  
unfortunately, the prices of its wines reflect it, and it is  
difficult to find many good wines under $40.  Fortunately the gods  
smile on us occasionally, and this month’s pricing of the GRAND  
VENEUR 2005 CHATEAUNEUF-du-PAPE is a bargain for its quality.  Rated  
between 92 and 94pts by The Wine Advocate, The Wine Spectator and  
Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, this wine, typical of 2005 is  
very forward, but will benefit from a little cellar time, but buy it  
while you can at this price.  I can’t do better than to quote Robert  
Parker “The 2005 CDP looks to be a winner, one of strength, richness,  
elegance, but full-bodied power and plenty of deep smoky black cherry  
and blackberry fruit intermixed with some herbs, roasted meats, spice  
and earth.  It is a beautiful wine that will benefit from 1-2 years  
of bottle age and drink well for 12-15 years”.  Pauline and I are  
buying some for our own cellar – it is lovely now, but if we last  
long enough, it will be superb!   - $36.00

TRY THIS WINE FOR $4.00/Taste or $7.00/4 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, SEPTEMBER 8th
Noon – 5:00 PM

We will have the September Wine Club Selection for all to taste:

BENANTI 2006 BIANCO di CASELLE, ETNA, SICILY - $17.50
J. CHRISTOPHER 2006 RIESLING, WILLAMETTE VALLEY, OREGON - $18.50
VAONA 2005 VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO, VENETO, ITALY - $11.50
SANCTUARY 2003 CABERNET SAUVIGNON, USIBELLI VINEYARD, NAPA VALLEY,  
CALIFORNIA - $29.75

See earlier emails for full details.

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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