[Cornell Wine] Cornell Wine This Week

[Michael Beard]

CORNELL WINE COMPANY
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October 05 – South America
October 12 – Walla Walla
October 19 – South Africa
October 26 – Australia
November 02 - Piemonte

FRIDAY, September 28th
4:30 - 7:00pm

Syrah from around the World

CHEESE PLATES
According to several web sites, the best match for Syrah is Farmhouse  
Cheddar from England.  I love such cheeses, but if you have checked- 
out prices recently, you will realize why we looked elsewhere.  This  
week we offer CHEDDAR from CANADA, IRELAND and ENGLAND.  We admit the  
last is not exactly a “Farmhouse Cheese”, but it is very tasty.
CHEESE SAMPLER PLATE $3.00

The SYRAH grape comes in many forms from fruit-bombs from Australia  
to earthy, leathery, gems from the northern Rhône valley.  This  
tasting offers wines from Australia, France, Italy and Washington –  
and one of the Australian wines is a joint venture between Napa  
Valley and France!

1. We start in the south of FRANCE and the LANGUEDOC.  GUILHEM DURAND  
produces several great value wines from an area that carries the VIN  
de PAYS designation of HAUTERIVE.  His 2005 SYRAH VIEILLES VIGNES  
offers lots of black plum fruit with touches of earth and herbs which  
lifts the wine from simple to relatively complex for its price - $10.00

2. Next we move to AUSTRALIA and one of its oldest producers,  
HARDY’S.  OOMOO is an aboriginal word meaning “good” and Hardy’s used  
this as a brand name 153 years ago.  They re-launched the brand three  
years ago to celebrate its 150th anniversary.  The 2001 OOMOO SHIRAZ  
is from the McLAREN VALE and is obviously Australian with lots of  
ripe fruit, but a few years in the bottle has given the wine touches  
of earth and pepper and better balance than many wines from down- 
under - $14.50

3. We stay in AUSTRALIA for our next wine that is a creation of the  
TERLATO family from the NAPA VALLEY and MICHEL CHAPOUTIER of the  
northern RHÔNE VALLEY. The fruit of the 2006 SHIRAZ is from VICTORIA,  
and in the tradition of the northern Rhône Valley, some VIOGNIER is  
co-fermented with the SYRAH.  One of the mysteries of wine is that  
when you co-ferment the white grape VIOGNIER with SYRAH, it darkens  
the color – and this wine is almost black.  The nose is very  
aromatic, lifted by the Viognier.  The palate offers blackberry  
fruit, spice, and vanillans and this is followed by a long, balanced  
finish.  One of the least Australian-tasting Shiraz I’ve tasted from  
down-under - $20.00

4. TUSCANY does not immediately come to mind when one is thinking  
SYRAH.  PAOLO GIUSTI and FABIO ZANZA bought vineyard property in  
northwest TUSCANY near PISA in the early 1990s.  They have  
revitalized old vines and planted non-native varietals such as SYRAH,  
MERLOT and CABERNET SAUVIGNON.  The I GIUSTI & ZANZA 2005 PERBRUNO is  
100% SYRAH, carries an IGT TOSCANA designation and offers spice,  
smoke and black fruit on the nose.  The palate shows plum and  
blackberry fruit, and there is good balance and length – who would  
have thought this was Tuscany!  Overall it is the clarity and  
definition of the flavors that impressed me – modern wine-making with  
old world touches - $28.75

TRY THESE FOUR WINES FOR $10.00

For our PREMIUM POUR we move to WALLA WALLA:

FORGERON is based in WALLA WALLA but owns no vineyards.  Their wine  
maker is a Burgundian lady, MARIE-EVE GILLA, but tasting this wine  
you would think she comes from the northern Rhône!  She has been  
making wine in the northwest for over ten years, and on the basis of  
the 2002 SYRAH, she has a great touch with that grape.  The wine  
carries a COLUMBIA VALLEY designation with the fruit coming from  
three vineyards, BOUSHEY, CLIFTON HILL and LES COLLINES.  It was aged  
in French oak of which 50% was new.  The wine takes time to open up,  
but then the nose is fabulous, offering black plum, smoke, bacon fat  
and touches of clove and cinnamon – you almost feel you do not need  
to drink the wine!  Most of these aromas are reflected on the palate,  
and a backbone of fine tannins keeps the wine going through a long  
finish.  A very food-friendly wine that can only get better - $30.00  
(We also carry the FORGERON RED TABLE WINE, wonderful value at $16.75)

TRY THIS WINE FOR $3.50/Taste or $6.00/4 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 29th
Noon - 5:00PM

As usual we will have a couple of interesting wines open, and this  
week we look to OREGON and FRANCE.
I thought SILVER FALLS VINEYARDS had gone out of business, but  
apparently changes of ownership caused their wines to disappear from  
the market.  Recently I tasted several of the current wines and most  
were so-so at best, but the 2006 WILLAMETTE VALLEY CHARDONNAY is very  
good for its asking price of $12.00

MAS de DAUMAS GASSAC is probably the most famous estate in France  
that carries just a VDP designation (de L’HERAULT).  Made by AIMÉ  
GUIBERT, the wines are long-lived and fetch prices matching  
classified-growth Bordeaux.  The winery is now offering lower-priced  
wines and the MOULIN de GASSAC 2006 GUILHEM is a tasty blend of  
SYRAH, GRENACHE, CINSAULT and CARIGNAN - $12.00

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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