[Cornell Wine] Cornell Wine This Week

[Michael Beard]

CORNELL WINE COMPANY
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January 11 – Syrah/Shiraz
January 18 – Central/Southern Italy
January 25 – Cabernet Blends
February 01 – OR’s “Orphan” Varietals
February 08 – Wines for Your Valentine
February 15 – Pinot Noir

THIS WEEK

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

SOUTH OF FRANCE

CHEESE PLATES
This week, to go with our French red wines, we offer a selection of  
French cheese.
Cantal, an ancestor to British Farmhouse Cheddars, is a cow's milk  
cheese from Auvergne, France. It is weighty, moist, creamy, and just  
subtley sharp, with a very defined sweet and milky quality. It pairs  
wonderfully with most red wines and whites ranging from Sauvignon  
Blanc to Gewurztraminer.
Ossau Iraty is a classic sheep's milk cheese made in the French  
Pyrenées in two neighboring provinces: the Ossau Valley in the Bearn  
and the wooded hills of Iraty in the French Basque country.  Ossau  
Iraty is made with the milk of the Manech and Basco-Bearnaise ewes.   
While it complies with strict Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC)  
regulations, the shape of each wheel can vary from region to region.   
Ossau is aged for a minimum of ninety days.  Its fragrance is  
reminiscent of toasted hazelnuts, and its taste encapsulates the  
sweet, buttery flavors that a great sheep’s milk cheese can deliver.
Raclette is a Swiss or French alpine cheese with a nutty flavor and  
silky, smooth texture. Slightly softer than the more characteristic  
Alpage cheeses, it is a close cousin to Morbier in France and  
Appenzeller in Switzerland.  Our Raclette is a raw cow's milk cheese  
from the French Alps.
(Cheese notes from Artisanal Premium Cheese of New York)
CHEESE SAMPLER PLATE $5.00

The South of France is a source of many bargain wines, despite the  
weak US Dollar.  This week we will explore a range of wines that  
represent exceptional value, and which are great to drink at this  
time of year.  They remind you of the sun and warmth of the South of  
France!

1. We start with the 2004 vintage of an old favorite, DOMAINE ELIE  
SUMEIRE RESERVE de la FAMILLE which carries a CÔTES de PROVENCE  
Appellation Contôlée.  This blend was originally the Domaine’s “house  
wine”, but it became so popular with guests, they demanded to buy the  
wine.  The family has been making wine in Provence since 1500, and no  
weed-killers or pesticides are used in the vineyards.  This wine is a  
blend of SYRAH, MOURVÈDRE and GRENACHE from the terroir of Montagne  
St. Victoire.  It offers spicy, earthy aromas of black fruit, leather  
and tar.  The palate offers dark cherry fruit with hints of olives  
and dark chocolate.  It is a great accompaniment to grilled meats, or  
any Provencal Daube, especially ones containing olives - $10.00

2. CHÂTEAU d’OUPIA is one of my favorite producers from the MINERVOIS  
region as they make lovely wines at modest prices.  Their “entry  
level” 2006 MINERVOIS is a blend of 60% CARIGNAN, 30% SYRAH and 10%  
GRENACHE, and it is regularly a “Best Buy” in The Wine Advocate.   
Robert Parker said of the 2005: “Château d'Oupia has produced the  
ideal bistro wine. Dark, ruby-colored, the wine is wonderfully clean  
and pure, with an exuberant personality, and gobs of rich, peppery,  
red and black fruit...Bravo to proprietor André Iché!” - $10.75

3. We stay with CHÂTEAU d’OUPIA to taste their “reserve” MINERVOIS,  
the 2005 LES BARONS.  This wine is 60% SYRAH and 40% CARIGNAN from  
the best old vines on the estate (the CARIGNAN is over 100 years  
old).   This cuvée is aged in Bordeaux barriques for 20 months,  
whereas the other uses stainless steel and neutral oak.  LES BARONS  
is slower to evolve than the less expensive cuvée exhibiting more  
elegance and restraint, but similar dark berries and spicy aromas.   
At the moment it would benefit from some cellaring - $18.75

4  CLOS MARIE is an estate in the PIC SAINT LOUP region of the  
LANGUEDOC. Christophe Peyrus took over his family’s vineyards in  
1991.  Prior to this, his father had sold the grapes to a local  
cooperative.  From that point on, he sought council with some of the  
greatest winemakers in France (Didier Dagueneau, Clos Rougeard, etc)  
and now the French wine press considers his winery to be at the top  
of the appellation.  His wines are all bottled as CÔTEAUX du  
LANGUEDOC, and the 2004 L’OLIVETTE is the estate’s “entry level  
wine”.  A blend of 40% GRENACHE, 40% SYRAH and 20% MOURVÈDRE from  
biodynamically farmed vineyards, the wine offers lots of black fruit  
with touches of blueberry intertwined with herbs and spices.  The oak  
(1/3 new) is well integrated, and the finish and length impressive  -  
$24.00

TRY THESE FOUR WINES FOR $10.00

For this week’s PREMIUM POUR we go to a CORBIÈRES:

CORBIÈRES is just to the west of MINERVOIS in the LANGUEDOC and is  
home to many bargain wines.  The DOMAINE LIGNÈRES 2002 NOTRE DAME is  
expensive for Corbières, but it is just about the best wine I’ve  
tasted from this appellation.  The wine is inky dark and has a  
fabulous nose of black plum, earth, spice and a touch of vanillans,  
and you can almost sense the warmth of the south of France.  The  
palate reflects the aromas together with a northern Rhône-like touch  
of bacon.  I was surprised to discover the wine is 100% SYRAH, and  
was aged in 100% new oak.  The fruit is so intense that it masks the  
amount of oak, and I thought there was some CARIGNAN in the wine.  An  
impressive wine from what was a mediocre vintage in the area - $31.00

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, January 5th
2:00 – 5:00PM
Free

As usual, we will have a couple of interesting wines open – I’ve yet  
to decide which!

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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