[Cornell Wine] Cornell Wine This Week

[Michael Beard]

CORNELL WINE COMPANY
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January 25 – Cabernet Blends
February 01 – OR’s “Orphan” Varietals
February 08 – Wines for Your Valentine
February 15 – Pinot Noir
February 22 – Toscana
February 29 – Cabernet Sauvignon

THIS WEEK
FRIDAY, January 11th
4:30 - 7:00pm

CENTRAL/SOUTHERN ITALY

ANTIPASTO PLATE
To go with our Italian wines, this week we offer an Italian Antipasto  
Plate.
For cheese we offer Tartufo that is a mild cheese from cow’s milk,  
infused with flecks of black truffles.  To this we have added two  
meats, Genoa Salami and a Proscuitto
ANTIPASTO PLATE $4.00

This tasting is meant to give you a chance to taste some wine from  
Italy’s lesser-known regions.  We decided to include anything to the  
south of Tuscany – well almost to the south!.

1. We start in LE MARCHE which is on Italy’s Adriatic coast, almost  
all to the east and south of Tuscany.  VERDICCHIO is one of the white  
grapes that gave Italian whites a bad name because many mediocre  
wines were exported (do you remember the “fish bottle”?).  These  
wines were very high in acidity, and better at cleaning your teeth  
than pleasing your palate.  Things are very different now, and  
producers such as MAROTTI CAMPI make lovely wine.  Their 2006  
VERDICCHIO dei CASTELLI di JESI “LUZANO” CLASSICO SUPERIORE comes  
from estate vineyards near the village of Morro d’Alba which is just  
north of Jesi.  The wine sees no oak and is kept on the lees for an  
extended time.  The aromas are floral, with the winery saying “acacia  
and field flowers”.  The palate is dry and medium-bodied, with a  
slight almond flavor.  The wine is a consistent “Two Glass” winner in  
Gambero Rosso - $13.50

2. Moving south down the east coast we come to ABRUZZO.  The main red  
grape here is MONTEPULCIANO (not to be confused with the Tuscan town  
of the same name).  Many inexpensive wines are made from this grape  
and FARNESE is one producer that makes a good one at well under  
$10.00  However they also make a CASALE VECCHIO MONTEPULCIANO  
d’ABRUZZO, and we will taste the 2006.  This estate is at about 1000  
feet in the town of COLONNELLA, in the heart of MONTEPULCIANO  
d’ABRUZZO.  The vineyards are over 30 years old, and the wine goes  
through alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in American Oak  
barriques.  It is then aged for about six months in the barriques.   
The wine’s bouquet is intense fruit with notes of spice and  
licorice.  The palate is full-bodied with dark cherry and other berry  
flavors - $16.00

3. As a contrast to the second wine we move back to LE MARCHE and  
another wine that is 100% MONTEPULCIANO.  The LANARI 2005 ROSSO  
CÒNERO is 100% MONTEPULCIANO whereas the DOC allows up to 15%  
SANGIOVESE.  To me, this is a much more complex wine than the one  
from ABRUZZO.  It is a case whether you want upfront fruit, or a more  
subtle wine that needs more time or food - $14.25

4. We now go to SICILY and offer a wine from BAGLIO DI PIANETTO.   
This estate, founded in 1997, is dedicated to blending native  
varietals with international varietals.  The winery is near Palermo  
in the north west of the island, and they have vineyards at the  
winery and also in the southeast of the island.  The 2002 RAMIONE is  
a 50/50 blend of NERO d’AVOLA and MERLOT.  On the nose the wine  
offers lots of black fruit with a touch of vanillans and nutmeg.  The  
palate is lush with black cherry jam, and the finish shows soft  
tannins, subtle oak, and a distinct spiciness.  The wine was  
fermented in stainless steel and then aged in Allier oak for about 12  
months (50% new barrels) - $22.50

TRY THESE FOUR WINES FOR $10.00

For this week’s PREMIUM POUR we go to CALABRIA:

CALABRIA is the “toe” of Italy’s “boot”.  The major red grape in the  
region is GAGLIOPPO.  I can hear you say “What?”  You may have seen  
wines called CIRÒ ROSSO, and these wines are at least 95% GAGLIOPPO.   
This week we offer the IPPOLITO 1995 RIPE del FALCO.  This is a  
barrique aged, 100% GAGLIOPPO.  I admit I have not tasted this wine,  
but am relying on one of my favorite distributors who says it is  
wonderful - $33.00

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, January 19th
Noon – 5:00PM
Free

As usual we will have something interesting open.  One will be:

VITAE 2006 CHIANTI COLLI SENESI – I’ve been looking for a great $10  
Chianti since the Panaretta wine ran out.  This is a very traditional  
Chianti from the hills around Sienna.  It does not contain any  
“foreign” grapes, and even includes small amounts of the white grapes  
TREBBIANO and MALVASIA in addition to the SANGIOVESE and CANAIOLO.  A  
little young at the moment, it will go well with roasted or grilled  
meats.  Give it a year to soften a little, and you will be amazed at  
the complexity - $10.00

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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