[Cornell Wine] Cornell Wine This Week

[Michael Beard]

CORNELL WINE COMPANY
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March 14 – Washington Reds
March 21 – Greece
March 28 – Zinfandel
March 29 – CWC Anniversary Party!
4 April – Bordeaux
11 April - Merlot


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

WINES OF SPAIN

CHEESE PLATE
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 (often called “drunken  
goat”).
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

This week we offer a variety of wines from five different Spanish  
wine areas (Denominación de Origen) to show the wonderful selection  
of wines from Spain.  While there is tradition in such areas as  
Rioja, many of the newer areas can be thought of as “New World” wine  
making areas.

1. We start in the northwest and a DO called BIERZO.  I had not heard  
of this area until I bought the shop in 2003, and now I think the  
region makes great value wines from both red and white grapes.   
BIERZO is mainly known for the red grape MENCIA.  DOMINIO de TARES  
produces several wines from this grape.  The 2005 ALBARES is the only  
one that sees no oak and so is a pure expression of the grape.  This  
was a Matt Kramer “rave” in The Sunday Oregonian, and for once I  
could not agree more with Matt: “Mencia resembles a rather burly  
pinot noir, offering pinot noir’s famous berry-like flavors in a  
rich, substantial fashion.  But there’s yet more.  The Bierzo  
district boasts slate soils and there’s definitely a certain soil  
dimension that shines in these wines, very likely from the slate.   
Think of the ripest raspberry and cherry flavors somehow allied to a  
lick of slate” - $12.50

2. We now move to the traditional area of RIOJA and VIÑA VILLABUENA  
who produce their wines under the IZADI label.  IZADI made waves a  
few years ago by wrestling cult winemaker Mariano Garcia from VEGA  
SICILIA.  Since then, their acclaimed, medal-winning Crianza red has  
reached new heights, including the 2003 being rated Spain's Best by  
Decanter magazine.  We offer the 2004 CRIANZA which is 100%  
TEMPRANILLO aged in American Oak – i.e. traditional Rioja. The wine  
is dark ruby-colored, offering aromas of spice, black fruits and  
smoky notes leading to a medium-bodied, elegant wine with enough  
structure to carry it for several more years - $17.25

3. NAVARRA is one of the newer areas making great strides in wine  
quality.  The BODEGAS ALZANIA 2004 CRIANZA “BOLANDA” is a blend of  
50% CABERNET SAUVIGNON and 50% TEMPRANILLO.  This is a lovely,  
elegant wine, showing lots of cassis from CABERNET together with  
slightly earthy, berry fruit from the TEMPRANILLO.  This is a great  
example of “Old World meets New World” - $13.00

4. ALEJANDRO FERNANDEZ brought RIBERO del DUERO to the forefront with  
his wonderful PESQUERA wines in the early 1980s.  He bought another  
property, CONDADO de HAZA, and now the wines from this property are  
challenging PERQUERA at a lower price.  We offer the 2004 “regular”  
bottling from this estate, and it is wonderful.  100% TEMPRANILLO,  
the wine spent 15 months in American oak.  The wine has a dark purple  
color, and offers a complex nose of cedar, tobacco and black fruits.   
The mouth feel is lush, but there are enough tannins to ensure  
longevity.  Robert Parker in The Wine Advocate described it as  
“hedonistic” and rated it “Outstanding” - $30.00

TRY THESE FOUR WINES FOR $10.00

This week’s PREMIUM POUR:

PRIORATO is an area that became the rage in the late 1990s and prices  
became very high, especially for wines given high points by the  
magazines.  It became difficult to find wines at reasonable prices.   
The CELLARS PASANAU 2003 FINCA LA PLANETA is not inexpensive, but  
does represent relatively good value from the region.  The wine is a  
blend of 80% CABERNET SAUVIGNON and 20% OLD-VINE GARNACHA and was  
aged for one year in a mix of American and French oak barrels, some  
of which were new.  This wine has saturated color and big “legs” and  
a lovely complex nose of black currants, violets and an almost  
Bordeaux-like lead pencil.  The wine is full-bodied showing the  
cassis from the Cabernet and a wonderful pure finish.  This wine is  
lovely now, but will continue to evolve.  It was rated “outstanding”  
in The Wine Advocate - $43.50

TRY THIS WINE FOR $5.00/Taste or $9.00/4 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, March 8th
Noon – 5:00PM
Free

We will have some, or all, of March Club Wines available:

BODEGAS OSTATU 2006 BLANCO, RIOJA, SPAIN - $12.00
ELENA WALCH 2005 PINOT BIANCO “KASTELAZ”, ALTO ADIGE, ITALY - $17.50
PHILIPPE ALLIET 2006 CHINON, LOIRE VALLEY, FRANCE - $26.50CHÂTEAU LE  
PARADIS 2005, CÔTES de BOURG, BORDEAUX, FRANCE - $13.00

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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