Professor Bainbridge...on law, politics, religion, culture & food

PETA Urges Ben & Jerry’s To Use Human Milk

Yuck.

Louis Jadot Puligny-Montrachet (2004)

The initial impression is dominated by new French oak. Lots of toast and vanilla. But there is a core of lovely fruit--apples, pears, and citrus--and firm acidity that redeems this wine as a food friendly white. I served it with a lobster bisque, supplemented with a the meat from a couple of Australian lobster tails, foir which it made an excellent match. Grade: B++

California Barbera … Memories of Louis M Martini

Wine Spectator blogger Tim Perr reports that:

So a few months ago, when I was visiting French Camp Vineyard (east of Paso Robles) to check out a block of Zinafandel they had for sale, it was no surprise to anyone that knows me that in addition to the Zinfandel, I came back with an agreement to buy some Barbera as well. Not that I was looking for Barbera. Not that I can recall ever even liking a Barbera-based wine. The fruit just looked so good, and the young vineyard representative showing me around French Camp spoke so highly of a wine he had made from French Camp Barbera that it seemed to me to be the right thing to do.

After leaving the vineyard, I got on the phone with Kenneth Juhasz, Pali Wine Company’s consulting winemaker, to tell him of my purchase. Kenneth has a better attitude toward my impulsive buying than my wife—he thought it was humorous. He said, “Okay, how do you want to make the wine?” To which I wise-cracked back, “You’re the winemaker, haven’t you made Barbera before?” Of course he had never made Barbera before; how many Californian winemakers have?

Back in the 1980s, when I was a young fellow with a taste for wine but not much money, one of my favorite wines was Louis M. Martini’s Barbera. It’s been a long time sice anybody thought of Louis M. Martini as being a producer of great wine, but they were one of the post-Prohibition giants and were making good wine well into 80s. The 1974 Monte Rosso Cabernet Sauvignon, for example, was a classic California benchmark wine. They also used to make a Barbera that was a near-perfect wine for pizza or pasta in a red meat sauce. It was cheap, tasty, and, in the right vintage, age worthy.

I gave up on Martini in the early 1990s. They simply had not kept up with the competition. It makes me sad that a one great winery is now so marginal.

I miss the grat Monte Rosso Cabs and the always excellent Zins, but this post reminded me how much I miss those yummy Barberas.

Amazon to Sell Wine

The rumors that Amazon is going to sell wine online appear to be true. Reuters reports that sales may begin next month:

Seattle-based Amazon is looking to sell wine in approximately 26 states and wine sold on its site will come from all regions of the country, Hall said. ...

To avoid the confusing legal issues over the interstate sale of wine that vary from state to state, Amazon will be working with New Vine Logistics, a Napa, California-based company dealing in wine fulfillment that can deliver to up to 45 states.

“Amazon is outsourcing to New Vine the logistics of its wine direct business to make sure it’s being done properly and legally,” Insel said.

What we must hope is that Amazon decides to come down on the free the grapes side of the political fight in the recalcitrant states. Back when the rumors first circulated, Slate’s wine columnist offered up a column on regulation of interstate shipping of wine, in which he included a nice comment about yours truly:

Stephen Bainbridge, a law professor at UCLA who also maintains an excellent wine blog, is sticking by what he wrote in a column for TCS Daily on the one-year anniversary of the Granholm decision: “We’re no closer to a true national wine market; instead, both producers and consumers are still mired in the economic Balkans.” Bainbridge thinks the best hope of fixing the current distribution system is to challenge it on antitrust grounds. Costco, the country’s largest wine retailer, mounted just such an effort in a suit it brought against the state of Washington four years ago. It won a resounding victory in a federal district court in 2006, but that verdict was overturned in late January by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. Costco is appealing to have the case heard by the entire 9th Circuit, and there is a chance the matter will end up before the Supreme Court—eventually. “I am just damn glad I live in California,” says Bainbridge, noting that his home state has some of the most progressive shipping laws in the nation.

Domaine Drouhin Laurene Pinot Noir (Oregon) 2004

A rich, impressive Pinot Noir. Black cherry, blackberry, tea, smoke. Good acidity and silky tannins. Grade: A-

Behrens & Hitchcock Alder Sptings Cuvee (Mendocino) 2004

An interesting blend of Merlot (50%), Cabernet Franc (25%), Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s a big wine, with a complex blend of flavors and aromas. Blackberries, blueberries, toast, vanilla, and earth. I think it needs a little more time in bottle to fully integrate. At the moment, it’s sort of rustic and even a tad disjointed. Will improve. But at the moment, Grade: B

The KFC Secret

The LA Times on Kentucky Fried Chicken’s supposed secret:

Colonel Harland Sanders’ handwritten recipe of 11 herbs and spices was removed Tuesday from safekeeping at KFC’s corporate offices for the first time in decades. The temporary relocation is allowing KFC to revamp security around a yellowing sheet of paper that contains one of the country’s most famous corporate secrets. ...

So important is the 68-year-old concoction that coats the chain’s Original Recipe chicken that only two company executives at any time have access to it. The company refuses to release their names or titles, and it uses multiple suppliers who produce and blend the ingredients but know only a part of the entire contents.

KFC executives said they decided to upgrade security after retrieving the recipe amid preparations to add a new line of Original Recipe chicken strips.

The recipe has been stashed at the company headquarters for decades, and for more than 20 years has been tucked away in a filing cabinet equipped with two combination locks. To reach the cabinet, the keepers of the recipe would first open up a vault and unlock three locks on a door that stood in front of the cabinet.

What a load of crap. The KFC secret recipe in fact is one of the worst kept secrets in food. Those 11 herbs and spices? Everybody knows they’re the same herbs and spices as are in Good Seasons’ dry Italian salad dress mix. Indeed, Sanders supposedly used that mix in his original recipe!

Update: Deven Desai has a fun post on the topic, complete with videos.

Erna Schein Homage to Ed Oliveira Syrah Alder Springs Vineyard (Mendocino) 2005

A big Syrah, with intense, forward fruit. Blackberries, black cherrys, cloves, eucalyptus, toast, vanilla. Yummy. Should age well, but makes a great steak wine right now. Grade: B+/A-