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

Ridge Sonoma Station Zinfandel (Sonoma County) 2001

Sonoma Station is a second wine of Ridge, which gets a blend of grapes from all of their Sonoma County vineyards, which means its pulling grapes from all three major Sonoma valleys: Alexander, Dry Creek, and Russian River. The 2001 vintage divided the major critics: the Wine Spectator scored it at only 82, while Robert Parker scored it an 89. My reaction is closer to the Parker score. A medium deep purple-black denotes the youth of the wine, but it is nevertheless ready to drink now. Good nose of classic zinfandel brambly fruit, with a touch of vanilla-ish oak. Intensely fruity flavors. Raspberries and blackberries. Medium finish with moderate tannins. Very clean with none of the funky flavors that a lot of Ridge zins had in 2000. Highly quaffable. Grade: B

Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve (Napa Valley) 1995

Deep, dark, rich purple shading out to ruby at the rim. Very strong legs. Looks remarkably young for almost 9 years old. Threw a ton of very fine sediment, which made decanting a real challenge. (If I had had some paper coffee filters on hand, I would have resorted to that old dodge.) Dense and meaty flavors and aromas. Classic Napa cabernet profile: black currants, cassis, cedar. Very long finish. Disproves the canard that California cabernet can't age - it's still not really ready. I won't touch the remaining stash for at least 3-5 years. Grade: A

Sulfites in Wine

A reader wrote in to ask about sulfites in wine and the link to migranes. It's true that an allergy to sulfites is a real problem for some wine drinkers, which can cause severe headaches. White wines typically have a higher concentration of sulfites than do red wines, so comparing experiences with red and white wines is one way to determine if sulfites might be the problem - albeit a potentially risky one. Unfortunately, because sulfites are such an effective preservative, very few wineries make sulfite free wines. Worse yet, those that do produce what purports to be a sulfite free wine typically mean only that they did not add sulfites. Sulfites are a natural part of the fermentation process because their precursor molecules occur naturally on grape skins. Under ATF rules, wines labelled "organic" must have been made without the addition of sulfur dioxide. So if you think you might have a sulfite allergy, look for organic wines. Watch out, however, because under ATF rules wines labelled "made with organic grapes" can have added sulfur dioxide. Read the label carefully!

Duckhorn Merlot (Napa Valley) 1999

So much California merlot these days is industrial plonk that it is a real pleasure to come across a well-crafted example. Although Duckhorn has a fairly large output, even this basic Napa Valley AVA bottling has an artisian character. Still a deep purple shading to ruby at the very rim. Strong nose of currants and anise. Toasty oak notes on the palate followed by cherries and currants. Seasoned with a note of soy sauce. Should continue to improve for at least a couple more years. Grade: A-

Ridge York Creek Late Picked Zinfandel (Napa Valley) 2000

A deep purple-black. Very strong legs. Jammy black cherry and raspberry nose. Sweet (0.7% residual sugar). Dark berries, pepper, and chocolate. Firm, gritty tannins. Long, mouth-coating finish. (Ridge seems to use "late picked" for late harvest wines that ferment almost dry-maybe less than 1% r.s., and "late harvest" for those with higher r.s. levels.) Grade: B-

Ridge Lytton Estate Grenache (Dry Creek Valley) 2000

Blackberry jam dominates both the nose and palate. Sour cherries? Earth and tar on the palate, as well. Short and tannic finish. Grade: B

Tignanello (Tuscany) 1998

An 80-20 blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet (both Sauvignon and Franc). Dense purplish-red color. An earthy nose of vanilla, leather, and black fruit. Medium-bodied with high acidity. Possesses plenty of the signature Sangiovese flavors - sour cherries and underbrush. Almost, but not quite, a classic. In any case, if it weren't pushing $100/bottle, it would have been way up in the A range. At that price, however, I wanted to be more impressed than I was. Grade: B+

Interstate wine shipments (II)

Alert reader Matthew Patterson caught me out on this one:

Alas, I must take issue with your post implying that the Supreme Court should strike down "antiquated" state laws prohibiting the direct shipment of alcohol. In fact, the Supreme Court previously struck down such laws in Rhodes v. Iowa (1898). As a result, Congress passed the Webb-Kenyon Act, which prohibited the importation of alcohol into a state in violation of such state's law. The language of the Webb-Kenyon Act eventually became, after the failure of prohibition, the model for Section 2 of the 21st Amendment to the Constitution, which prohibits the "transportation or importation into any State ... for delivery or use therein of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof...." The plain language of the 21st Amendment clearly grants the States the latitude to pass laws restricting the importation of alcohol. The Supreme Court held as much in its original interpretation of the matter in State Board of Equalization v. Young's Market Co. (1936), in which Justice Brandeis, writing for the majority, scoffed at the notion that the States were limited in their authority to regulate the importation and distribution of alcohol. In the years since Young's Market, the Supremes have steadily chipped away at the plain meaning of the 21st Amendment, to the point where I have no doubt that they will rule in your favor on this issue some day in the not so distant future. As a lover of wine, I will certainly find ways to appreciate the Supreme Court's eventual liberation of the wine industry. As a lover of the law, however, I will view it as just another egregious example of judicial activism run amok, which is why it surprised me to hear you, an occasional critic of judicial activism, come out in favor of judicially striking down such laws. Your support for judicial intervention in this matter is particularly disconcerting when viewed in light of the enormous achievements of the wine industry over the past 20 years in changing such laws through legitimate, democratic means. Twenty years ago, according to www.freethegrapes.org, no States allowed direct-to-consumer wine shipments. As of 2003, 26 States had passed laws allowing some form of direct-to-consumer wine shipments. The political process can work, if given enough time. I would expect someone who has been critical of Roe v. Wade for upsetting the political process to be more patient and less predisposed to resorting to the judiciary for political redress. I guess it all depends on whose ox is being gored.

Ouch. I must confess that this brought me up short. Have I allowed my taste buds to trump my political philsophy? Yep.