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

Qupe Los Olivos Cuvee (Santa Ynez Valley) 2000

A Rhone Ranger blend of 55% syrah, 27% mourvedre, 18% grenache. A deep blue-ish/purple that is almost black. Strong nose of candied fruits, smoke, white pepper, and violets. On the palate, a tasty mix of plums, cherries, vanilla, with a gamy undertone. Not a wine for the cellar, it is drinking quite nicely right now. Grade: B

Taylor Fladgate 10 Year Old Tawny Port NV

A fine tawny port, if not quite up to the standard of Dow's 10 year old. Suitably light in depth, although rather toward the red end of the spectrum for tawny port. A lovely color in any event. Bright and clear. A rich, surprisingly grapey nose. Fruity rather than nutty, albeit with an overlay of vanilla and caramel. Sweet but not cloying, due to a good core of acid. Dark fruits, walnuts, caramel, and dried orange peel on the palate. The finish lasts and lasts. Recommended, but go with Dow if you have a choice. Grade: B

Newton Claret (Napa Valley) 1999

Excellent -- highly recommended. Newton is a consistently reliable red wine house. Technically, the Claret is one of their second wines. Yet, in 1999, it produced a wine of exceptional quality at a remarkably reasonable price (less than $20 in LA). While this wine likely is dominated by merlot, the blend clearly includes cabernet sauvignon and, especially, cabernet franc. A medium purple shading through ruby to red at the rim. A reticent nose, which hints of red currants and olives, that gradually opens with breathing. Deep classic merlot/cabernet flavors that tend lean slightly to the herbal/olive end of the spectrum, but with notes of spices and dark berries. (The olive/herbal flavor components are why I suspect there is a fair bit of cab franc in the blend. Although I would not be surprised by that flavor profile in a Sonoma cab sauvignon, I would not expect it in a Napa CS.) A graceful wine that will age well to at least the end of the decade. Grade: A

Ridge York Creek Late Picked Zinfandel (Spring Mountain) 1999

I am probably the wrong person to be reviewing this wine. I am not a fan of late harvest zinfandel. Even at their best, I find them the ogres of wine. They are big, hot, high alcohol wines that age gracelessly. This Ridge zin, unfortunately, is far from a good example of the type. Very high alcohol with modest residual sugar (about 1%). Sweet enough to cloy, but not sweet enough to use as a dessert wine. Earthy and funky flavors dominate both the nose and palate, with a strong element of sweaty saddle leather. Brett contamination? Drinkable (just) but not enjoyable. An oddity, given Ridge's status as one of the great zinfandel houses. N.B.: The Wine Bork reviewers liked it a lot better than I did, but even they concluded that it was "not our cup of tea." Grade: C-

Arrowood Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma County) 1998

Arrowood long has been one of the great Sonoma wineries, although it is now part of the Mondavi empire. As the Wine Spectator recently documented, the Mondavi wines have been slipping lately. Fortunately, longtime master winemaker Richard Arrowood remains in charge at his eponymous winery. 1998 was not a very good year for California (WS vintage chart), but some decent wines were made anyway and the Arrowood is among them. This '98 cabernet actually is a blend of all 5 major Bordeaux varieties, although dominated (>90%) by cabernet sauvignon. Grade: B The color is a medium-to-deep mulberry shading to ruby. The nose offers a strong mix of prunes, cassis, black cherries, and allspice, with an odd but pleasing hint of walnut. The palate is framed by firm but polished tannins on both the entry and, especially, the finish. The finish lingers pleasantly but somewhat astringently, reflecting its still tannic core. I get dark cherries, black currants, and mint. The good wife thought plums, cherries, and eucalyptus. (In non-blind tastings, I only pick up eucalyptus in Napa cabs, which is the argument for blind tasting. One sees only what one expects to see.) It's not going to last forever, but it's defintely got another 5 years ahead of it, maybe even a bit more. Recommended.

The wine canon: A recommended reading list

As a companion to my corporate canon, which lists classic works of corporation law and governance, I submit my wine canon, a list of essential references on tasting and collecting wine: Introductions Andrew Jefford, Choosing Wine Hugh Johnson's How to Enjoy Your Wine Matt Kramer, Making Sense of Wine Tom Maresca, The Right Wine Jancis Robinson, How to Taste: A Guide to Enjoying Wine The Wall Street Journal Guide to Wine: New and Improved: How to Buy, Drink, and Enjoy Wine Windows on the World Wine Course

Hitching Post Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard (Santa Maria Valley) 2000

Very good pinot; recommended. Light cherry red color with slight bricking at the rim. Big pinot nose of strawberries, cherry cola, and grape stems. Enters the palate lightly, but the finish lingers. Classic mix of roses, berries, red cherries. Stemmy herbs in the mid-palate. This is one of Hitching Post's vineyard designated wines. In LA, it seems to be the most widely distributed. A definite step up from the basic Santa Barbara County bottling. Lacks the stuffing for long-term cellaring, but will hold another couple of years. Grade: A-

Clois du Bois Marlstone (Alexander Valley) 1999

A blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and malbec. Okay but not recommended. Medium depth; purple shading to ruby. Watery rim. Modest nose, with funky undertones. Atypical for cabernet on both nose and palate. The mid-palate is acidic, hollow, and thin; the finish is short and oddly industrial. Tomato paste, dried herbs, iron, and maraschino cherry. Tastes more like steak sauce than wine. Grade: C