ProfessorBainbridge.com

I don't understand why more winemakers aren't libertarians

In my years of visiting wineries here in the Golden State, most of the winemakers I've met are the sort of left-of-center Democrats that dominate places like the Bay Area. But why? Note this tweet from winemaker Randall Graham:

 

Trying to find path through the forest that is the Santa Cruz County Planning Dept. #helpmrwizard

— Randall Grahm (@RandallGrahm) April 3, 2013

 

It captures something I've heard from many winemakers, as they also almost uniformly bitch and moan about land use regulations, which seem to be the bane of their existence. So if a conservative is a liberal who just got mugged, why aren't winemakers all libertarians?

Newton Claret (Napa County) 2010

The 2010 Claret (a blend of 66% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Petit Verdot) presents a very deep ruby color. At first, the nose was muted and the palate was closed and tannic. Double decanting followed by 45 minutes breathing time opened it up. Cassis, mocha java, and oak dominate the bouquet. After two hours of breathing (and drinking), what was left in the bottle was still pretty tannic. But I'm not convinced it has the fruit to support extended aging. My recommendation is to drink it young, but to double decant at least an hour (better still two to three) before drinking. Grade: B

Ridge Santa Cruz Mountains Estate (Santa Cruz Mts.) 2002

A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 48% Merlot, and 2% Petit Verdot. Ridge commonly gets three distinct wines out of its Santa Cruz estate vineyards. As they explain:

[From] the structured, long-lived wines set aside for the Monte Bello to the full, rich wines that make up the Home Ranch, and the well-defined, more approachable ones that go into the Santa Cruz Mountains.

FYI, I reviewed the 2002 Home Ranch here.

Ridge further explains that the 2002 estate wine was vinified as follows:

In the last phase of assemblage, a year after vintage, additional merlot was added for structural elegance. To soften tannins, barrel aging was extended to two full years in air-dried american oak, forty percent of which was new, forty-five percent one and two years old, and fifteen percent three and four years old. 

As it approaches its 11th birthday, the 2002 Santa Cruz Mountains estate wine is a mature and elegant wine. A complex mixture of leather, tobacco, cedar, mocha java, plums, prunes, and black currants dominate both the bouquet and palate. The tannins have largely disappeared. I have one bottle left in my cellar and expect to drink it within the next year. I just don't see this wine getting any better and it may start going downhill sooner rather than later.

Grade: B++

BTW, it made a great match for Grilled Steak Kebabs with Orange and Hoisin Glaze, in which I swapped some of my abundant blood oranges for the regular orange juice and orange wedges called for in the recipe. Yum.

Behrens & Hitchcock The Change Up (Napa Valley) 2009

This red wine is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Petit Verdot, 20% Merlot, and 10% Syrah. At age 4 it is an incredibly deep purple--almost black--and has thrown almost no sediment. After double decanting 45 minutes before serving it, the bouquet was enormous. Blackberries, black cherries, anise, herbs, and something floral that I can't pin down. The palate was dominated by cassis and mocha java. The firm tannins suggest it will age well (maybe 10 years?), but the forward fruit is hard to resist now. Fortunately this was just the first of a half case I had laid down, so I'll be able to follow it (and report on it) for quite a while. Grade: A-

The Fourth Amendment versus Wine Fraud

It is said that it is better that a hundred guilty men go free than one innocent man be punished (feel free to substitute whatever number you think the adage specifies). On the other hand, as Justice Benjamin Cardozo famously asked, "should the criminal go free because the constable has blundered?"

I was reminded of this famous dichotomy when I was catching up on some back issues of the Wine Spectator that had somehow slipped through the cracks. In the November 30, 2012 issue, I read that:

Accused wine counterfeiter Rudy Kurniawan [was contesting] the legality of FBI agents' search of his home, which occurred after his arrest in a Los Angeles suburb last March. ...

In that search, according to a grand jury indictment, agents found an elaborate setup for wine counterfeiting, including thousands of fake labels for wines with vintages as far back as 1899, and labels for all the first-growths of Bordeaux and several highly sought-after Burgundies.The operation also housed a cork inserter, hundreds of used corks, bags of new corks and foil capsules.

According to a source close to the defense, FBI agents had an arrest warrant but no search warrant when they entered the house Kurniawan shared with his mother. The agents arrested Kurniawan and also "looked around," according to the source. Only later did the agents return to Kurniawan's house with a search warrant to execute a "protective sweep" of the home.

On criminal procedure issues, I tend to come down hard on the civil libertarian side. But wine fraud on this scale put that tendency to the test ... big time.

Indeed, I must confess to being pleased to learn that Kurniawan's Fourth Amendment arguments were rejected:

When news that Federal Judge Richard Berman ruled the FBI had probable cause to search the home of Rudy Kurniawan broke, wine lovers all of the world rejoiced! Now that Judge Berman ruled that the search warrant had a sound basis for probable cause, the trial of Rudy Kurniawan could take to place shortly!  

Had the case come out the other way, I admit I would be sorely tempted to advocate a wine fraud exception to the Fourth Amendment!

Antinori Tignanello (Tuscany) 2001

Tignanello has been one of our house wines since, well, forever. A blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc aged in small barrels it is what Chianti wants to be when it grows up and goes to heaven. It has always been a wine over which Helen and I tussle for the last drop.

At age 12+, the 2001 Tignanello is in prime drinking condition. The tannins are smooth and silky. The palate is a complex mixture of ripe dark fruit (black cherry, blackberry, add cassis), leather, smoke, earth, mushrooms, and herbs. Long finish. Still has plenty of food-friendly acidity. Rich bouquet. Has thrown a ton of light sediment, so it requires careful decanting.

I have three bottles left in my cellar and plan to space them out over the next 6-9 years.

Grade: A-/A

I served it with 21 day dry-aged New York strip sirloin steaks and a delicious Arugula, Blood Orange, and Blue Cheese Salad. (So much for the Lenten fast.) Still trying to use up our mammoth crop of blood oranges, but it seems like I've barely made a dent.

Chateau Meyney (St. Estephe) 1989

When last noted in 2004, "this was still a remarkably young and backward wine." Nine years later at age 23+, it is much further along in its evolution but even so remains surprisingly fruity.

Decanted off moderate sediment 45 minutes before service. The bottle showed some ullage, with the wine level at the bottom of the neck. The cork was intact but showed some staining.

The bouquet suggested raspberry, black cherry, black currant, cedar, and the humidor. The flavor associations were similar, with somewhat more maturity markers such as leather and tobacco. The finish is a little short, betraying its cru bourgeois origins.

I think this wine will easily hold its own and even continue developing at least through age 30. So I plan to hold on to my last bottle until 2019.

Grade: A-/A

I served it with medallions of boneless lamb loin, which I had marinated for 6 hours in a pomegranate juice/blood orange marinade, and then grilled for about 3 minutes per side. I prepared a cup of Israeli couscous according to the package directions,except for substituing 1/2 cup blood orange juice and 3/4 cup white wine for the 1-and-1/4 cup water for which the recipe called, and mixing in at the last minute some dried parsley, pistachio nuts, and pomegranate seeds. Yum.

Etude Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) 1996

As it approaches 17 years of age, this classic Napa Cab is drinking really well. Decanted off substantial sediment 45 minutes before service. Still quite deep ruby color. Mixed bouquet of dark fruit, leather, smoke. On the palate, the dominant flavor associations were blueberry, black currant, cedar, leather, and mocha java. Smooth tannins and good acidity. Grade: A-

Served it with Blood Orange Beef Stew with Butternut Squash, which was delicious and for which the Etude made an interesting match.

Paraduxx (Napa Valley) 2007

Paraduxx is owned by Duckhorn, one of our favorite wineries. In 2007, it was a blend of 78% Zinfandel, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, and 1% Cabernet Franc. Oddly, however, for me the dominant flavor association was a cherry-chocolate that I associate with Merlot. Plus pepper, spice, and toasty oak. Grade: B/B+

Château Pichon-Longueville Baron (Pauillac) 1998

At age 14, this is still a deep ruby color. The bouquet suggests red and black berry fruits, as well as leather and pencil shavings. The palate follows, adding flavor associations that also include earth and mushrooms (but in a good way). Well integrated tannins. Will likely develop for a few more years, but is in prime drinking condition now. Grade: B++

Somewhat improved from when last tasted in Sept. 2011. Sadly, this was my last bottle so I won't know how it fares in the future (not being motivated to seek it out at auction).

Behrens & Hitchcock Cabernet Sauvignon Ink Grade (Napa Valley) 1997

The damnable plastic corks Behrens & Hitchcock insisted on using for so long may or may not have affected the aging of this wine. But this particular cork proved almost impossible to extract, nearly breaking my Screwpull.

In any case, despite being 15 years old, the wine deserved its inky appelation. It was an intense ruby-purple, even though it had already thrown a lot of sediment. The bouquet was pleasant but one dimensional, suggesting black fruits. On the palate, it was again one dimensional with a lot of youthful blackberry and black cherry fruit. Surprisingly, mature Caberent markers like leather or tobacco were missing. Again, as I have done before, I am forced to wonder whether those stupid plastic corks are affecting the aging of Behrens & Hitchock wines of that era.

Grade: B

Behrens & Hitchcock Petite Sirah Spring Mountain District (Napa Valley) 2002

I served this with a beef, barley, and mushroom stew for which it made a very nice match. It's not a particularly complex wine, which meant it didn't fight with the complexly flavored stew.

At age 10, it's thrown a lot of flighty, light sediment, which meant that decanting was a royal pain in the proverbial beast of burden. I ended up having to decant the bulk of it through an unbleached coffee filter, which is always a last resort. (I decanted it about 75 minutes before service.)

Despite the considerable sediment it's thrown, the wine remains an incredibly deep and opaque purple-black with no signs of red even at the very edge of the rim. The amount of anthocyanidins in this wine must be off the chart.

On the palate, this is a big, high alcohol, high extract wine that has an almost port-like mouth feel. Blackberry and blueberry.

Grade: B/B+

Ridge Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (Santa Cruz Mts.) 2008

This wine is sourced from the same vineyards as Ridge's Monte Bello wine, but tends to be much more approachable in its youth. It's sort of analogous to the second wine of a Bordeaux chateau. Prior to the 2008 vintage, these wines were bottled as Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon.

The 2008 is a delicious wine. It barely qualifies as a varietal Cabernet Sauvignon, with 75% coming from that grape, 20% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, and 2% Cabernet Franc (where's some Malbec?). I smell and taste intense chocolate and mocha java, as well as rich red and black fruits. Lots of cassis, for example. A long finish. Drinkable now but with sufficient structure to support additional aging. Sadly, this was my only bottle, but I'm going on the auction sites to find more. Grade: A- (arguably I ought to bump this up to A given how relatively inexpensive it was at $40/bottle).

This is not me, but it's a good analysis:

Louis Latour Grand Cru Chateau Corton-Grancey (Corton) 2002

A pleasant red Burgundy, but not an especially profound one. Certainly not deserving of Grand Cru status, as it tastes more like a village wine. Still, it offered decent Pinot Noir fruit, good acidity, and some maturity markers. Cherries, raspberries, minerals, spoices (nutmeg?), leather. Probably at or just past its peak, so drink up. Grade: B-/B

Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Vintage Brut Rosé (Champagne) 2004

A beautiful salmon color, with masses of very fine, delicate bubbles. A lovely bouquet of cherries, strawberries, toast, and honey. On the palate, this is a wine of great depth, richness, and weight. Raspberries, strawberries, toast, honey, chalk. Definitely not a picnic quaffer; this is a serious wine deserving to be served with serious food (in this case, a wild rice and mushroom soup). Grade: A-