Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/391696
{ SOMMjournal.com } 73 MINDS T SOMMS AND BEVERAGE DIRECTORS SIT DOWN TO CRAFT THE NEXT RAYMOND VINEYARDS SOMMELIER SELECTION CABERNET SAUVIGNON BY MARGUERITE RICHARDS photos by John Curley of the Sommelier/consultant Christopher Sawyer rounding out his team's blend before the blind tasting. Talk about mood. A disco ball here and a crystal chandelier there, Lady Gaga on the radio, red velvet fur- niture between glints of glitter and stainless steel . . . For me, Raymond Vineyards was Barbarella come to life. I kept expecting Jane Fonda to slide out of a giant stainless steel wine tank in one of her lusty leather outfits. Instead, it was a group of eight somms donning silver space cadet lab coats fiddling with graduated cylinders and beakers. The whimsical getup and atmosphere of the wine lab was a reminder that while quality wine is serious business, you don't need to miss out on the fun in the making. Today's mission: to create the 2012 Raymond Vineyard Sommelier Selection Cabernet Sauvignon blend.