Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/780573
Participating Livermore Valley Somm Camp Wineries Bent Creek Winery (bentcreekwinery.com) Cedar Mountain Winery & Port Works (cedarmountainwinery.com) Concannon Vineyard (concannonvineyard.com) Cuda Ridge Wines (cudaridgewines.com) Dante Robere Vineyards (danterobere.com) Darcie Kent Vineyards (darciekentvineyards.com) Eckert Estate Winery & Artisan Spirits (artisanspiritsbrandyworks.com) Fenestra Winery (fenestrawinery.com) Las Positas Vineyards (laspositasvineyards.com) McGrail Vineyards and Winery (mcgrailvineyards.com) Murrieta's Well (murrietaswell.com) Nottingham Cellars & Vasco Urbano Wine Company (nottinghamcellars.com) Occasio Winery (occasiowinery.com) Page Mill Winery (pagemillwinery.com) Retzlaff Vineyards & Estate Winery (retzlaffvineyards.com) The Steven Kent Winery (stevenkent.com) Wente Vineyards (wentevineyards.com) Wood Family Vineyards (woodfamilyvineyards.com) Summing Up In post–Somm Camp remarks contributed by participating som- meliers, Jienna Basaldu of Sacramento's 58 Degrees & Holding Co. expressed a group consensus: "Prior to this I was aware of the longevity of producers like Wente and Concannon, but being there showed how crazy it really is to think of how influential these families have been in the overall growth of California wine and its subsequent standing in the international arena." "Livermore Valley," summarizes Todo un Poco Chef/Owner/Sommelier Marie Mertz, "is an old wine region that feels totally new." Getting down to brass tacks, Manhattan Beach Post's Jerry Garbus made note of the prevalence of "dancing acidity," "firm minerality" and "cooler climate than expected fruit profiles," yet also the "air of humility" among Livermore Valley producers. Thomas Hill Organics' Lannon Rust found that more than a few of his "favorite wines were the ones where minimal new oak was used, allowing full fruit expression to shine." Above all, Chuck Herrold of Rancho Santa Fe's Ponsaty's tells us, "We learned that Livermore Valley wines really do stack up against the best in the world." Jienna Basaldu, CS, CSW 58 Degrees & Holding Co. (Sacramento, CA) Josh Hoffman The Mirage Hotel & Casino (Las Vegas) Rachel Macalisang formerly of The Bazaar by José Andrés (Los Angeles, CA) Marcus Voglrieder Nobu Restaurants (Los Angeles, CA) Susan March, CS, CSW Ladera Grill (Morgan Hill, CA) Lannon Rust Thomas Hill Organics (Paso Robles, CA) { SOMMjournal.com } 91