Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/688647
{ SOMMjournal.com } 115 From left to right, starting in the bottom row: Jonathan Landeen, Owner of Tuscon Cork, Tuscon, AZ; Corrina Strauss, Sommelier of La Folie, San Francisco, CA; Amy Mullally, Domestic Wine Buyer, The Wine Country, Signal Hills, CA; Mario de Ovando, Sommelier, CraftSteak, Las Vegas, NV; Joel Caruso, Wine & Beverage Director, Pizzeria Ortica, Costa Mesa, CA; Paige Bindel, Sommelier, The Inn at Spanish Bay/Pèppoli, Pebble Beach, CA; Anthony Lerner, Sommelier, Mastro's Steakhouse, Beverly Hills, CA; Jessie Birschbach, Wine Editor, The Somm Journal; Sharon Coombs, Beverage Director, Craft, Los Angeles; Shannon Metcalf, Corporate Food & Beverage Manager, Troon, Scottsdale, AZ; Marianna Caldwell, Sommelier, Baltaire, Brentwood, CA; Steve Hua, Sommelier, Stripsteak, Las Vegas, CA; Dana Merrill, owner, Pomar Junction Vineyard & Winery, Paso Robles, CA; Mark Stern, Director of Sales and Hospitality, Pomar Junction Vineyard & Winery; Kelvin DeBoer, Sommelier, John Howie Steak, Bellevue, WA; Georges Serna, Wine Director, Hillcrest Country Club, Los Angeles, CA; Mike Dawson, Contributing Editor, Paso Robles, CA; Jim Shumate, Winemaker, Pomar Junction Winery; Kamden Watson, Director of Operations/Wine Director, The Butcher's Daughter, Venice, CA; Scott Reesman, Sommelier, The Lobster, Santa Monica, CA; Norman Acosta, Sommelier, Rivea, Las Vegas, CA; Matt Merrill, GM and Managing Partner, Pomar Junction Winery; Elizabeth Kelso, Retail Sommelier, Wally's Vinoteca, Beverly Hills, CA; Peter Nelson, owner, Monopole Wine Shop, Pasadena, CA; Nathaniel Muñoz, Wine Director, The Rose Café, Venice, CA. View of the El Pomar District AVA from the vineyards of San Antonio Winery. crowd in his tasting room that after visiting Paso in his 20s, he knew he was home. "We fell in love with the potential and future of Paso," Guillaume said in his silky French accent. "So in 2007, we made the commitment, and we and the rest of the community are finally getting the respect for making truly great wines that express the terroir here. And it continues to get even better. It's not France. It's not Napa. It's Paso and our Bordeaux wines can stand on their own merits." Amid the tasting, Scott Reesman, somme - lier at The Lobster in Beverly Hills, inquired about the growing number of complex Bordeaux blends emerging from Paso. "Many single varietals do very well and will continue doing well," Guillaume said. "But what many people do not know is just how different the soils are in Paso, even within the same [vine] rows. And with the weather and climate shifts each year, blend - ing has been necessary for a while. This is common in every region. Sometimes more Cabernet Franc is needed one year, another maybe more Malbec. But what's very interesting is that what was once a way to survive vintage [variables], has become an art form in Paso." Many somms agreed, wishing that aver - age consumers could know that, on a wine list, single varieties don't necessarily mean better quality. "That is why you're all here," Fabre joked. "But yes, it is a slow thing. People must know blends are good, especially from here." After leaving Fabre, SOMM Camp headed out to the East Side of the Paso Robles AVA in a luxury bus. The chatter was electric, the jokes flew and a bottle of Fernet was passed up the seat rows. . . "you know, ahem, to aid in steady - ing our stomachs on these windy roads," said Nathanial Muñoz, Sommelier and Wine Director at Rose Café Venice. The crew stopped at Pomar Junction winery for a tour, and then stood atop San Antonio Winery's vineyards to take in the breathtaking views and feel the steady sea breeze gusting through Paso's circuit of mountain valleys called the Templeton Gap. *See our story on the El Pomar District AVA and San Antonio Winery on page 119 in this issue.