Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/688647
116 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } JUNE/JULY 2016 Surprisingly, the next morning the SOMM Campers emerged far more rested and sharper than anyone (including themselves) could have predicted. The first stop was the gorgeous Calcareous Vineyard off Peachy Canyon Road on the West Side of the Paso Robles AVA. Perched on the winery's vista, the SOMM Camp crew tasted with winemaker Jason Joyce. What came next blew SOMM Camp away. The sommeliers tasted two wines: one from grapes that were infected with red blotch, and another that was free from the disease that has become a controversial issue among winemakers the world over. Red blotch has been around for ages. Yet it was only recently that viticulture scientists realized it was, in fact, a potentially harmful disease. Common throughout California, many vineyards allow it to remain until it proves detrimental to ripening and flavor. The logic being: despite red blotch, great wine is still produced. The Calcareous team, however, attest that Paso's true terroir is being hijacked by the disease. And by eliminating red blotch, Paso's Bordeaux-style wines will improve even more, specifically by lowering astringency and boosting the complexity of structure. "It's really eye-opening," said Kamden Watson, Director of Operations and Wine Director at The Butcher's Daughter in Venice, California. "To think that these wines can be better is one thing, but to think [red blotch] is sort of masking the true terroir just blows me away. It's such a simple theory, but so smart. You can really taste the difference. Kind of amazing." Next, SOMM Campers headed to Opolo Vineyards, a Paso Robles hall- mark winery. While famous for their award- winning Zinfandel, the winery has been a stalwart producer of world-class Bordeaux- style wines, like its Concerto blend and its food-friendly Cabernet Sauvignon. After Opolo, lunch was held at Halter Ranch. Set among the high rolling hills of the Adelaida District in the Paso AVA, SOMM Campers sipped Halter's Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and its "crazy good" Ancestor, a nuanced Bordeaux blend—all the while feasting on a lunch buffet that many said was nothing short of mind- blowing. "Seriously, to call it a 'buffet' doesn't give it nearly enough credit," said Watson. In the early evening, SOMM Camp toured ADELAIDA Cellars with Winemaker Jeremy Weintraub. They then sipped wine and soaked in the fire-orange and cotton- candy pink colors of the sunset on the winery's hilltop lookout. The day was capped with the CABs of Distinction official kick-off barbecue feast at ADELAIDA's new tasting room and event space. The wine flowed, new friends were made and the din of laughter grew steadily louder as the night rolled on. DAY 2 Jason Joyce, Winemaker for Calcareous in Paso Robles. ADELAIDA 2015 Rosé, a blend of Grenache, Carignan, Cinsault, Mourvèdre, Counoise, and Syrah from the Adelaida District of Paso Robles. 116 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } JUNE/JULY 2016