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{ SOMMjournal.com } 125 and consistency in winemaking, these wines are an easy and proud sell at the restaurant," Cancelli continues. "At Swift & Sons, we serve the Cakebread Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon by the glass, which is a perfect match to our steaks and heartier entrees. These wines express the heart of California—ripe, clean aors, well-delineated structure and fresh - ness—and have the ability to coexist with food harmoniously." "When I started working with the Cakebread wines, I noticed how they needed no introduction," explains Keri Levens, Chief Sommelier at the Chefs Club in New York City. "People knew them and ordered them without a wine list consultation, no questions asked. For a sommelier, sometimes it is nice to have a wine that sells itself! Much like a well-ade wine, a ood wine list is one that has balance. It offers wines that people are familiar with, as well as unique and different wines for our guests to discover." s for their 0-year trac record of suc - cess, Levens notes, "I think that Cakebread Cellars' wines have been so enduring due to their consistency; they are wines that people know and feel comfortable order- in. They are not ashy they are depend- able, especially the Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay. I always expect the oak to be more overt, but I am pleasantly surprised when I taste and find the oa is resered and in check." "Most importantly, the wines are in bal - ance, which lends to seamless food and wine pairings, and at Chefs Club is what it is all about," she continues. "We have dishes from all over the world and from numerous chefs. People look for wines that will complement their entire meal. The Cakebread family has positioned their wines in the market in such a way that they are well known, but not everywhere or overexposed. Cakebread Cellars is a great example of what Napa Valley wines can be." Prepping for the 2017 harvest at Cakebread Cellars. Marcello Cancelli, Wine Director at Swift & Sons steakhouse in Chicago. Keri Levens, Chief Sommelier at the Chefs Club in New York City.