LOS ANGELES — Cameron Smith closes his eyes to shut off one of his senses and enhance another, then takes a sip and swirls it around, like a seasoned expert instead of the novice that he is.
Standing nearby, winemaker Chad Melville watches Smith transfer that sip from one side of his mouth to the other, fascinated that this is the same person who spends Saturdays in the fall violently hunting down ballcarriers.
“It’s funny when you go back to the size of him,” Melville says. “This massive young man loving delicate wines.”
Smith can tell you if a pinot noir is fruity or oaky, if a chardonnay is full- or light-bodied.