My somms-credibility moment: I tried to order an Hermitage 1990 from the list (very well known producer) - and the somm said it’s sold out, but I can have the 1992 for the same price. After my reply that this vintage is much weaker he said: no, it’s the same quality!
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A somms credibility exploded when he proudly proclaimed that the Austrian wine he tried to sell me was from “Weingut”, which is apparently the same village that Gut Oggau is from.
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Certainly not unreasonable to expect a decent sommelier to have some basic knowledge of the classification system of Bordeaux and the appellation, even if they haven’t heard of the actual producer.
Overall it’s just a strange question to ask though, which would probably suggest he isn’t a sommelier in the true sense of the word with any substantial training or knowledge, but probably the most competent person the restaurant has in opening and pouring a bottle of wine in which case it’s not really his ‘fault’, rather the restaurant’s but probably more generally related to how tough the overall industry is and whether it’s worth investing in training to be a sommelier as other than the very top end its probably not worth the investment in return for the living standard it allows.
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Exaggeration for effect doesn’t make your argument stronger. A more direct answer to the applicable question is if the somm my partner hired (I’m not qualified to hire said person) didn’t know something he would consider fairly basic to the profession (and I know he would consider awareness of DDC basic to a deep knowledge of wine), he would not hire said person. I’m not saying that person is a terrible human or should be humiliated by the customer or anything of the sort. All I can say is I wouldn’t hire that person for this job. You’re welcome to hold a different opinion (as you clearly do).
It’s been discussed on this board elsewhere. I’d actually love for you (or anyone to drop by). And honestly, if you spoke to the somm and genuinely thought they weren’t that competent or helpful I’d want to know that too. It’s a really tough job and I think the folks we have are great, but that’s in part because my partner who runs the front of house cares so much about the wine program. Anyways, sorry to have rubbed folks the wrong way.
A Somm at Picasso, in Vegas, once announced to us (with great joy and fanfare) that he was pouring us a dessert wine from the Rhône Valley.
Banyuls.
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Yea but that would fail, you didn’t even know DDC, lol. 
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I was thinking that too. If the price of DDC makes it unattainable to someone learning about wine, then they really can’t get to understand benchmark producers in a large portion of classic regions. Plus, asking if it’s a new producer implies that the somm thinks he knows a lot more than he does about Bordeaux. Ignorance is fine, but arrogance is a problem for someone whose job involves telling people about wine. That’s all beyond not knowing anything about what “Grand Cru Classé” means. Hopefully this motivated the somm to go read about Bordeaux.
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If you’re bringing your own bottle, I can see why you might want the restaurant to have a rule against he somm sipping on the job. 
Is that ignorance of wine or of geography?
Is the age delineation really that stark? I feel like Bordeaux would be a natural next step for people who like Cab Sauv but want to find something “fancier” (or just more french) but I’m not in the industry. Always really interesting to hear what people who work in wine are observing in the wild. What’s the “young person” region of choice now?
That was my immediate thought. Add to that the generic name Chevalier, and he might have thought you were bringing in a cheap wine to avoid paying for something on their list.
Thanks Mikko for starting an interesting discussion, and I admire that you are putting yourself out there. But I am probably more in the Keith camp.
I consider DDC a hidden gem, fifth or sixth in the Graves, and barely making the top 50 in name recognition. I think it is a lot better than that, but cannot fault someone who doesn’t know it. Bordeaux itself is a relatively long study, and most, but not all, restaurants have token numbers on the list, and the buyers tend to be older.
As for the Grand Cru Classe, I don’t think that in itself should ring bells. There is a lot of classifying and some is meaningless. If you are in Saint Emilion, and follow the rules, you are almost certain to be a Grand Cru.
To be honest, your server does sound a little set in the ways, but over the years I have learned to engage if interested, and keep silent if not. After all, you are only paying corkage, which is costing him money, so he probably already has a slightly negative attitude to your bottle.
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Just not on bordeaux. Only on swaggy wines that get eyebrows raised on social for clout! Be ready, ErickH!
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Perhaps market differences, but DDC is not at all hard to find in Dallas. I get multiple retailer email offers for white and red every vintage, and its available on shelf at most larger retailers (which is where most folks shop?).
This idea that white bordeaux is niche and so would be unfamiliar to a somm is a bit of a head scratcher. That same line of thinking would apply to chenin blanc but I’d expect a somm to know Huet. I almost never drink viognier, though I like it, and would still know Georges Vernay. Even if I struggled to recall the name I’d recognize it when it was in my hand. I don’t drink white bordeaux often (or even bordeaux very often) and am not a somm but know that if I had a guest who wanted a good bordeaux blanc that I could pull DDC or SHL regardless of vintage. I’m 41, and none of that is new to me.
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Well, at least it’s French and a dessert wine - so no harm done - and a free smile
This is a good point. And the Graves classification from 1953/59 is not quite as iconic as the 1855 (essentially Medoc + Haut-Brion from Graves)
I suspected that it was both.
As a Southerner, I was too polite to correct him.
As a teacher, I missed an opportunity to educate.
As a Berserker, I felt like a total failure.
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On a very different note, I was in Las Vegas for a friend’s 40th a few years ago. We were staying next door at the Cosmo and had a free evening to go have dinner with our spouse. Booked Picasso and reached out to the Somm ahead of time. Told him I was a Wineberserker, wanted some champagne and a burg for dinner. Dude was hyped, we had a half bottle of krug and a splended Fourrier Cherbaudes, and the dude arranged for my wife and me to sit at the absolute best table right on the window overlooking the Bellagio fountains. Awesome experience.
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All I got was a Braille-label Banyuls from the Rhône.
