Adult Beverages: Fullerton’s Cellar Restaurant inducted into exclusive Barons de Rothschild club

How does it feel when one of the most prestigious winemakers in the world anoints your restaurant?

Earlier this year, the Cellar Restaurant & Spirit Room in Fullerton became the first U.S. restaurant to be inducted into the Barons de Rothschild Ambassadors of Excellence Club.

Robert Barron’s first reaction was complete surprise. The Cellar’s sommelier had no inkling that his wine list would help the restaurant win the coveted designation.

“They don’t reveal a lot of their secrets about how they choose,” Barron said. “They never say anything about their criteria. They’re very mysterious.”

This much is known: the honor isn’t easy to get. A restaurant must not only offer a wide selection of wines from the legendary French house; it must also meet certain culinary and hospitality standards, have a unique atmosphere and feature a wine cellar that distinguishes itself beyond its Rothschild offerings.

Barron thinks he knows how the honor happened.

“We hosted a Rothschild dinner at the Cellar, and there was a representative from the company in attendance. Apparently, he was impressed.” (The Cellar plans to hold another such dinner on Sept. 22.)

The winery has a distinguished history. It was born when Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild, a member of the famous familial financial dynasty, purchased Château Brane-Mouton in 1853. The estate, at Pauillac in the heart of the Médoc, was renamed Château Mouton Rothschild. Mouton was one of the five original Premiers Crus (the highest classification, made by wine brokers based on a winery’s reputation and trading price) designated in 1855.

Barron offers plenty of Rothschild wines on his list, and they’re not all sky-high in price; one Chardonnay sells for $44. Accessibility is an important part of Barron’s philosophy as a sommelier. He’s also determined to take the snobbery out of the wine world, at least in his restaurant.

“The one thing that’s happening with somms is we’re becoming more human to people,” he said. “The era of the snobby somm is over. My job is not to upsell you on wine. We want the guests to get what they like. I have talked guests down from higher-priced wines.”

Barron says the most important part of a sommelier’s job is to make suggestions based on their guests’ personal preferences.

“One night, a young couple was staring at our wine list, not knowing what to do,” he said. “I asked them if they needed help and they said, ‘We normally don’t order off the list.’ I said, ‘What do you like to drink?’ They said, ‘We’re embarrassed to tell you: Moscato.’ I recommended a very nice Moscato that was $40. It’s all about making people comfortable and erasing that stigma.”

Barron’s passion for wine developed gradually. He has a degree in political science, and by day, he works as a facilities coordinator at the Homestead Museum in City of Industry, where he has developed a specialty in restorative techniques.

Wine wasn’t even a small part of his life until early adulthood.

“My father was a vodka person, so I didn’t taste wine when I was growing up,” said the West Covina native. “When I turned 21, I went to dinner for my birthday, and it was the first time I ever tried wine. I found that I liked sweet wines. I didn’t like reds at all. But pretty soon I started getting into pinots and roses and things of that nature. Once I started to read about wine, I began to better appreciate it.”

Barron didn’t consider turning his love of wine into a career until he unexpectedly found himself with a little time on his hands.

“The only reason I became a somm is that my wife went to grad school,” he said. “I was at home, bored to death. I thought, ‘I wonder if there’s something I can do professionally with this?’ ”

So Barron hit the books, passing his introductory-level Court of Master Sommeliers exam in 2012. He began working part-time at the Cellar in 2014 and continued to sharpen his wine knowledge, passing the difficult Wine Spirit Educational Trust Level 3 Wine and Spirits examination. He was rewarded for his efforts by being appointed the Cellar’s wine director.

Since arriving at the Cellar, Barron has given an already impressive wine list his own personal stamp.

“The previous person who was doing the wine was very partial to California labels,” he said. “In other areas, we were very light. What I wanted to do when I came in was to create a more complete wine list, but without the big names on it. I try to stay away from wines that are highly represented in stores.”

Barron’s inventory has plenty of international offerings aside from France: Wines from New Zealand, Italy and Spain are sprinkled throughout the list.

“We have a pretty strong representation from Germany,” he said. “Our Argentinian section is pretty good. We also have some excellent Chilean wines.”

Wine has now pervaded every part of Barron’s life — even his museum job. He oversees some grapevines on the grounds of the Homestead Museum.

“I have 35 grapevines that I’m in charge of,” he said. “They grow beside one of the [museum’s] historic houses. We’ve planted Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay. I haven’t made any wine from them yet, but the grapes are delicious.”