'SOMM' Star Fundraiser To Help Family Amid Cancer Fight

A filmmaker’s appeal for the family of a sommelier who changed how friends saw the world has drawn support from Wine Country

NAPA VALLEY, CA — Wine Country has rallied to support the family of a sommelier who changed how friends — and many Americans — saw wine and the world.

Donors have contributed $278,625 to support Master Sommelier Ian Cauble and his family after a rare lymphoma spread beyond treatment.

Cauble, a star of the “SOMM” films and cofounder of SommSelect, was diagnosed in late spring 2026.

His medical team moved quickly to treat the cancer, but it spread to other parts of his body, according to Jason Wise, director of the “SOMM” films, who organized the fundraiser to help Cauble’s wife, Mercedes Lam, and the couple's two children.

Friends described Cauble as a teacher, traveler, and devoted family man whose enthusiasm for food, wine, and life touched others.

Brandon Carneiro, a fellow SommSelect cofounder, met Cauble at Sonoma State University 27 years ago. He described his friend as “endlessly curious” and “deeply connected to the world around him,” according to the Press Democrat.

Carneiro said Cauble challenged him to “think differently.”

“Ian opened my eyes to things I never would have appreciated…and made me a better man,” Carneiro wrote on LinkedIn. “For that I will always be grateful.”

Ellen Mitchell-Daly credited a tasting Cauble led at The Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay with inspiring her wine career.

Clare Tooley, a Master of Wine and executive at Boisset Collection, posted a message signed by Jean-Charles Boisset: “Your Boisset Family is keeping you in our thoughts and hearts.”

Contributions will go directly to Lam to provide comfort and care, cover medical expenses, and support the children’s future, according to the campaign that seeks $300,000.