Chapter 50: Happy New Year(2)

TL: Hanguk

On an afternoon when the winter rain had briefly stopped, the door to Dean Thomas’s office slowly opened. The man who entered was wearing a neatly pressed gray suit, and in one hand he held a familiar-looking wine bottle.

"Professor, it's been a long time."

The moment Thomas lifted his head, what caught his eye wasn’t the person, but the label on the bottle. Joseph Phelps Insignia 2001. A wine like a symbol of Napa Valley, and the very wine that had been a hot topic among critics in recent years.

Insignia, a Cabernet Sauvignon-centered red blend, was known for boasting high quality with an average critics’ score of 95 or higher, and when judged by taste alone, it was said to be no less than a Bordeaux First Growth. Even better was the fact that despite being that good, even well-regarded vintages were under 500 dollars.

In terms of price alone, France’s Burgundy DRC (Domaine de la Romanée-Conti; Romanée-Conti, La Tâche, etc.) is unbelievably expensive. But Insignia, which produces thousands of cases every year, and DRC, which is only a few hundred cases at most, differ in supply from the outset, as well as in tradition backed by centuries of history, so it’s problematic to weigh a wine’s quality by price alone.

“Oh ho, Insignia. What wind brought you here today?”

“I wanted to offer New Year’s greetings in advance. It’s a wine you like, Professor, so I brought it.”

The one who set the bottle down was Christopher White. Though he was making a name for himself in the wine distribution industry, he was also famous for his sharp tongue when it came to wine, known for always giving cold, objective evaluations. Thomas welcomed him with a pleased look and gestured for him to take a seat.

"Well then, I'm glad to have a student like you come visit. What brings you here?"

Having obtained the wine he’d brought with satisfaction, Dean Thomas asked with a generous smile.

“There’s something I’m curious about. Professor, have you ever heard of a place in Napa Valley called ‘Redwood Winery’? It’s somewhere I’ve never heard of, so I thought if anyone might know, it would be you.”

Thomas immediately brightened his eyes, formed a thin smile on his lips, and asked back.

“Why there?”

Realizing at once that he knew the answer, Christopher spoke with a slightly relieved face.

“A while ago I went to a restaurant and came across a Cherry wine they made there. The name was...”

“Do you mean this?”

When Thomas suddenly took a wine out of the cabinet and held it up, Christopher flinched in surprise.

“Huh? You have it? Cerasia.”

“Haha... This one’s hard to get these days, isn’t it?”

“I can’t get it at wine shops, and it only shows up at restaurants and wine bars.”

“I saw the article you wrote about Cerasia in the magazine. But as far as I know, it sold out before it even made it into the magazine. From the start, it was only 8,000 bottles.”

"You know it well?"

“The son of the owner of there is a student at our school. A freshman, but he’s quite a noticeable kid.”

At that, Christopher showed an indifferent reaction.

“If he’s a freshman, well... what matters is the winery owner.”

But Dean Thomas made a peculiar expression.

“Well... I think I’d feel that way at other times too, but he’s a bit different?”

“Yes? Different how?”

“It’s hard to put into words... Why don’t you go meet him sometime.”

Watching Dean Thomas, who was wearing an unreadable smile, Christopher’s curiosity rose even more. Because he knew there were hardly any students that Thomas remembered and evaluated in such detail, especially just a freshman.

***

Christmas passed uneventfully. In the United States, it’s generally common to spend Christmas Eve and the day itself with family, so my family, including me, also spent it having a small party at home.

Frederick, Chloe’s father, contacted a company as soon as Christmas was over, got an estimate, and began installing drip irrigation with pipes, laterals, drippers, and so on. I’d thought he would mull it over for quite a long time, but his drive was enough to surprise even me.

Just because I spent Christmas with family didn’t mean I could spend the year-end that way too. I gathered at Chloe’s house together with my friends. It was because the house was spacious and good for enjoying a party, but the place we were invited to wasn’t Dare Ridge Country Club, it was the villa in Crockett.

On the walls of her house, small bulbs were hung in rows, and the Christmas decorations that still hadn’t been taken down twinkled and quietly gave off light. In various places around the house, a few candles were lit, and their gentle flickering glow was making the cold winter air feel a little warmer.

“It’s really amazing having a party at your place.”

Armando excitedly shouted first. He set the Behringer speaker he’d brought from home on one side of the living room and connected it to the CD player he’d brought. Soon, Usher’s upbeat music echoed through the room.

"Did you really need to bring a speaker just to come to my house?"

"Your house might not have a speaker of this caliber. Isn't it killer? Right?"

Armando swayed his body and rode the rhythm. Jacob nodded and kept time.

“The song choices are pretty good.”

"I'm a man who knows music. Brian! You brought wine for occasions like this, right?"

I shook my head, then took out a bottle containing purple wine from my bag.

“Just one glass each, between us.”

“Ooooo! As expected... I knew you’d bring it!”

Both Jacob and Armando rushed over excitedly. And Chloe ran over to the auntie who was cooking for the day and brought back glasses.

“Sharing one bottle among four people is a bit harsh, isn’t it?”

Armando pointed out to Chloe as she ran back with the glasses.

"True, knowing you, you could probably finish 2 bottles by yourself even back in high school."

"Don't talk nonsense. I barely drank back then too. I only had a little bit when my dad was drinking..."

It was technically illegal since we weren't 21 yet, but even college freshmen drinking at parties was something everyone tacitly did. Sometimes if you got caught by campus police or an RA, you could face sanctions, but no one ever received major punishment for it.

"But this isn't Cerasia? What is it?"

“It’s something I’ve never let anyone taste even once until now. It’s a wine made from Cabernet Sauvignon harvested at our farm.”

"What? Something that precious..."

“It's still young. It’s only had its balance lightly set, and Cabernet Sauvignon is the kind that needs to be aged a long time. It’s just to raise the mood at today’s party, so don’t expect too much. Just one glass each. Got it?”

“I know. Just one glass each... and you’re not even going to pour it full. I know. So hurry up and just pour it. How am I supposed to not look forward to it!”

Armando stared at the decanter in my hand as if mesmerized. This guy had been studying wine since he works at a winery, and because of that, he said he'd tried quite a lot of wines despite not being 21 yet.

Of course, he couldn't drink outside and always drank at home, but he was building up quite a bit of knowledge.

“Could this be as amazing as Pinot Noir?”

Naturally, Chloe also joined in because she was curious about the taste.

"It won't be the same. The variety is different, so the way it's made is slightly different too."

"Either way, you made it. It's wine made at Redwood Winery, which is becoming famous enough to be featured in Wine Review West. How can I not have expectations? Me first."

When Chloe held out her glass first, Armando and Jacob yielded without a word.

After taking a sip from the glass I poured, Chloe stared at me with her already big eyes opening even wider.

“What? This isn’t finished?”

“If that feels good to you, it’s because you’re still a wine beginner. Anyway, if you like it, I’m satisfied.”

“Me too, me too!”

“Me too, give it to me already.”

After I poured wine into everyone’s glasses, the auntie cooking brought a big pot of lasagna.

“Have this while you eat too. I’ll give you steak as well, so wait just a bit. And you know about alcohol, right? Ms. Amelia said to just enjoy it in moderation.”

“Yes~”

We weren’t planning to drink more than one glass anyway.

“Mmm... ohhh! It’s delicious?”

Jacob had already grabbed some lasagna with the tongs, tasted it, and marveled. Then everyone served themselves lasagna onto their plates, tasted a little, and took a sip of wine as well.

“Kyaa~”

“This is killer.”

“Perfect...”

Food kept coming out, and the steak was so excellent it made me wonder if the cook was a chef. After we wiped out the food in no time, we sank into chairs with our bodies grown drowsy and listened to the music Armando had brought.

“All of us worked hard this year. Let’s all celebrate ourselves.”

At my words, Jacob was the first to come out and bump fists with me as he spoke.

“I'm the most grateful. Thanks to you, we had a good harvest this year, and I think we can look forward to next year too. It still weighs on me that my Father is sick, but he says he feels reassured because I’m doing well.”

“He’ll get better soon.”

“Thanks. How about you? Is Redwood a good place to work?”

Jacob’s gaze turned to Armando. Armando grinned and shrugged.

“I’m having the best days of my life. I get to learn farm work, study, and earn money. It’s the best. And Brian’s mother is even good at cooking. Her sandwiches are amazing.”

“And even that sandwich is nothing more than something my mom roughly copied.”

When I added that extra information, Armando nodded, acknowledging it.

“She’s amazing. Anyway, I’m going to earn money like this and buy my own farm, the way Brian bought a farm. I can definitely do it.”

“You’ll do great.”

I shook hands with him as a gesture of support. Then everyone's gaze turned to Chloe. She was sitting cross-legged in her chair and spoke calmly.

“I think this year might be the year I changed the most. I feel like I’ve matured a lot.”

“It’s because you met Brian.”

Armando cut in again, and surprisingly, Chloe readily agreed.

“Yeah. That’s true. Even now I’m studying a lot about farm work, and studying at school isn’t annoying or boring. Even physics and chemistry.”

“Ohh- I can’t believe Chloe is doing physics.”

"Armando, you might not know, but I was always better at studying than you?"

“...... Was that so?”

“Anyway, Brian, thank you. Thanks to you, I learned so much about farming. I thought I was just doing it because Dad made me, but once I saw it and learned it myself, I started thinking differently. Next year, I want to become someone who’s actually helpful.”

I gave a light nod.

“Redwood and the Harris family are in a strategic partnership, right? We’re all in the same boat. Let’s do well.”

At that moment, Jacob, who had been listening, cut in.

“Huh? What’s a strategic partnership? What’s going on between you two?”

“Ah, that’s...”

As I was about to explain, Chloe jumped in.

“It means the two families are becoming very close.”

“... That’s not just something you’re imagining on your own, is it?”

Jacob didn’t let it slide easily, and I explained in place of Chloe, whose face had twisted.

“I’m in charge of consulting for Chloe’s cherry farm. So we signed a contract where I take a portion of the profit that grows compared to the existing profit.”

“Ah...”

“That’s why Chloe has been frantically learning work these days. The farm is changing a lot too.”

Then Jacob slapped the table and said,

“Me too! Do it with my family too!”

“Huh? You guys too?”

"Yeah. It's possible with rice farming too, right? Isn't it?"

“Well... it’s not like it can’t be done...”

“Then let’s do it. What do you think? Let’s make the contract terms similar too.”

"Sure, well... Let's do that."

After finishing the talk with Jacob as well, the four friends spent time with trivial little conversations that were nothing special. It felt like a year’s worth of effort and achievement was binding us together a little more firmly.

As midnight drew near, Armando looked at his wristwatch and shouted.

“55... 56... 57...”

“58! 59! 60!”

“Happy New Year!”

We clinked glasses with the little wine we had left and shouted. A clear sound rang out, and everyone smiled brightly.

In that moment, we could forget all the hard things and all the worries. Only the fact that we were wrapping up the year together with good people warmly filled our hearts.

*****

Author’s Note

This is Joseph Phelps Insignia 2001.