Chapter 59: Alumni Wine Showcase (2)
TL: Hanguk
From the very beginning, I had been working to push the flavor as far as possible with the goal of bringing the Cabernet Sauvignon to market within a year. But now that the Alumni Wine Showcase had come up, I wanted to shorten that timeline even further.
The moment I sat down in the office, I called Pierce Morgan at the Agricultural Extension Office.
"Hello, it's Brian. How have you been?"
"Calling me out of the blue, what's going on? Don't tell me you need a favor."
"Huh? How'd you know?"
"Because you called instead of stopping by the office on campus. If it weren't urgent, you would've just come by when you were at school."
"Haha, you got me. But hey, we've got a new batch of vinegar coming out soon, so I'll bring you a bottle when I visit."
"Oh, well in that case, maybe I ought to pull some strings. What do you need?"
I smiled at the warmth in his voice.
"Are there any wineries in Sonoma that sell Merlot and Petit Verdot?"
"Merlot and Petit Verdot? Sure, there are places that sell them. I'm guessing you're not looking to buy by the bottle?"
"I'm looking to buy by the barrel."
"By the barrel? Don't tell me you're planning to blend. You even know how to blend?"
"Haha... let's just say I'm interested."
There was a long silence on the other end, as if he couldn't quite believe it.
"... That's impressive. There are a few places, so let me check and get back to you."
"Thank you."
Ten minutes after I hung up, Pierce Morgan called back. From the options he gave me, I called Glencrest Winery.
"Hello, this is Redwood Winery in Napa Valley. Would it be possible to purchase a small quantity of Merlot and Petit Verdot barrels?"
A brief silence followed, then a low, amused reply came through.
"You're the student, right? Morgan recommended you?"
"Yes, that's right. I only need a small amount. Would that be possible?"
"A small amount shouldn't be a problem. Why don't you come in person? You can taste them, and we'll talk on the spot."
Having secured a chance to get my hands on the materials I wanted, surprisingly easily at that, I headed to Sonoma the next morning with my dad.
Once we left the hills of Napa and followed Highway 12 westward, the scenery changed. Long rows of grapevines stretched in neat lines across every hillside, and though the early spring air was still cool, the sunlight spread warm and gentle.
The tranquility unique to Sonoma Valley drifted in through the car windows.
"It's beautiful here too. But you've already done so much to speed up the timeline, you know. Separating the lots, fermentation, extraction... malolactic fermentation (MLF), then oak aging... After all that, is there a reason you still need to blend on top of it?"
Every process Dad mentioned was something I had done by drawing on knowledge from before the regression. Still, things weren't perfect, and the reason was simple: the winery's facilities weren't modernized the way they had been in my previous life.
Of course, that had changed somewhat now that we'd customized various sensors and equipment, but regardless, blending was precisely how to compensate for those shortcomings and raise the quality.
"Oh, that's because, when wine ages for a long time, the rough tannins it starts with naturally soften. Blending lets you assemble that smoothness and balance ahead of time."
"Ah..."
"And even with a single varietal, the flavor differs slightly from barrel to barrel. When it's time to release, you pick the best barrels and combine them, so it's essentially internal blending. There's really no such thing as a completely unblended wine."
"That's true. Come to think of it, it really is fascinating. The idea that wine tastes different in every barrel."
"That's exactly why we don't do fermentation in one massive stainless steel tank. We split it across multiple tanks, five thousand liters, ten thousand liters, and so on. The grape condition varies a bit each time, and if something goes wrong with one tank, the risk is spread out..."
"There's a reason for everything, isn't there."
Talking about this and that, it took us over an hour to reach the end of the road, where a stone sign engraved with [Glencrest Winery] came into view. The main building was a structure where red roofs and a stone house blended together. Old olive trees stood nearby, and new oak barrels were stacked neatly beside the warehouse.
When we got out of the car and approached the winery, a faint scent of oak mingled with fermentation wafted past.
"Welcome. I'm Andrew Milton."
A winemaker in a dark gray sweater greeted us.
"I'm Brian, the one who called earlier, and this is my father, Woody Choi."
"I've been expecting you. Let's head inside."
After a brief exchange of greetings, he led us straight to the aging cellar.
The inside of the aging cellar was cold and dim. French oak barrels lined up in uniform rows, forming a pleasing pattern that was a treat for the eyes.
Andrew picked up a wine thief and inserted it into the first barrel.
"This is this year's Merlot."
He poured a purple liquid into a small tasting glass. A ruby glow shimmered as the wine swirled smoothly along the rim of the glass.
I took a careful sip. Soft notes of red cherry, plum, and raspberry lingered.
"This is good."
At my remark, Andrew Milton asked,
"One barrel is actually a somewhat awkward quantity, if you think about it. Is there a particular reason for that amount?"
It was far too much for an individual to purchase, yet considerably too little for a winery. His curiosity was understandable.
"As you might expect, I'm considering blending, but nothing's finalized yet."
His eyes lit up with surprise.
"Ah... you're saying you want to try putting something together right now?"
"Haha, I'm not saying I'd start completely from scratch with nothing. I've got the framework more or less figured out, but I need to nail down the details before I can commit to a larger contract."
At the mention of a larger contract, Andrew's face brightened.
"I hope it works out well."
Merlot is one of the most widely cultivated red grape varieties in the world, known for its soft tannins and rich fruit flavors that make it an easy-drinking wine. Unfortunately, though, when the movie Sideways became a hit, Merlot didn't benefit from it at all.
In truth, hardly any variety benefited besides Pinot Noir, but it was no exaggeration to say that Merlot didn't just miss out on the windfall; it was actively harmed by it.
The reason was that the movie's protagonist openly trashed Merlot, going so far as to say, "I am not drinking any fucking Merlot!" So one could only imagine how gut-wrenching that must have been for the wineries growing Merlot and making wine from it.
When I hinted that I might be making a bulk purchase, it was only natural that he'd be thrilled.
"I'd like to try the Petit Verdot as well."
He inserted the wine thief into a different barrel and drew it out. The color in the glass was much darker. Intense notes of violet, blackcurrant, and black pepper grazed my nose and lingered.
"This is good too."
"So you're planning to blend it with Cabernet Sauvignon?"
Petit Verdot is a supporting varietal, with nearly its entire production used in premium Cabernet Sauvignon blends, but its scarcity and intensity of quality make it far more expensive than Merlot.
"That's right."
I smiled. Perhaps because this was a winery Pierce Morgan had recommended, everything was in excellent condition.
We sat down at a small table and I brought my pen to the invoice Andrew had produced.
"Here, just write down the quantities you need."
"One barrel of Merlot (225L). Half a barrel of Petit Verdot (approximately 112L), please."
Andrew calculated the amounts and wrote them out.
Merlot 1 Barrel: $1,000
Petit Verdot 0.5 Barrel: $1,200
Total: $2,200
He slid the invoice over and said,
"When would you like to pick them up?"
"I'll come get them tomorrow morning. We'll bring a truck."
I pulled out the checkbook I had prepared. The Redwood Winery logo printed on it was crisp and clear. I wrote out the check for the total of $2,200, signed it, tore it off, and handed it over.
Andrew checked it and smiled.
"Very good. I'll have everything ready for you tomorrow. You move fast for a student."
Dad muttered from beside me,
"You shouldn't think of him as a student. He's more of an industry man."
I chuckled and drained the last of the Merlot left in my glass. By tomorrow, these wines would be in our aging cellar, lending a pair of small wings to the Cabernet Sauvignon.
As we got back in the car, Dad asked,
"Watching you handle the payment and everything, you really did look like a winery owner."
I leaned my seat back and replied,
"I am the owner. It's just that nobody knows it yet."
"Hahaha! Can't argue with that."
After leaving Glencrest Winery, we stopped at one more winery on the way back and signed a contract for half a barrel of Malbec as well.
The next day, Dad used a refrigerated truck to transport the Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec with extreme care. Hauling barrels on a regular pickup risked wine damage from temperature spikes, cork displacement, and quality degradation from vibrations, so we'd had to rent a refrigerated truck.
After carefully moving the barrels into the aging cellar, I sat alone in a chair, gazing at the glass beakers, graduated cylinders, and pipettes laid out on the stainless steel tray.
Looking at them brought back memories of pulling all-nighters in a corner of the lab back at Cornell, measuring and recording wine.
"I didn't even like wine back then..."
I muttered with a bittersweet smile and recalled the research project I'd worked on at the time. Titled "Cabernet Sauvignon Blending Synergy: Minor Varietals Impact Study," the project had analyzed how the structure, aroma, and palate balance of Cabernet Sauvignon changed when small amounts of other varietals were blended in.
I had tried hundreds of combinations back then, and the data sheets were always crammed with numbers and notes.
Through that process, I had made a discovery. When Cabernet Sauvignon was blended with 7% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, and an additional 2% Malbec, the result was an unbelievably smooth and stable wine.
I opened my eyes and picked up the pipette.
"All right, let's make it one more time."
First, I measured 88mL of the base Cabernet Sauvignon into a graduated cylinder. The deep purple liquid ran down the glass wall and settled with a gentle ripple. Next, I measured out 7mL of Merlot, 3mL of Petit Verdot, and 2mL of Malbec, transferring each into the same cylinder. As the three wines merged, the color deepened a shade further.
I poured it into a beaker, stirred gently, then decanted it into a clear tasting glass. When I raised the glass to the light, the intense ruby of the Cabernet was still alive, yet there was something richer, more concentrated about it.
As I brought my nose close, the aroma rushed up. Dense layers of blackcurrant and cherry rose first, and then, as if gifted by the Merlot, nuances of dried plum and chocolate wrapped around them softly in the middle register.
"...... Yeah, that's it."
I took a small sip.
The moment it entered my mouth, the Merlot's softness blanketed the Cabernet's characteristically heavy tannins. The Petit Verdot tidied up the flavor, smoothing away any sharpness, and at the very end, the Malbec left a gentle aftertaste that made the finish silky and comfortable.
"Takes me back."
I recalled the ratio I had finally arrived at amid the exhaustion of juggling multiple research projects before the regression, and the rush of pleasure I'd felt when I first tasted the result.
I prepared to bottle the finished blend at that exact ratio. From the barrels carefully stored in the aging cellar, I selected the finest one... checking each one like picking the plumpest ones from the vineyard, then filled three 750mL bottles.
When I emerged from the aging cellar carrying three unlabeled wine bottles, Armando, who happened to be studying in the office, asked,
"Huh? Is that... something we're drinking tonight?"
His face lit up as he asked, and I shook my head.
"Tsk tsk tsk... No. These are for the Alumni Wine Showcase tomorrow."
"What? Seriously? Can't I just have one sip? Please..."
"... I'll give you some when I get back."
"For real? You have to promise."
"I promise. For real."
"Ugh... I'm dying to try it! I'm so curious!"
I barely managed to calm Armando down, who was eyeing the wine like a puppy about to lunge at its food, packed up the bottles, and headed home.
The thought of bringing these to school tomorrow stirred a flutter of excitement in me. I couldn't help wondering how wine born in a Cornell lab would be received by the alumni of UC Davis.
*****
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