Chapter 73: Sylphide (3)
TL: Hanguk
Christopher White returned to UC Davis after his review of Echelon was published in the October issue of Wine Review West.
"Hahaha! Come in. Good to see you, good to see you."
"I'm a little hurt that you seem pleased about what's in my hands rather than to see my face."
"Anyone would react that way at the sight of Insignia."
The reason Christopher could bring Insignia so often was that, among the wines he distributed to Canada, Western Europe, and other such regions, it was a flagship item he could confidently present as a premium wine without being prohibitively expensive.
After he handed over the wine and took a seat, Dean Thomas once again gazed lovingly at the Insignia as he spoke.
"I thought you wouldn't be coming by until next week at the earliest, but here you are. You must have been awfully curious, eh?"
"... Honestly, I was."
"Heh heh... Redwood Farm would have piqued your curiosity, no doubt. All the more after tasting Echelon. I read that review of yours, too. Quite a lot of praise for a wine that's barely a year old, isn't it?"
Christopher wore a sour expression.
"To be frank, I wasn't thrilled when I visited Redwood Winery. Would you believe they turned half of those excellent grapes into vinegar?"
"Hahaha, so they did. But did you know? That vinegar, you can't get your hands on it anywhere in California. You couldn't find a bottle now if you tried."
"... All the same, I don't care for it."
"Hahahaha! Spoken like the wine lover you are. What really bothers you is that someone with that kind of skill isn't producing more wine, isn't it?"
"......"
He wanted to say yes, but Christopher knew the real reason for his displeasure. The truth was, the vinegar was just an excuse. What he couldn't stomach was that a wine of that caliber had been crafted by an Asian immigrant. But that was hardly something he could say aloud.
"It's all right. You're in the position you're in because you have that kind of passion."
"I appreciate your saying so. Now then, you mentioned you had something to show me...?"
The reason he had come to the school today was that Dean Thomas had summoned him, saying he had something related to Redwood Winery to show him. Since Redwood had already released Echelon, he wondered whether the 2005 Cerasia was already out, but what Dean Thomas carefully pulled from the bookshelf was the kind of dark bottle typical of red wine.
"What is that?"
"Sylphide. A Pinot Noir Redwood released just yesterday."
"What? Pinot Noir?"
"Hm? What's this? You went all the way to Redwood and didn't hear about the Pinot Noir? Every one of the famous restaurant owners around Napa has been waiting for nothing else."
"What do you mean...?"
"Last year, Redwood Winery held a wine tasting event. While they were releasing Cerasia, they also let people sample a three-month-old Pinot Noir. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend. I only heard about it secondhand. Apparently everyone was floored by how balanced that three-month-old Pinot Noir was."
"So this is...?"
"That's right. Sylphide. It may well be Redwood's other weapon."
Taking the bottle in hand, Christopher let slip a small sound of admiration at the goddess-like silhouette on the ivory background and the rose-gold typography. The elegance and delicacy suggested by the name Sylphide came through already in the label itself.
"The label here is good, for a start."
"Young sensibilities, I suspect. The wine industry can be rather old-fashioned, after all."
"May I try it now?"
"That's why I brought it out. The atmosphere is rather lacking with just the two of us, but my curiosity outweighed that. Ah, fortunately I do have some cheese."
Dean Thomas brought out a wine opener and cheese to accompany the wine. Meanwhile, Christopher examined the Sylphide label in detail, his eyes shining.
Thomas chuckled quietly as he twisted the cork. With a short "pop", a subtle aroma diffused into the air. Swallowing hard, Dean Thomas let the red wine trickle softly into a crystal glass.
Christopher swirled the wine slowly, letting it open naturally, then smiled and met Dean Thomas's eyes.
"You know this is the best part, don't you?"
"The most thrilling moment, yes. But when it fails to live up to your expectations, the disappointment is all the greater."
"Then I have no choice but to write a scathing review."
"Hahaha! So that's why you hand out so many harsh reviews."
At last, Christopher raised the glass and brought it close to his nose. In an instant, his gaze wavered. Deep notes of raspberry and cherry, with a delicate violet perfume. This was a Pinot Noir of a different grain entirely, one that could only come from a single vineyard in Russian River Valley.
"It seems they used the finest grapes."
"...... I heard it's from Russian River Valley, and I agree."
When he tilted the glass slightly and took a sip, Christopher's lips trembled almost imperceptibly.
A silken texture gliding across the palate, a bright acidity, and a subtly lingering, long finish. This was no mere Pinot Noir from a fledgling winery. Rather, the level of refinement called to mind the work of any number of mid-tier wineries.
He couldn't bring himself to set the glass down for a long while. Then, at last, he spoke quietly.
"This... I won't be putting it in my review."
Thomas's eyebrows shot up.
"What? Why not?"
Christopher hesitated slightly, bit his lip with a troubled look, then finally opened his mouth.
"I want to distribute this myself. I need to sell it in New York. If I both write the review and distribute it, that amounts to manipulation. At the very least, it's my policy not to review wines I handle personally. I've already written about Echelon, so I'll have to let that one go, but I can't give up Sylphide."
"I see. But New York?"
"As you know, the U.S. is in the middle of a Pinot Noir craze. Echelon is excellent as well, but Cabernet is fundamentally less mainstream than Pinot Noir. Only those who appreciate the weight of wine understand its value. But this is different. With the entire country hunting for Pinot Noir, a wine like Sylphide... it will cause an enormous stir. New York, Boston, D.C.... I'll mobilize my entire network and spread it through those cities. By the way, how much does this cost?"
Only then noticing he had finally thought to ask the price, Dean Thomas burst out laughing.
"I have no idea. I got it for free."
"Goodness... you must not spend a cent on wine, Dean. You got the Insignia for free today too."
"You know why I'm the Dean? That's exactly why."
Christopher shot up from his seat on the spot.
"I'd better move right this minute. That Asian winemaker may have only produced a few hundred cases again."
He decided to set aside his aversion to Asians. For now, he would think only of the wine.
"Hahaha, yes. Off you go, then."
"Is it my imagination that you seem pleased to see me leaving?"
"Sorry to say, but this time you've read me correctly."
Dean Thomas grinned and slowly raised the brimming glass of Sylphide.
After driving for over an hour, Christopher arrived at Redwood Farm in Napa Valley and practically ran up to the winery. Catching sight of the owner, who happened to be outside, Christopher raised his voice in greeting.
"Hello, sir! I came by once before. I'm not sure if you remember me."
"Ah! The critic fellow?"
"Yes, that's right. The thing is, you've just released Sylphide, and I actually handle wine distribution. If you haven't already signed with anyone, I'd very much like to distribute Sylphide on the East Coast. Would that be possible?"
But Woody Choi, looking troubled, shook his head.
"I'm sorry, but when it comes to contracts, I always discuss them with my son, so you'll have to wait here."
"Excuse me? Ah... when might I be able to meet him?"
"At the very least, it'll take about two hours. I'll talk it over with my son afterward and get back to you."
In a situation like this, the sort of person who would casually leave a phone number and walk off had no sense for business whatsoever.
"No, sir. I'll wait."
"Well... as you like."
In the end, Christopher went back to his car and waited listlessly for more than two hours. When he saw an old pickup truck pull into the farm, he sat up straight. Only after catching sight of the familiar young Asian man stepping out did his expression brighten.
"Hey there!"
I was about to get out of the car and head up to the winery when I saw a man waving and coming toward me, and for a second I thought I was seeing things. But once I confirmed that the man approaching was Christopher, the one who had stomped off in a huff last time, I tilted my head.
"Hello... what brings you here...?"
"Ah, there's something I wanted to discuss. Let's go up and talk."
"All right..."
When we went up to the winery, Dad caught sight of Christopher coming up beside me and cracked a grin.
"Would you believe this man says he wants to distribute Sylphide?"
When I turned my head toward him, he put on a sheepish expression.
"This is a surprise."
"Why didn't you tell me you had a Pinot Noir in the works?"
"You never asked, did you?"
"So you used the money from selling the vinegar to do a custom crush for Pinot Noir?"
"Of course. I was originally going to let you taste the Pinot Noir, you know. Back then there was a whole tasting barrel right here in the aging cellar."
Christopher, recalling his rash behavior that day, wanted to smack himself.
".... I was too quick to judge. I want to say I'm sorry."
Whether his readiness to apologize was sincere or not didn't really matter. What mattered was only that he wanted to distribute Sylphide.
"Let's head inside first."
Once we were in the office, he took a seat in the chair at the table and, with a serious expression, got down to the heart of the matter.
"I just came from Dean Thomas's office, where I tasted Sylphide. And I thought: this wine is going to explode on the East Coast."
Dad and I watched his face in silence as he continued his pitch with fervor.
"Do you know what's happening out east right now? It's the same everywhere, really, but thanks to Sideways, Pinot Noir is quite literally flying off the shelves. The Michelin-starred restaurants in New York, the wine bars in Boston, the political and business banquet halls in Washington, D.C.... they're all hunting for nothing but 'good Pinot'. And yet the supply falls woefully short."
He tapped the table with his fingers as he went on.
"I already have distribution contracts in place. Four direct retail shops in Manhattan alone, two dealers in Boston and Philadelphia, and in Washington, D.C., I'm doing business with a wine cellar frequented by federal lobbyists. It's not simply a matter of putting bottles on store shelves. It's placing them directly on their tables. Politicians, lawyers, financiers... each of them will end up with a bottle in hand, and once they see Sylphide's goddess silhouette, they'll fall in love with it."
Dad, who had been listening in silence, finally asked:
"So you're saying this isn't just supplying wine shops, it's brand positioning as well?"
Christopher nodded as if he'd been waiting for the question.
"Exactly. This isn't about moving bottles. I intend to make Redwood a premium winery on the East Coast. The chefs and sommeliers of New York will remember the name."
I exchanged a brief glance with Dad, then asked with a smile:
"Do you know what the price is?"
"Yeah, I heard the wholesale price is thirty-three dollars."
The truth was, the current price factored in the whirlwind stirred up by the film Sideways. Without that, it would have been quite a steep price for a Pinot Noir.
"Even for bulk distribution, I have no intention of lowering the wholesale price."
"That's fine. How much quantity do you have?"
He was more interested in how much volume we had on hand than in the price. For him, that seemed to be what mattered most.
"If you'd come yesterday, it would have been around 2,500 cases (1 case = 12 bottles), but today about 2,000 cases is possible."
"Five hundred cases moved in a single day?"
For any other famous winery, 500 cases going out in a day would hardly be noteworthy. But for a speck of a winery like Redwood, only 15 acres all told, moving 500 cases in a single day was extraordinary.
"You may find it hard to believe, but quite a few shops had been waiting for Sylphide. And Pinot Noir is selling so well right now that they probably figure anything they stock is guaranteed to move."
"... All right. Then I'll buy the rest."
This time, even I couldn't help being startled.
"All of it?"
"Yeah. Everything you've got."
He was making the declaration with a fierce look in his eyes, like a gambler calling "all in" at the table.
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