Chapter 86: Memories from 30 Years Ago (1)
TL: Hanguk
LA, White & Company Wine Trading.
Since morning, Christopher had been staring at something with his brow furrowed. It was Blender Magazine, a publication that didn't quite suit his age, but one any company dealing in alcohol would naturally subscribe to every month.
There was a reason he was looking over the magazine so seriously.
[The One, Four Young Farmers of California.]
A twenty-one-year-old young man who had started from a rice farm out in the countryside, built a distillery, and was selling distilled spirits... it was a fairly fresh story, the kind of feature that caught the eye, and in this article appeared someone he knew very well.
Brian Choi, the young winemaker of Redwood Winery, that very young man.
On top of that, the other subjects of this article: Jacob Miller, the Sacramento brewery owner, Chloe Harris of the Brentwood cherry farm, and Armando Cortes, the vinegar maker from Alexander Valley... through this article he learned things he had been completely unaware of.
"Completely missed it."
'Redwood' and 'The One'.
Wine and vodka, two different alcohol markets, yet names that would one day stand at the center of the future, all bundled together in a single article.
"Damn it... I should have been the one to figure this out first."
There had clearly been opportunities. If he had grown closer to Brian and dug a little deeper into that young man, he could have grasped the connections between them better. Looking back, he couldn't help but see himself as nothing more than a customer at a market, fixated only on getting his hands on Sylphide.
Regrettable, but already in the past. He let out a deep sigh and closed the magazine.
"I'm, I'm heading to Napa!"
As if shaking off his disappointment, he walked out of the office and headed for Napa Valley. He had a scheduled appointment. A gray building in downtown Napa Valley.
The American Center for Wine, Food & the Arts. Founded by Robert Mondavi, it was a nonprofit cultural center, but people called it COPIA.
A place where wine, food, art, and philosophy all breathed together, the building called to mind a giant wine cellar. The exterior, blending glass, steel, and the red clay color of Napa, shimmered softly in the winter sunlight.
Inside the spacious lobby, a massive steel sculpture stretched all the way to the ceiling, while photographs chronicling the history of American wine and maps showing the distribution of grape varieties hung on the walls.
On each table sat a badge stamped with a winery logo, and at a single glance one could tell today's gathering was a very formal and important affair.
Christopher White, who was attending the event, lightly adjusted his tie and presented his invitation at the reception desk.
"Christopher White, White & Company. This is the invitation Chairman Robert Mondavi sent me."
"Welcome."
Behind the staff member's bright smile, the glass doors slid open smoothly. As he stepped into the hall, familiar names began to register one by one.
Robert Mondavi, Joseph Phelps, Chuck Wagner of Caymus, Warren Winiarski of Stag's Leap. Figures called the very history of Napa, all gathered in one place.
In one corner, UC Davis faculty members were holding wine glasses and discussing something, while on the opposite side, sommeliers bustled around inspecting the tasting tables.
"Welcome, White!"
A low yet warm voice came from behind. When he turned, an elderly man in a gray suit stood leaning on a cane. Robert Mondavi.
"Thank you for the invitation... Chairman Mondavi."
"It's been a while, hasn't it? Seeing you, who were once just a college student, now grown into a major figure in the wine industry, I really feel how much time has passed."
"You'll have to see the American wine industry grow even more."
"For that, I've already lived too long. But it's all right. Even when I'm gone, there are plenty of brilliant people, so I'm not too worried. Anyway, glad you came. Go take a seat."
"Yes."
After Christopher took his seat at the spot marked with his name, some time passed before Robert Mondavi finally stepped up to the podium. He took the microphone slowly and gazed carefully at the people who had gathered today, while on the large screen behind him, black-and-white photographs cycled in turn.
[1976, Paris Judgment.]
In that famous 'Judgment of Paris' photograph stood a young Mondavi, Phelps, and Winiarski of Stag's Leap.
"Dear friends, this year marks exactly thirty years since the Judgment of Paris was held. 1976, the very day California wine broke through the wall of the world."
Robert Mondavi's voice was low, but even at his great age, intense passion still burned in it, and the people in the hall listened in hushed silence, as if holding their breath.
The judging scores from that day appeared on the screen.
Chateau Montelena Chardonnay, first place.
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, first place.
As if the astonishment of that day were being relived, subtle gasps slipped out here and there.
"This coming May, we will hold a thirtieth anniversary commemorative event. It will be the stage on which Napa's wines once again challenge the world. On that day, here at 'COPIA', we will taste French wines and Napa wines side by side."
Applause broke out among the gathering. Whether they would recreate the glory of that day once more, or kneel before the greatness of French wine as they had before, people's faces showed a mixture of anticipation and concern.
Even so, the excitement was unavoidable.
At that moment, someone approached his side.
"Mr. Christopher?"
When he turned his head, it was Mark Harrington, a strikingly handsome white man. He was the most influential Pinot Noir producer in Sonoma, but considering that all ten wines participating in this event were Cabernet Sauvignon, his presence here today was a little unexpected.
"It's been a while, Mark."
After they shook hands, Mark sat down beside him and asked in a low, knowing voice.
"What do you think of this event?"
"What do I think?"
"I meant, how do you think the results will turn out?"
"Well. The French wines will undoubtedly come sharpened for battle, but I think we'll get a good result this time too. Mondavi will surely stake Napa's honor on winning."
Even setting aside Mondavi Winery's honor, if Napa Valley's reputation rose, the Mondavi family's reputation would naturally rise along with it. So in this event, regardless of which winery, what mattered was that a Napa wine come out on top.
"I see. It'll be a blind test anyway, but I do hope you'll be impressed by the American wines, Mr. Christopher."
"Hahaha, just being invited to this gathering is honor enough for me."
"That aside... there will likely be related events held before and after the main event."
Only then did Christopher realize why this man had come. Indeed, with even a little thought, there was no reason to pass up the chance to showcase wines of other varieties from the Sonoma region at such a large and important event.
At a time when the eyes of the world would be fixed on Napa and France, they would surely hold other events to ride the momentum of the main one.
Mondavi must have asked Mark Harrington for his opinion on the sub-event to be held in Sonoma and which wineries would take part.
"Ah... I see. What kind of events are being planned?"
"First, there's something called the Judgment Revisited Series (the 30th Anniversary Reflection Series of the Judgment of Paris). For one week before and after the main event, there will be a tasting called [California's Future Icons]. There will also be a panel talk with wine critics, and you, Mr. Christopher, might receive an additional invitation to that."
"Ah, then...?"
"That's right. It looks like our Harrington Winery's wine will be showcased in California's Future Icons."
Explaining with pride, Mark squared his shoulders confidently and continued.
"I'm not asking you to give us preferential treatment. I just hope that you, who'll be doing the blind tasting at the main event, will also be sure to participate in the California's Future Icons tasting as a sub-event."
Beneath the words lay the conviction that as long as Christopher took part, he would unquestionably give the wine from Harrington Winery a positive evaluation. It was tremendous confidence, but Christopher actually viewed it favorably.
Wine never gave its results easily. Wasn't wine precisely the kind of product where the slightest difference could send a year's evaluation swinging from one extreme to the other? And yet, the effort it must have taken to build such confidence in the wine from one's own winery was visible to him.
"Understood. If such an opportunity comes my way, I won't refuse, and I'll participate."
"Haha, thank you."
"By the way, are there any other events besides the tasting?"
Mark hesitated for a moment, then offered a faint smile.
"I heard that your company is distributing Redwood's Sylphide on the East Coast, Mr. Christopher. How is it? Going well?"
"Yes, very well."
"Oh, really?"
To his wide-eyed question, Christopher answered honestly.
"It's hard to specify to what extent, but a significant portion of the volume we received from Redwood has been sold, and in New York a premium has already begun to form around Sylphide."
"That much? Have you, by any chance, been deliberately holding back inventory?"
"That, I'd rather not say."
In other words, he had even gone so far as to deliberately hold back inventory. That meant the distribution company rated the premium on this wine quite highly. Literally, if a $100 wine were to become $200 or $300, the distributor could not only secure substantial margins, but if they sat on it for five or six years, and it suddenly received a high evaluation like a work of art, they could pull in lottery-like returns.
"Haha, is that so?"
After watching Christopher for a moment with a curious smile, Mark slowly opened his mouth.
"To be honest, there's an event scheduled that I think you'll like, Mr. Christopher."
"Me?"
"Yes, there's a session called 'New Blood of Napa' that invites young winemakers."
"Oh, that's interesting."
Now wasn't that an event tailor-made for Redwood Winery?
"It's a session where new-generation wineries introduce their wines, and I have a feeling that Redwood, having received two Double Golds at once, will be the star of the show."
"Haha... thank you so much for letting me know. Now I'm itching to head over to Redwood and share this news. Since it isn't far, I think I'll drop by Redwood on the way back."
And so, with his heart growing impatient to deliver the news, Christopher headed straight for Redwood the moment the event ended.
A long, endless fence cut through the farmland between properties. Every thirty meters or so, panels reading "Do Not Cross" alongside the name "Silveroak Hills Vineyards" hung from the fence, dangling and clattering with every gust of wind.
I always gave a wry smile whenever I saw it, but in another sense, I felt grateful that they were keeping to their own boundaries on their own.
Honestly, if they had occasionally come out to the fence and watched me compacting the soil, it would have been very awkward, but they never came anywhere near, almost as if keeping a secret for me, and I appreciated that immensely.
In any case, after spending a year preparing the soil environment, I had restored the land, which one would never have guessed had been swept by wildfire, completely back to normal, and I had finally begun planting saplings.
Since they were only one-year-old saplings, they still had a long way to grow, but I had given up on commercial profits for five years from the moment I bought this land. So when planting the saplings, I felt no urgency at all, and just hoped they would establish well and adapt to the new soil.
As I was planting saplings with the workers, I spotted someone walking toward us from far off.
"Brian!"
The figure was dressed in a suit ill-suited to a farm, and as I watched the approaching person carefully, I soon recognized that it was Christopher, who was supposed to be in LA.
He came up at a brisk pace and arrived close by, gasping for breath.
"Whew, that's a hike."
"Hello. How did you know to come out here?"
"Right? I went to Redwood, and Woody told me Brian was somewhere else and pointed me this way. But... you've got a new farm property here in Napa? I had no idea."
"I bought it last winter. It went cheap because of the wildfire."
"Ah... I can't even imagine this was the site of a wildfire."
He looked around at the farmland where scarcely a scar remained, and shook his head.
"That's thanks to a lot of work. So, what brings you here?"
"Ah, good news. This coming May, the Judgment of Paris 30th Anniversary Retasting is going to be held in Napa."
"Ah."
Honestly, I'd known that event was scheduled around this time. And I also knew the result.
"And at the event there's going to be a session called 'New Blood of Napa' that invites young winemakers, and Redwood Winery is going to be invited. The eyes of wine lovers from all over the world are going to be on it."
It was definitely good news, but I didn't quite understand why this person was getting this excited.
"Ah... I see..."
"Hahaha! A bit overwhelmed, aren't you? Don't worry. I'll help you out."
Just as I was wondering what on earth he meant to help me with, he broke into a triumphant smile.
"I got a call from the farm in Russian River Valley. They said they're willing to contract block by block, as much as you want!"
At those words, I caught on to why this person was so delighted.
"I'm the one spending the money. Aren't you a bit too thrilled about this?"
"Hahaha! That money's going to come back many times over!"
To him, now that I'd be making as much as I was with Sylphide, there was no way he could keep from being this elated.
*****
Join our Discord for announcements or to report any mistakes.