Chapter 90: The Retasting (2)
TL: Hanguk
On May 24, 2006, the early summer air in Napa Valley was warm yet strangely tense. A massive banner hanging at COPIA's main entrance gleamed in the sunlight, flaunting its grandeur.
[Judgment of Paris 30th Anniversary Retasting 1976–2006]
Golden letters etched against a white background. That single line alone would send a shiver through anyone familiar with the wine industry's history.
Christopher White was no exception. He adjusted his tie and slowly climbed the steps. In front of the entrance, journalists and industry figures from various countries gathered in small clusters, snapping photos,
while inside the hall, preparations to recreate "history" were already underway.
"Mr. White, this way, please."
Following the NVV staff member's guidance, he walked forward, and COPIA's grand hall slowly came into view. At the center of the hall stood long tables arranged in a U-shape, with wine bottles labeled with blind numbers lined up in sequence on top.
Each glass held an identical measure of wine, and the lighting was kept at a uniform brightness.
It was preparation as meticulous as a laboratory's.
Soft music drifted from the ceiling speakers. A classical melody blending piano and cello seemed to ease the tension in the room, but not a single judge wore a relaxed expression.
At that moment, someone took hold of the microphone with a composed gesture and stepped to the center of the stage. NVV Association President Margaret Durie. Dressed in a gray suit, she held an aged wine glass in one hand.
Her voice carried through the speakers and resonated throughout the hall.
"Dear friends. What happened thirty years ago, in a small Paris hotel in 1976, has changed our lives to this very day. On that day, the tradition of France and the youthful courage of California met at a single table, and the world was made anew."
A hush settled over the hall. Margaret raised her glass and quietly swirled it.
"Today, we will reopen the bottles from that era. Wines that have triumphed over time, and the dreams of those who made them, will once again fill these glasses."
She paused for a moment and bowed her head toward an elderly man seated in the front row. It was Robert Mondavi.
His white hair neatly combed back, he rose slowly from his seat with the help of a cane, and applause erupted.
He waited a moment until the applause faded, then began to speak.
"Time has flowed on, and the wines of that day now greet us with deeper, richer aromas. Today's event is also an occasion to ask how much we have grown since then, and where we must go from here. But we must recognize our reality with clear eyes, and where we fall short, we must strive harder and press forward. That, after all, must be the mindset of those who love wine."
Applause spread once more. Then Margaret raised her hand in a calm gesture.
"We will now begin the judging. To our esteemed judges, all the wines before you are presented as blind tastings. Vintages from France and California, all from the 1970s, have been prepared under identical conditions. For today's evaluation, please remember only one principle: wine is judged not by the name of a country, but by the philosophy of a generation."
The lights gradually dimmed, and from behind the stage, servers emerged in single file. In their hands they carried numbered bottles and wine decanters. With each pour of red liquid into a glass, the soft chime of glass and the spreading aromas created a subtle stillness that enveloped the entire hall.
Christopher closed his eyes.
His heart beat a little faster. He could feel it. In this very moment, he felt as though he could see that day from thirty years ago.
The retasting events held simultaneously in the United States and France had concluded. A shocking result that stunned the world.
From first place all the way to fifth, every single wine selected had been American. For France, it was nothing short of a devastating outcome. The phrase "Second Judgment of Paris" began circulating quite naturally.
The next morning, Napa Valley was still buzzing from the aftershocks of the previous day, and inside the COPIA lobby, conversations flowed without pause.
"The exact same result as thirty years ago, in the end!"
"I can't believe it. Who would have thought Stag's Leap would take first place all over again."
"The French wines were excellent too, but America did it again."
Some were moved, others astonished. Everyone was excited, and amid the laughter and murmuring, the phrase "a recreation of history" floated through the air.
A new banner hung above the central stage of the hall.
[New Blood of Napa, The Future Beyond Judgment]
Today's stars were no longer the masters of the past, but the rising young winemakers. Christopher White stood off to one side of the audience, glass in hand.
The excitement from the night before hadn't yet faded, but today's stage carried a different kind of tension.
He murmured quietly.
"Now, the generation is changing."
Backstage, three young winemakers waited their turn. I stood quietly with my arms crossed, and beside me, Elaina Elowen, who had come as Silver Oak Winery's representative, was organizing her notes.
'She's like a different person?'
I was genuinely surprised when I saw her. The thick glasses were the same as before, but the prickliness and anxiety she used to project in every direction were gone, and her expression now carried an aloof, self-assured air.
It seemed the catastrophic wildfire had broken something inside her. She was reviewing her own preparations with calm eyes; the old Elaina would have had no qualms about throwing some pointless jab my way, but instead she gave me a small nod and went back to focusing on what she had to do.
The panel talk ended, and the host's voice rang out.
"Now then, the first winery to take the stage today is Silver Oak, and Elaina Elowen!"
As the lights fell on her, the audience went quiet. Elaina walked slowly to the center of the stage. The sound of her long dress brushing against the floor was picked up by the microphone.
"Hello."
After her brief greeting, she pulled out a bottle of wine.
Silver Oak Revival Cabernet 2004.
"This wine was made from grapes grown on land scorched by fire. In 2004, the flames swallowed half of our estate. But the soil remained, and so did the roots. This wine is the first sprout to rise again from those ashes."
Her voice was quiet, but firm and compelling.
"The fire took the grapes, but it could not change the earth. This is not a record of despair, but a record of survival. That is why Silver Oak Revival Cabernet 2004 carries such a firm structure and complex flavor. I sincerely hope all of you will remember this wine today."
People tasted the wine she had brought, nodding or exchanging conversation. Soon her time was up, and as Elaina came back behind the stage, she met my eyes again.
"I heard you took home two Double Golds? Congrats."
"Uh... thanks."
Now she was even greeting me warmly. At this point I started wondering if maybe she had regressed back in time the way I had,
"Things will probably be different starting this year."
"Huh?"
"We brought in an incredible winemaker last year. Just watch."
Of course. People don't really change that easily. But at the very least, this winemaker she'd brought on board piqued my curiosity. Just how skilled were they?
Second up was Duckhorn Estate, which could hardly be called a newcomer. The organizers had probably figured that featuring only brand-new wineries wouldn't be enough to hold the audience's interest.
And then, as the lights dimmed, the host spoke.
"Next is Winemaker Brian Choi of Redwood Winery."
I climbed onto the stage with a steady gait. Two bottles sat on the table.
Echelon 2004, Sylphide 2004.
"Hello, I'm Brian Choi of Redwood Winery. The two wines I'll be presenting to you today were made in the same year, by the same hands. But they have completely different 'directions.'"
I lifted the first bottle.
"Echelon is a blended wine based on Cabernet Sauvignon. The reason it possesses such depth of structure and concentration despite its short aging is because we adjusted the binding structure of the tannins during fermentation. Thanks to this, even within a short span of one year, it was able to achieve a fully matured balance."
Then I set the bottle down and picked up the second.
"Sylphide is a Pinot Noir from Russian River Valley. With this wine, we sought to capture 'the time of light and air' just as it is. The morning mist of the Russian River thins the skins of the grapes, allowing them to hold the subtle aromatic compounds within for far longer. I call this wine the 'wine of air.'"
I had spoken in exactly the kind of language wine enthusiasts love. As expected, the wine lovers in attendance smiled with satisfaction as they tasted Echelon and Sylphide.
These were already wines that were hard to come by on the market, so being able to take a sip here was an opportunity they couldn't have asked for.
"When will it be released next year?"
"Is there any inventory left at the winery?"
Questions came pouring in. Some people, especially those tasting it for the first time, came forward as if ready to buy a bottle on the spot.
And among those watching the scene unfold were Chloe and her two friends, but there were also two people no one would have expected.
Namely, Michael Lowell and Richard Spencer, chairman of America's largest entertainment group, Apex Creative Holdings.
"So that Echelon is the wine you've pegged as Napa Valley's next flagship, is it?"
Michael Lowell, as Senior Editor of Wine Enthusiast, one of America's top two wine magazines, was a natural attendee at yesterday's and today's events.
But it was unusual for Richard Spencer, an absolute devotee of French wine, to remain at the event for an additional day. Michael had thought it wouldn't have been at all strange if Spencer had stormed off to New York in a huff.
"By my standards, yes."
"Beyond Echelon, late last year Redwood's Sylphide spread through New York high society like wildfire. Frankly, I found Sylphide more impressive than Echelon when I tasted it."
"Sylphide... it's certainly a fine wine."
"I don't see yesterday's results as proof that America has surpassed France. But... I can at least concede that American wine has reached a position from which it can challenge the French tradition."
"Even though every wine from first to fifth was American?"
"Ahem... life has a way of throwing in unexpected rules from time to time. Looking at it from that angle, this Second Judgment of Paris may be a remarkable event, but it can't overturn the reputation that's been built up over the years."
Wondering just what he was getting at, Michael looked at him, and Richard Spencer curled one corner of his lip and said,
"But I'm a businessman. Where there's interest, there's money to be made."
"Pardon?"
"How about pitting the two wineries that came out of this New Blood of Napa against some up-and-coming French wineries? Doesn't that sound interesting?"
"So you mean, since wines that are thirty years old just went head-to-head, now you want a contest between newly rising wineries?"
Michael Lowell's expression said: what kind of strange suggestion is that? Understandably so, since while these blind tasting events drew worldwide attention, in the end they were really only famous within wine enthusiast circles.
It wasn't the kind of thing he'd thought Richard Spencer would get involved in.
"I'm not talking about some mere blind tasting. I mean separating the winemakers by skill, one by one. As a TV show."
"A TV show? Ah..."
Reading Richard Spencer's intent, Michael was inwardly impressed. The combative business sense that allowed him to find some way to turn this event into money was nothing short of astonishing.
"Well? Doesn't it sound fun?"
"But why exactly two wineries?"
He glanced up at the Asian man standing on the stage saying something or other, then spoke.
"On a day when we Americans should be the ones celebrating, an Asian is becoming the center of attention. Isn't that ridiculous? People who've never even made wine before... at this rate, the leadership of American culture won't belong to Napa Valley but to that Asian's winery. So I plan to leave that one out and move forward without them."
Michael's mouth fell open. In other words, Spencer couldn't stand the sight of that Asian becoming the talk of the town, so his intention was to create an additional event that would put white people back at the center of attention.
"Haha... I just assumed that since you praised Sylphide, you'd naturally include Redwood in the event."
"I'm rational. I have no intention of disparaging Sylphide's quality. I simply have no intention of helping it stand out either."
Then, taking a sip of the tasting Sylphide that Redwood Winery had provided, he gave a satisfied smile.
*****
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