The Quiet Hill and the Ripple Effect
Watching his reddened eyes, I was suddenly reminded of something from the past.
"I know someone with a similar story. His parents were farmers, and he was an accountant. He never understood why his parents farmed or why they chose such grueling work. But one day, while helping them out by chance, he realized something. Even though his body was exhausted and the work was incredibly hard... he felt a sense of fulfillment that went beyond that. That’s when he decided to start farming, wanting to become like his parents."
"......"
"Perhaps your son became interested in grapes because he wanted to be like you, Elias. He might have left because he was frustrated by his own mistakes after trying so hard to live up to your praise—or perhaps he was just too embarrassed. That’s what that person told me."
"Oh, is that so? You seem to know him quite well."
"Yes, we’re quite close. I’m sure if he finds out this wine has been released, he’ll think of his father."
Elias held the ruby-colored wine up to the sunlight again and offered a bitter smile.
"I hope that when he tastes this wine, he thinks of Grendel Hill."
"If he knows his parents are always waiting right there, he will surely return."
He nodded silently. Then, he stood up and walked over to the map hanging on his office wall.
"The plots you’ve contracted are here in Block F, Block E, and here in Block H. As it happens, the remaining blocks have contracts expiring this year. Would you like to sign them?"
I offered a faint smile as he pointed them out one by one.
"You'll give me a good price, right?"
"Hmph! You don't haggle over the price of grapes! You pay exactly what they're worth. But since it's you, I’ll make sure not to overcharge."
"Come on, you make such great wine, give me a break on the price."
"Absolutely not. By next year, there will be a line of people a mile long begging for these."
I burst into laughter at his stubborn refusal to budge.
"Hahaha, understood."
"However, there is one condition."
"What is it?"
"Sell about 30% of the total volume of Quiet Hill in Europe."
It wasn't hard to guess his reasoning. Since this wasn't something that couldn't be arranged with Christopher, I readily accepted.
"I'll do that."
"Good."
Elias smiled broadly and stroked the bottle of wine I had brought as if it were a person.
He must have been hoping that if the single-vineyard Pinot Noir from Grendel Hill reached Europe, the chances of a son tasting wine made from his father’s grapes would increase.
"Then let's head out to the fields to watch the harvest."
It was time to get back to work. As we left the office, dozens of workers who had just finished their preparations stood in line.
"Be careful not to drop the grapes, and work with the utmost care!"
At Elias's shout, the workers scattered, and I followed him with slow, steady steps.
As October began, I was so busy that 24 hours in a day felt insufficient. Since the harvest season for Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is from early to mid-October, it was already a busy time, but with the wine launches and the need to oversee other farms, I felt like I needed to be in two places at once.
First, at Redwood, we launched Sylphide, our single-vineyard Pinot Noir.
"This vintage is also superb. New York will likely be buzzing about Sylphide once again."
Christopher tasted the newly released Sylphide, marveled at it, and proceeded to clear out our warehouse over the course of three days. Even Warren was surprised that he took 3,800 cases at once. In terms of price, that was a massive payment of over 3 million dollars made in a single transaction.
For a small-to-medium distributor, that was a significant expenditure, but it was justified by the rising price of Pinot Noir that had been climbing steadily since the release of the movie Sideways.
"Did you secure the Russian River Valley Pinot Noir in advance because you foresaw this situation?"
Warren clicked his tongue as he watched the full warehouse being emptied out.
"No."
Of course, that was a lie.
"It’s astounding. On the other hand, I heard Merlot prices have dropped by 30%."
"Oh... that’s a shame."
Unfortunately, Merlot, which had been harshly criticized because the movie's protagonist disliked it, saw its spot price for grapes drop by over 25% and wine prices by about 30% compared to 2004. Even though they had invested the same amount of time, effort, and capital, some farms were making money while others were suffering massive losses.
"This is why luck is also important in business. Since it’s Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley—the prince of Pinots—only a distributor like Christopher will be having a good time."
"That is true. The wholesale price is the same as last year. But since I raised the wholesale price significantly last year, there are no complaints."
"True, a 70-dollar wholesale Pinot Noir... the wineries in Sonoma must be screaming."
"... By the way, when will the brandy be finished?"
"......"
The next in line after the Sylphide release was Aschelon. This time, the F&B manager from Macy’s department store and John Anderson came together to clear out the warehouse.
"Thank you for providing us with the best Cabernet again this year."
To their grateful remarks, Warren cautiously made a suggestion.
"Don't you think we could raise the price? It feels even better than last year's vintage."
On the day the bottled Aschelon was released, he was the first to open a bottle, and he ended up finishing two bottles by himself, even falling asleep in the aging room while hugging the wine. Because of that, his two sons had even caused a scene, bringing staff from Stag's Leap to carry him away.
"We still have our real weapon left. I’d prefer Aschelon not to become an overly expensive wine."
"That’s not a bad idea either."
Besides the wine releases, I often went to the pear orchard to help Chloe.
"It's a relief that the salinity has dropped significantly. The flower buds have also come up normally, thank goodness."
"Still, it’s a shame. They could have come up even more..."
"It’s fine. It’s your first time farming, and it’s the first time you’ve experienced a backflow of muddy water. It couldn't be helped. But since you’ve secured a permanent water source, you could even call it a blessing in disguise. Pear farming requires a lot of water."
While climate change isn't extreme right now, as time passes, the California region will experience greater climate volatility. Since the damage will become severe enough that people will start planting crops resistant to the climate crisis, securing a permanent water source was a much bigger deal than Chloe realized.
"You also have to check if enough flower buds have formed. You need to see if they are clustered too much at the top or inside, and if the distribution of flower buds on each branch is balanced."
"At this rate, my eyes are going to pop out."
"But you can do it, right?"
"Yeah."
Even while complaining about how hard it was, Chloe never missed what needed to be done.
"Now we have to cut off the nitrogen completely. We need to stop the growth of new shoots and harden the tissue of the stems and branches to prevent cold damage."
"Huh? That sounds difficult."
"To explain it simply, pear tree shoots are weak and can get hurt in winter, so we’re inducing them to harden their tissues. To do that, we cut off the nitrogen to stop the growth signal. This makes the branches tough, so there’s almost no cell destruction even in sub-zero temperatures."
"Oh, I see!"
"Also, we reduce the moisture content and accumulate carbohydrates so they can survive the winter well."
"But California winters aren't that cold, are they?"
"That’s true. But because the daily temperature range is large, the trees suffer great damage from sudden advection frost. That’s why how you spend the winter is very important even in California. If they spend the winter in incomplete dormancy, the buds won't wake up all at once, leading to uneven flowering over two to three weeks, which causes pollination failure. Then, naturally, fruit set will be poor, and yields will plummet."
"Ah... I see. You’re a total expert, a real doctor."
Chloe tapped her chest and then hugged me tightly. As we spent time together like that, the end of October arrived, and Quiet Hill was released.
A white mansion in Healdsburg overlooking the Russian River. It was the home of Mark Harrington, owner of Harrington Winery, one of the top three in Sonoma.
The doorbell rang, and a visitor arrived.
"Mark."
When he opened the door, Joseph Higgins from Castello Winery was standing there. It wasn't unusual for him to visit, but Mark’s expression stiffened slightly when he saw the wine in Joseph's hand.
QUIET HILL, and REDWOOD.
Seeing the wine with "Grendel Hill Vineyard" written so boldly on the label made a surge of heat and frustration rise within him.
"Aren't you going to invite me in?"
"Come in."
Joseph deliberately held the bottle up so the label was clearly visible.
"I heard it was released."
Mark didn't say anything for a moment. He simply led him to the living room sofa, brought out wine glasses, and sat down with a thud.
Seeing his attitude, Joseph, who only offered a faint smile, silently pulled the cork with an opener on the table. There was no loud pop. Just a quiet, neat sound of opening.
"Have you tried it already?"
Joseph, who nodded, said as he poured the wine.
"It made me think of Daniel."
At those words, Mark’s face stiffened once more. Daniel Grendel. A young man who was once a winemaker at Harrington Winery and the man who had completed the structure of the Harrington Noctis Ridge Pinot Noir, the flagship of Harrington Winery.
"Did you come here to mock me?"
"How could that be? Honestly, it’s just a pity. If that friend had stayed, you might have been the owner of Quiet Hill."
"That also sounds like mockery."
Joseph handed him the wine, and Mark accepted it. As if they had planned it, both men brought the glasses to their noses before taking a light sip.
"As expected... it’s a true Pinot Noir of the Russian River Valley."
Joseph, who nodded and set his glass down, continued.
"I’m just worried that because of the awkwardness, you might not be able to properly see the strength of your competitor."
"Ha, you think I’d avoid it?"
"I’d be relieved if that weren't the case."
"Hmph! I already tasted it before you brought it."
Joseph’s eyes widened, as if he found that unexpected.
"Really? They just announced the release, and it hasn't even been distributed yet, so they only sent small amounts to nearby wineries. I thought I was the first to bring it."
"I experienced it three weeks ago."
"Three weeks?"
At Joseph’s disbelieving expression, Mark chuckled.
"At Warren’s house."
Only then did Joseph realize.
"Ah... you drank it when that old man brought it home early. Then I guess I brought it for nothing."
Mark offered a bitter smile at the remark that he had come all this way just for him. He knew that Joseph wasn't a warm or kind person to begin with. He probably did it to stir up his competitive spirit and put more pressure on Redwood.
That must be why he had brought up the name Daniel so abruptly.
"Still, thank you. I don't think your intentions are entirely wrong. It’s true that I need to gain inspiration from this wine and keep striving."
"That’s exactly what I’m saying! Besides, Warren said that all of this year’s Redwood wines will be entered into the upcoming San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition..."
For a moment, the tips of Mark’s fingers trembled slightly. He had been hoping they would enter this year since they hadn't last year. But if every brand was entered this year, they would inevitably have to face off against Redwood in the Pinot Noir category.
"... I see."
Mark nodded with a stiff face and curled one corner of his mouth. Since Joseph’s intention of coming all the way here to get under his skin was so transparent, he couldn't help but say one thing.
"Oh, I heard some information too."
"Oh? What is it?"
As Joseph looked puzzled, Mark said while swirling his wine glass.
"I heard that Redwood will soon be introducing a new cult-level wine, other than Aschelon. I heard it from Warren."
"I heard that too."
"Really? Even the quality?"
"......?"
"Warren said that when that wine is released, it will likely cause a tectonic shift in the Napa Valley Cabernet market. This San Francisco Chronicle will be quite a sight to see."
At those words, Joseph’s pupils shook violently.