Cerasia (1)
The atmosphere at the tasting was even more electric than when they had sampled the cherry wine. It was, admittedly, an unfinished wine, and its quality was lower than the cherry wine, but everyone was awestruck by the balance that had been achieved in just three months. They began to pay even closer attention to my father, the owner of the winery.
“Are we witnessing the birth of the next star in Napa Valley?”
Someone muttered under their breath. Mark, who heard this right beside him, stared at the middle-aged Asian man holding the stainless steel decanter with a look of confusion.
He couldn't fathom how an Asian man, who rarely grew wine grapes, could produce such results, but he chose to accept the reality rather than deny it.
The problem was that he hadn't yet found a way to deal with the reality he had accepted.
“Hahahaha! To think it has this kind of fragrance after only three months... It’s truly amazing. I’m the one who supplied the cherries for that cherry wine, you know. Isn't it impressive? There’s a reason I chose to supply my cherries here and not anywhere else.”
Frederick had been rattling on for a while, and the restaurant owners sitting around him nodded in agreement. The owner’s skill was so impressive that it made even his absurd boasting seem credible.
Just as everyone was soaking in the emotion, the middle-aged Asian man spoke.
“As I said before, this is not a finished wine yet. It only shows the direction Redwood Winery is heading. So, I hope you don't think it’s lacking.”
As soon as my father finished speaking, Rufus Fillmore, the owner of Le Jardin, which specializes in French cuisine, waved his hand.
“I know there are areas that need improvement, but considering it’s only been three months, no one here would be able to say such a thing.”
At the very least, the people sitting here were capable of predicting how a three-month-old wine would change in two years. That was why Mark was even more anxious.
‘How much should I offer to make him move? A million dollars? Two million?’
Before his thoughts could even finish,
“I’d like to place an additional order for the cherry wine. I’m planning to include it in the full year-end course pairing, so could I get at least 40 cases (480 bottles)?”
The owner with the gravelly voice was Theodore Goodwin of Blaze Bistro. He had initially ordered five cases, but after tasting a completely different Pinot Noir, ordering 40 cases meant he recognized the winery's skill and trusted the consistency of the cherry wine’s quality.
As soon as he finished, Roberto Rossi, the owner of an Italian restaurant called La Fiorentina, raised his hand.
“I’ll take 30 cases. The cherry wine gave me some inspiration. If I make a signature dish of choice steak with a cherry reduction sauce and pair it with this wine...”
“There couldn't be anything more perfect for Christmas.”
People knew the 8,000-bottle limit well, so they far exceeded their initial order quantities, pre-ordering at least one or two months' worth of supply.
“One moment, please. I’ll write that down again.”
The sight of the Asian boy, who was in the same grade as Sienna, running around busily was starting to become a bit bothersome. I wondered why I felt that way, and I realized it immediately. It was because I could imagine him receiving orders like that for Pinot Noir before long.
Then, someone asked the Asian boy who was taking the orders.
“So, what is this farm’s main variety?”
“Cabernet Sauvignon.”
“Aha—is that so? Then...?”
“Yes. The grapes harvested this year are already in oak barrels. It’s a shame that, given the variety, it’s difficult to let you taste it beforehand like the Pinot Noir.”
“Ah... I’m disappointed, too. But I’m also looking forward to it.”
“You can definitely look forward to it. At the Harvest Fair held in Sonoma this year, it tied for first place as a wine grape alongside grapes from the To Kalon region.”
At those words, everyone was surprised again. There wasn't a single person here who didn't know the value of Cabernet Sauvignon harvested from To Kalon.
“It’s a shame I didn't get to see those grapes.”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
People clicked their tongues. A winery in Napa Valley that maintains top-tier quality not only in winemaking technology but also in cultivation technology? It was clear that the name 'Redwood' would not be easily erased from the minds of the wine-dealing owners who visited today.
“I’m glad I came today.”
Mark sharpened his resolve while tasting the three-month-old Pinot Noir once again, and Sienna watched her father with a complex expression.
In the car on the way home after the tasting, Mark Harrington was driving, staring straight ahead with a serious expression.
When he came to Napa, he had been half-curious and half-motivated by Sienna’s education. But on the way home, he was so shocked that he couldn't even crack a light joke with his daughter, remaining in silence. Sienna, bothered by this, glanced at her father a few times before asking.
“That Pinot Noir earlier... it was better than ours, wasn't it?”
Mark hesitated for a moment before answering honestly.
“Was it better than our wine? I’m not sure. But if you asked me if I could make a Pinot Noir reach that state in three months, I’d say it’s impossible.”
“But Pinot Noir needs at least a year and a half to two years anyway, right? So, doesn't that mean it might end up worse than ours in two years?”
“That could be the case.”
Even as he said it could be, Mark’s expression remained stiff and serious.
“Does that mean there’s a high probability it won't be?”
“That’s right.”
“Why?”
After gathering his thoughts for a moment, Mark began to explain slowly.
“Wine immediately after fermentation is often rough and unstable. No, not often—it’s almost always that way. Pinot Noir usually takes at least a year and a half, and usually two years, to become marketable. You know that, right?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know why?”
“Um... that’s...”
She knew it all, but when she tried to say it, Sienna found herself at a loss for words. Mark nodded and explained kindly to his daughter.
“What are the three representative evaluation factors of wine?”
“Tannins, acidity, and aroma.”
“Correct. The two years allow the rough tannins of newly fermented wine to gradually smooth out, and the sharp acidity blends with the fruit flavors to create balance. And the simple fruit aroma adds floral and herbal notes while spending time in oak barrels, eventually adding complex aromas like earth, leather, and mushrooms.”
“I know.”
“But the fact that the tannins, acid, fruit, and alcohol are already well-aligned after just three months means a few things. First, the quality of the raw material—the grapes—is excellent.”
“If it’s Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley, that’s certainly possible.”
The Harrington family’s farm was not in the Russian River Valley, but it was located in the Carneros AVA, which was considered to have a comparable environment.
Therefore, they prided themselves on growing top-tier Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that could compete anywhere, but the Russian River Valley was globally recognized, so the father and daughter couldn't dare to disparage the raw materials.
“Second, the winemaking process is very precise. And the third is similar: there are no unnecessary defects like Volatile Acidity (VA) or reduction (sulfur off-flavor). And if these three things are present, it means the foundation for long-term aging is set exceptionally well, which means the wine’s potential is limitless.”
“Ah...”
Sienna finally realized why her father was so serious after tasting a wine that was only three months old.
“Aside from the raw materials being good, the other two things are entirely dependent on the winemaker’s skill... and that means the middle-aged Asian man is at least better than me.”
“Better than you? That’s impossible.”
“There’s nothing impossible about it. Didn't I tell you from the moment I came to Napa? It’s only natural to pay a huge sum to acquire technology if there’s a good winery. This doesn't happen often, but it’s not unheard of. Geniuses always appear in the world, and those people lead the world.”
Sienna, who had accepted her father’s lesson with a heavy heart, suddenly turned her head with a question that came to mind.
“Then shouldn't you have talked to that Woody Choi person at the winery earlier? You said you needed to acquire the winery.”
Mark shook his head with a troubled expression.
“There were too many people. Imagine me offering money to buy the winery while he was busy seeing off guests. He’d think, ‘How desperate is he to pay money in this situation?’”
“Ah, no matter how much you offer, Woody Choi would be suspicious of the price, right?”
“Exactly. The right answer is to change the situation, request a private meeting, and explain it calmly.”
“I understand.”
Sienna nodded, hoping her father would offer a good price and successfully purchase the winery. If that happened, she felt she could learn a little more about wine from that Asian boy, who would then have more free time.
The next day, Redwood Winery.
After going to school for classes in the morning, I brought not only Armando but also Chloe to the winery. Armando working at our farm was nothing special, but Chloe coming to the winery was purely to watch the bottling process of the cherry wine.
I could have refused, but showing her the bottling process didn't matter much, and above all, Chloe was the one who had put the most effort into creating this label design.
“When does the mail come in?”
My father asked as soon as he saw me.
“It should arrive by tomorrow, I think.”
“America is great in every way, but sometimes there are things that are unnecessarily complicated.”
“That’s true. It can't be helped. Still, a large sum of money is coming in.”
The deposit confirmed for the cherry wine this time was over $20,000. That money was like a ray of light in our tight financial situation. One problem, though...
“That’s why I’m enduring it.”
If it were Korea, they would have wired the payment directly to the account, but in America at this time, that wasn't how transactions were usually handled. When a winery issues an invoice, the restaurant issues a check and sends it by mail. Then, you have to go to the bank to deposit the check, and it takes two to three days for the funds to clear.
It was certainly a more complicated and annoying structure than in Korea.
“Brian! Are the bottles stacked outside the ones you made this time? They look so good!”
Armando, who had seen the bottles stacked in boxes near the automatic bottling machine, came into the office and said.
“You’re just trying to look good for Chloe, aren't you?”
“I’m not?”
“Why to me?”
As Chloe poked her head in, I waved both hands at the two of them, ushering them out of the office, and followed them out.
“But it was quite impressive.”
“Hehe, I may not know much else, but I have an aesthetic sense for beauty.”
At my compliment, Chloe shrugged her shoulders and boasted to Armando. However, Armando was fully prepared to praise her as much as possible, thinking of using Chloe to hit on a female student he liked in his department.
“I think it’s really amazing. Won't you hit the jackpot thanks to you?”
“...... You sound like you’re teasing me?”
“It’s your imagination.”
While the two were bickering, I inserted the label paper I’d received from the factory into the machine. It had taken quite a lot of effort to make these.
Making wine doesn't end in the vineyard and the oak barrels. Labels are made only after checking numerous procedures and regulations until it enters the bottle and reaches the consumer’s hands.
The most important thing on the label is the wine’s name and design. As promised, Frederick had suggested a name for the wine through Chloe, and contrary to my expectation that it would be terrible, it was quite decent.
Cerasia.
It was a name taken from the Latin word for cherry (Cerasus). I wondered where that big guy got such a sense, but it turned out Chloe had created the name. Frederick had pushed for 'Brentwood Reserve,' but he was soundly rejected. Hmm... well done, Chloe.
At this moment, my father came out of the office and said.
“I got a call from Mark Harrington... the one who connected those three restaurants and attended the tasting.”
“And?”
“He wants to meet. He says he’s coming here.”
Recalling Mark’s face as he stared at my father with a mysterious look during the tasting, I chuckled.
“Tell him to come.”
I was quite curious about what the head of the Harrington family, which would be equivalent to the number one family in Sonoma in the old days, would have to say.