The Alumni Wine Showcase (2)
I had been working to maximize the flavor of our Cabernet Sauvignon from the very beginning, with the intention of commercializing it within a year. However, now that the Alumni Wine Showcase had been scheduled, I wanted to accelerate that timeline.
As soon as I sat down in the office, I called Pierce Morgan at the Agricultural Extension Office.
“Hello, Pierce. This is Brian. How have you been?”
“Calling me out of the blue? What’s up? Do you need a favor?”
“Oh? How did you know?”
“Because you’re calling me instead of coming down to the office from school. If it weren’t urgent, you would’ve just stopped by when you were on campus.”
“Haha, you’re right. Still, we’re about to release our new vinegar, so I’ll bring a bottle when I come to visit.”
“Oho, if that’s the case, I suppose I should pull some strings. What do you need?”
I smiled at his warm, smooth voice.
“Do you know of any wineries in Sonoma that sell Merlot and Petit Verdot?”
“Merlot and Petit Verdot? I know of a few places. You’re not looking to buy by the bottle, are you?”
“I’m looking to purchase by the barrel.”
“By the barrel? Don’t tell me you’re planning to blend. Do you even know how to blend?”
“Haha... I’ve taken an interest in it.”
There was a long silence on the other end, as if he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing.
“...That’s surprising. I know a few places, so let me check and get back to you.”
“Thank you.”
Ten minutes after hanging up, Pierce Morgan called me back. I immediately dialed Glencrest Winery, one of the places he had recommended.
“Hello, this is Redwood Winery in Napa Valley. Would it be possible to purchase a small quantity of Merlot and Petit Verdot barrels?”
There was a brief pause, followed by a low, amused response.
“I heard you’re a student. Mr. Morgan recommended you, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct. I only need a small amount, would that be possible?”
“If it’s a small amount, that shouldn’t be a problem. Why don’t you come by in person? You can taste them, and we can discuss it then.”
Having secured the opportunity to obtain the ingredients so easily, I headed to Sonoma with my father the next morning.
As we left the rolling hills of Napa and headed west along Highway 12, the scenery changed. Grapevines stretched out in orderly rows across every hill, and although the early spring air was still crisp, the sunlight felt warm and inviting.
The unique tranquility of the Sonoma Valley flowed through the car window.
“This place is beautiful, too. But you’ve already done so much to accelerate the commercialization—separating the lots, the fermentation, the extraction... the malolactic fermentation (MLF) and oak aging... after all that, is there really a reason to blend?”
Every process my father mentioned was something I had implemented by applying my knowledge from my previous life to the fullest. Yet, the reason it wasn't perfect was that our winery’s facilities weren't as modernized as the ones I had used in my past life.
Of course, that had changed recently as I customized various sensors and devices, but regardless, blending was the key to compensating for those shortcomings and elevating the quality.
“Ah, about that. When wine is aged for a long time, the harsh tannins naturally present in the initial wine soften. You can think of blending as pre-assembling that softness and balance.”
“I see...”
“And even if you use a single varietal, the taste varies slightly from barrel to barrel. When it’s time to bottle, we select only the best barrels, which is essentially internal blending. So, there’s no such thing as a completely unblended wine.”
“That’s true. Come to think of it, it’s fascinating. That wine tastes different in every barrel.”
“That’s why we don’t use one giant stainless steel tank for fermentation, but divide it into 5,000-liter or 10,000-liter batches. It varies slightly depending on the condition of the grapes, and it also helps distribute the risk if a problem occurs in one tank...”
“There’s a reason for everything, isn’t there?”
After chatting like this for over an hour, we arrived at the end of the road, where a stone sign engraved with [Glencrest Winery] stood. The main building was a blend of a red roof and a stone house. Old olive trees stood in the surroundings, and new oak barrels were neatly stacked next to the warehouse.
As we stepped out of the car and approached the winery, the air, filled with a subtle mix of oak and fermentation scents, brushed against our noses.
“Welcome. I’m Andrew Milton.”
A winemaker wearing a dark gray sweater greeted us.
“I’m Brian, who spoke with you on the phone, and this is my father, Woody Choi.”
“I’ve been expecting you. Let’s head inside.”
After a brief greeting, he led us straight to the aging room.
The room was cold and dark. Rows of French oak barrels created a consistent pattern that was a pleasure to behold.
Andrew picked up a Wine Thief and inserted it into the first barrel.
“This is this year’s Merlot.”
He poured a purple liquid into a small tasting glass. The wine shimmered with a ruby hue, swirling smoothly along the rim of the glass.
I took a sip cautiously. Notes of soft red cherry, plum, and raspberry lingered on the palate.
“This is good.”
At my exclamation, Andrew Milton asked, “One barrel is actually a rather ambiguous amount. Is there a specific reason for that?”
It was a very large amount for an individual to buy, yet quite small for a winery. He seemed curious.
“As you might have guessed, I’m considering blending, but it’s not finalized yet.”
His eyes sparkled with surprise.
“Ah... are you trying to find the right balance now?”
“Haha, I’m not trying to build it from a zero-base with nothing. The framework is already somewhat established, but I need to nail down the details before I can commit to a large-scale contract.”
At the mention of a large-scale contract, Andrew’s face brightened.
“I hope you get good results.”
Merlot is one of the most widely grown red grape varieties in the world, known for its soft tannins and rich fruit flavors, making it an easy-drinking wine. Unfortunately, it wouldn't receive any of the benefits when the movie Sideways became a hit.
In fact, almost no variety benefited except for Pinot Noir, but it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Merlot didn't just fail to benefit—it suffered actual damage.
The reason was that the protagonist in the movie explicitly criticized Merlot, saying, “I am not drinking any fucking Merlot!” One can only imagine how frustrated the wineries that grew Merlot and made wine from it must have felt.
Since I hinted that I might make a large-scale purchase, it was only natural that he would be delighted.
“I’d like to taste the Petit Verdot as well.”
He inserted the wine sampler into another barrel and pulled it out. The color in the glass was much deeper. The scent of violets, blackcurrants, and black pepper that brushed against my nose left a strong impression.
“This is also good.”
“Are you planning to blend this into your Cabernet Sauvignon?”
Petit Verdot is essentially a supporting wine used almost entirely for high-end Cabernet Sauvignon blends, and due to its rarity and the intensity of its quality, it is much more expensive than Merlot.
“That’s right.”
I smiled. Perhaps because it was a winery recommended by Pierce Morgan, everything was of excellent quality.
We sat in front of a small table, and I took my pen to the Invoicing Form Andrew had brought out.
“Now, please write down the quantity you need.”
“I’ll take one barrel of Merlot (225L) and half a barrel of Petit Verdot (about 112L).”
Andrew calculated the amount and wrote it down.
Merlot 1 Barrel: $1,000
Petit Verdot 0.5 Barrel: $1,200
Total: $2,200
He pushed the invoice toward me and said, “When would you like to pick it up?”
“I’ll come to get it tomorrow morning. I’ll bring a truck.”
I took out the checkbook I had prepared. The logo printed with Redwood Winery was clear. I wrote the check for the total of $2,200, signed it, and tore it off to hand it to him.
Andrew checked it and smiled.
“Excellent. I’ll have it ready for you tomorrow. You move fast for a student.”
My father muttered from the side, “You shouldn’t think of him as a student. He’s more of an industry professional.”
I chuckled and finished the last of the Merlot left in my glass. By tomorrow, these wines would be in our aging room, giving our Cabernet Sauvignon a small set of wings.
As we got back into the car, my father asked, “You looked just like a winery owner when you finished the payment.”
I leaned my seat back and replied, “I am an owner. It’s just that no one knows it yet.”
“Hahaha! That’s the truth.”
After leaving Glencrest Winery, we stopped by one more winery on the way and contracted half a barrel of Malbec as well.
The next day, my father very carefully transported the contracted Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec in a refrigerated truck. Transporting barrels in a pickup truck could cause problems such as wine damage due to temperature rise, stopper displacement, and quality degradation due to vibration, so we had to rent a refrigerated truck.
After carefully moving the barrels into the aging room, I sat alone in a chair and quietly stared at the glass beaker, measuring cylinder, and pipette on the stainless steel tray.
Looking at them brought back memories of my days at Cornell, spending nights in a corner of the lab measuring and recording wine.
“I didn’t even like wine back then...”
I muttered with a bitter smile, recalling the research project I had done at the time. The Cabernet Sauvignon Blending Synergy: Minor Varietals Impact Study was a project that analyzed how the structure, aroma, and mouthfeel changed when small amounts of other varieties were mixed into Cabernet Sauvignon.
I had attempted hundreds of combinations back then, and my records were always filled with numbers and notes.
In that process, I had discovered something. The fact that mixing 7% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, and an additional 2% Malbec into Cabernet Sauvignon creates an incredibly soft and stable wine.
I opened my eyes and picked up the pipette.
“Alright, let’s make it one more time.”
First, I filled the measuring cylinder with 88mL of the base Cabernet Sauvignon. The deep purple liquid flowed down the glass wall, rippling gently. Then, I measured 7mL of Merlot, 3mL of Petit Verdot, and 2mL of Malbec and transferred them to the same cylinder. As the three wines mixed, the color deepened further.
I transferred it to a beaker, stirred it gently, and poured it into a clear tasting glass. When I held the glass up to the light, the intense ruby hue of the Cabernet remained, yet it felt somehow more dense.
As I brought my nose close, the aroma surged up. The intensity of blackcurrant and cherry rose, while the nuances of dried plum and chocolate, seemingly provided by the Merlot, wrapped around it softly in the middle.
“...... Yeah, this is it.”
I took a small sip.
The moment it entered my mouth, the softness of the Merlot covered the heavy tannins characteristic of Cabernet. The Petit Verdot cleaned up the flavor, refining the wine so it wouldn't be sharp, and the Malbec left a soft lingering finish, making the aftertaste smooth and comfortable.
“Reminds me of the old days.”
The ratio I had finally found amidst the fatigue of conducting several research projects simultaneously before my regression, and the thrill I felt while tasting it, came back to me.
I prepared to bottle it in the exact ratio I had perfected. From the barrels stored safely in the aging room... I checked them one by one, like a hand selecting the most robust grapes in a vineyard, and made three 750ml bottles.
As I came out of the aging room holding three unlabeled wine bottles, Armando, who had been studying in the office, asked,
“Oh? Is that... the booze we’re drinking tonight?”
At his bright-eyed question, I shook my head.
“Tsk tsk tsk... No. This is for tomorrow’s Alumni Wine Showcase.”
“What? Really? Can’t I just have one sip? Please...”
“... I’ll give you some after I get back.”
“For real? You have to promise.”
“I promise, for real.”
“Augh... I’m so curious! I’m dying to know!”
I barely managed to soothe Armando, who was craving the wine like a puppy ready to pounce on its food, and headed home with the bottles.
I felt a little excited at the thought of taking this to school tomorrow. I wondered how the wine born in the Cornell lab would be received by the UC Davis alumni.