The Legend’s Appraisal

Robert Mondavi lifted the glass, holding it up to the light for a moment. Even with his fading eyesight, the habit of reading the color remained. Very slowly, he brought the glass to the tip of his nose. As he took a long, deep breath, his wrinkled face contorted subtly. Then, he closed his eyes.

A moment later, he parted his lips.

"You're a student?"

"Yes."

"Is this wine made by you?"

"That's correct."

"Why isn't the label properly attached?"

"It still needs more time. I believe it needs about three more months."

He nodded, then took another sip of the remaining wine. Holding it in his mouth for a long time to savor the bouquet to the very end, he stared straight into my eyes. His gaze was sharp, as if he were trying to dissect everything inside my head. But I met his eyes calmly.

"The blending is unique. It's quite different from what I've seen so far."

"You might feel that way."

At my cryptic answer, the wrinkles around his eyes deepened. Finally, he let out a low exclamation of admiration.

"Astonishing. Even though it's an unfinished wine, I can see the shadow of perfection. It is carving out the edges that time should have smoothed away all on its own. Redwood Winery, did you say?"

"That's right."

"You will become a great rival to my family."

Everyone was stunned by Robert Mondavi's final remark. Mark, who had been watching from the side, also wore an expression of disbelief before eventually nodding.

"So this is what you dragged me through all that trouble to show me?"

"Wasn't it a good experience? Besides, it's still an unfinished wine. You shouldn't overrate it."

"For now, perhaps. But ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠what can I do when I can see the future?"

Robert Mondavi and Dean Thomas turned away, chatting as they walked off. Once the two men everyone so revered had disappeared, the crowd surged forward, thrusting their glasses toward me.

"Give me a glass, too!"

"You know I was the third one in line, right?"

I quickly raised my hands to calm the people down.

"Slowly, please. And since I don't have much wine left, I can't give you very much."

But the news that there wasn't much wine left only excited them further, and I became frantic trying to pour for everyone. Watching this scene, Mark turned to take Sienna back to his own booth. However,

"Mark!"

Mark turned to find himself face-to-face with Joseph Higgins, the owner of Castello.

"You tasted that earlier, didn't you?"

"I did."

"How was it that old man Robert praised it so highly?"

Joseph Higgins was a man who openly hoped his Higgins family would one day surpass the Mondavi family. Mark knew this all too well, and since he himself had harbored similar feelings, he didn't think Joseph's ambition was necessarily a bad thing.

"Hmm... how should I put it... it felt like the first time I drank an Opus One."

Opus One, a Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend created through a partnership between Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild of France, had been considered a legend since its inception.

"It's on that level?"

"Don't misunderstand. I'm not saying it's as perfect as that. It lacks time, so there are definitely parts that haven't been refined. But the balance is something I never imagined possible for a wine released after only six months, and the weight that a Cabernet Sauvignon should possess was substantial. Above all, the blending that gave it such complexity and depth was..."

"Hmm..."

"I don't know what the potential of this wine is. Because the flavors were awakened early, it might not show supreme potential. This current state might be its limit. But in less than a year, it has dissolved six or seven years' worth of aging into itself."

"So, its floor is extremely high?"

"Exactly."

Even after hearing Mark's explanation, Joseph Higgins looked like he couldn't easily believe it. In particular, the fact that Mark's face was still stiff was, in itself, very strange to him.

"Honestly, I can't believe it's real. I can't understand why he'd bring a wine without a proper label to this event, and that it's good enough to surprise you and that old man Robert Mondavi? And that a twenty-year-old freshman made it? Do you remember what you and I were doing when we were twenty?"

"......"

"You might not know, but I was busy stealing wine and fooling around with women. That was a phase, so you shouldn't do that."

"I'm not."

Joseph, who had given a warning to Matthew, who had been quiet, continued.

"First of all, it makes no sense that a twenty-year-old freshman made it. How much wine could he have possibly drunk at that age? He probably took the label off a wine he's about to release on purpose. Or maybe he delayed the release date to promote it spectacularly on a day like today."

"That's not an impossible scenario."

"And that wine. I guarantee it was just luck. It must have been a Miracle Vintage, like the 2003 Château Phélan Ségur."

"I don't think so. I've tasted the Pinot Noir made at that winery, along with Sienna. Of course, I think it's possible his father made it. But the important thing is that it came from that winery."

Seeing Mark answer with his hands on his daughter's shoulders, his face stiffened, Joseph's face, which had been full of disbelief, turned serious.

"Is that so? Was it like this back then, too?"

"Similar. Today is more shocking, though... but the important thing is us. The Castello Aurora Blend we announced today was excellent, truly."

"......"

"I have to get back to my booth, so..."

Joseph couldn't bring himself to ask Mark which one was better. Even if he had asked, he wouldn't have received a proper answer, but more than that, he was worried about receiving a negative response.

Watching Mark's retreating back, Joseph asked his son, Matthew.

"Do you know about that kid? You went over to talk to him earlier."

In fact, if there was someone whose face was stiffer than Joseph's, it was his son, Matthew. From the moment Robert Mondavi appeared on the scene, he had been in such a state of shock that he could barely breathe.

"Well... he's a freshman, but he's a bit peculiar."

"How so?"

Under his father's sharp gaze, Matthew struggled to recall old memories.

"At the first orientation, he tasted the wine Sienna made once and immediately pointed out that the fermentation temperature had been set incorrectly..."

At the unbelievable story, Joseph immediately pointed it out.

"What? He pointed out a temperature issue after a single tasting?"

"Yes? Oh, yes... that's what happened."

"Why didn't you tell me? No, wait. That wine... does Sienna happen to have any? If they made it at school, there must be some left, right?"

"No. After the orientation ended, we drank it little by little over a month..."

It made no sense for students not to touch the alcohol sitting right in the school.

"Damn it... and what else?"

"He tied for first place with me in the Harvest Fair wine grape category."

"That was there? Even your stupid actions have their uses sometimes."

At the time, Joseph had scolded his son Matthew severely for doing something useless. His reasoning was that it was a competition for small vineyards, and showing off that he had good grapes was like an adult bragging about his strength in front of children—it was unsightly.

Seeing the young Asian man waving his hands, saying there was no more wine, Joseph regretted not checking the taste himself out of pride.

Meanwhile, back at the Harrington Vineyards booth, Mark and Sienna's stiff faces didn't relax even as people flocked to them.

"Was it that shocking? More than the Pinot Noir we tasted back then?"

Mark pulled his daughter behind the booth to avoid the crowd, then said calmly with a slightly relaxed face.

"It's different from then. Back then, it felt like they had obtained the best grapes from a good vineyard and performed some magic we didn't understand."

"So you're saying it's different now?"

"It is. Pinot Noir inherently takes less time to mature than Cabernet Sauvignon, and the characteristics of the Single-Vineyard were distinct. But this one... it involves mature blending technology."

"Ah..."

Thinking his daughter didn't fully understand as she nodded, Mark explained more deeply.

"Listen carefully. If a single-vineyard wine fully captures the personality of the vineyard, a blended wine combines the strengths of multiple vineyards, allowing the winemaker to realize the perfect taste they intended. The scalability becomes enormous. And the winemaker's reputation rises, so you have to consider the brand's own class to have risen as well."

"That's amazing."

"It is. The problem is that it's unbelievable that a twenty-year-old young Asian man is doing it."

He recalled how he had tried to pre-purchase the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Pinot Noir through a distributor only to be thwarted, and concluded that he had been too complacent. He should have secured Redwood's Pinot Noir somehow, even if it meant taking a bit of a loss.

"Still, don't be too disappointed, Dad. The whole United States is going crazy over Pinot Noir right now."

Most of the people flocking to the booth were those who had been drawn to the charm of Pinot Noir after watching the movie Sideways. It was so intense that even the students were flocking to the Pinot Noir side more than any other winery, so that said it all.

"Sienna, Dad isn't disappointed. To be precise, I'm feeling anxious. Whether that Asian kid did it or his father did, they're taking the Pinot Noir they don't even grow and growing while enjoying this good period. I'm watching a competitor grow."

At that time, he had frequented the UC Davis lab to find out how they had awakened the flavor after drinking the Pinot Noir that was only a few months old from Redwood Winery. Unfortunately, nothing that could be called a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠clear answer came out. He had only gotten a few hints, and even those weren't certain.

"I can't believe Dad feels anxious because of a mere twenty-year-old."

"Don't worry. Dad will find a way. Occasionally, out-of-spec geniuses appear in the world. I never imagined that could be a winemaker... but I suppose I have to accept it."

A father who was calm yet did not lose hope for the future. Seeing her father worrying about the future and making a resolution even in the midst of such a successful showcase, Sienna felt ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠an unknown emotion beginning to churn in her heart.

"Aaaargh! That such an event happened while I was away! I should have just stayed here!"

Armando, who had returned while I was debating whether to just go home because the wine had run out, let out a howl of agony, wondering how he could have missed the incident that had happened just a moment ago.

"I didn't know that would happen either."

"What did Robert Mondavi say? Tell me every single word, right now."

"It was nothing special. Just that it was better than he thought."

"It was really just that? He said it so dryly?"

"That's what I'm saying. Did you expect him to recite a poem in front of me?"

"Well, that would be a bit over the top, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah, it would be over the top."

I was about to leave after putting the empty wine bottles in a box and tidying up the table, when someone blocked my path.

"Student Brian?"

I looked up to see a female student half a head taller than me looking down. That overwhelming presence... if I hadn't become accustomed to Jacob, my shoulders might have shrunk instinctively.

"Yes?"

"The Dean is looking for you. Shall we go together?"

"Yes..."

And so, like someone being dragged away by the police, we followed her to the department office.

"Professor, I've brought Brian."

"Send him in."

When I opened the door and entered the Dean's office, to my surprise, Robert Mondavi was sitting next to Dean Thomas. I could feel Armando, who had followed me in carrying the box, becoming extremely excited as his eyes widened and he nudged my side with his elbow.

"Did you call for me?"

"Yes, sit down. Is this your friend?"

"Yes, this is Armando, an agriculture major. For your information, he loves grapes and wine second only to me."

"A good attitude. In that case, sit down together."

Armando sat down next to me, grinning. I didn't pay him any mind and asked the Dean.

"What did you call me for...?"

"You heard about it before, right? The story about asking you to take charge of one course for the Winkler Dinner through Sienna."

"Yes, I heard."

"Are you planning to use the wine you brought today for the wine pairing?"

I shook my head firmly.

"No. I think it's inappropriate to serve a wine that hasn't been officially released at a course dinner."

I had participated in the showcase event as a filler, but the Winkler Dinner was a place where people were strictly paying money to enjoy a dinner, and I was providing food and alcohol. I couldn't sell an unfinished wine for money.

"That's a shame. I was curious about the pairing."

"Haha, I'm sorry. I'll make sure to release it before autumn passes."

"I'll be the first to buy it."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet. Actually, I'm not the one who has something to say. It's this person here."

Dean Thomas pointed to Robert Mondavi, who was sitting next to him. When I turned my head to look at him, he was looking at me with great curiosity, like a child who had discovered an interesting toy.