Sylphide (3)
Christopher White returned to UC Davis only after his review of Achelon was published in the October issue of Wine Review West.
“Hahaha! Welcome, welcome. Good to see you.”
“I’m a bit hurt that you’re welcoming what’s in my hands rather than my face.”
“Anyone would be the same if they saw Insignia.”
The reason Christopher could frequently bring Insignia was that it was the representative bottle among the wines he distributed to Canada and Western Europe—a wine that wasn’t too burdensome but could be confidently presented as a high-end choice.
After he handed over the wine and sat down, Dean Thomas looked at the Insignia with loving eyes once again and spoke.
“I thought you wouldn’t be here until next week at the earliest, so to see you this soon... you must have been quite curious, huh?”
“...Honestly, I was.”
“Heh heh... I’m sure you’re curious about Redwood Vineyard. Especially after tasting Achelon. I saw the review you wrote, too. Why give such high praise to a wine that’s only a year old?”
Christopher wore a displeased expression.
“To be honest, I didn’t feel good when I went to Redwood Winery. They turned half of those good grapes into vinegar.”
“Hahaha, that’s true. But do you know? That vinegar is so popular in California that people can’t even find it to buy. You can’t get it right now even if you wanted to.”
“...Regardless, I don’t like it.”
“Hahahaha! You’re just like yourself, a true wine lover. You don’t like the fact that they have such skill but aren’t producing more wine, right?”
“......”
He wanted to say yes, but Christopher knew the real reason he didn’t like it. In truth, the vinegar was just an excuse. The fact that an immigrant from the East had produced wine of that quality was simply unpleasant to him. But he couldn’t say that out loud.
“It’s alright. The fact that you are where you are now is only possible because you have that much passion.”
“Thank you for thinking that way. But you said you had something to show me...?”
The reason he had come to the school today was that Dean Thomas had called him, saying he had something to show him regarding Redwood Winery. Since Redwood had already released Achelon, he wondered if Serasia 2005 had already come out, but what Dean Thomas carefully pulled from the bookshelf was a black bottle, characteristic of red wine.
“What is that?”
“Sylphide. It’s a Pinot Noir that Redwood released just yesterday.”
“What? Pinot Noir?”
“Hm? What is it? You went all the way to Redwood, yet you didn’t hear about the Pinot Noir? Every famous restaurant owner around Napa has been waiting only for this.”
“What do you mean...?”
“They held a tasting at Redwood Winery last year. When they released Serasia, they also tasted a three-month-old Pinot Noir. Unfortunately, I couldn’t attend. I only heard about it. They said the balance of that three-month-old Pinot Noir was so good that people were left in shock.”
“Then this is...?”
“That’s right, Sylphide. It might just be another one of Redwood’s weapons.”
Receiving the bottle, Christopher was slightly awestruck by the ivory-colored goddess-like silhouette and the rose-gold typography. The elegance and delicacy implied by the name Sylphide could be felt from the label itself.
“The label here is good, at least.”
“I suspect it’s a youthful sensibility. The wine industry does have a bit of a stuffy side, after all.”
“May I try it now?”
“That’s why I brought it. The atmosphere isn’t exactly perfect for the two of us to drink, but I was curious enough to overlook that. Ah, fortunately, I have some cheese.”
Dean Thomas brought out a wine opener and some cheese to snack on. In the meantime, Christopher examined the label of Sylphide in detail with sparkling eyes.
Thomas chuckled lowly and twisted the cap. With a short ‘pop,’ a subtle fragrance dispersed into the air. Dean Thomas, swallowing hard, poured the red wine into crystal glasses.
Christopher swirled the wine slowly to let it breathe naturally, then smiled and made eye contact with Dean Thomas.
“Do you know when this moment is the most pleasant?”
“It’s the most exciting time. But if you don’t get what you expect, the disappointment is even greater.”
“Then I’ll have no choice but to write a harsh review.”
“Hahaha! So that’s why you write harsh reviews so often.”
Soon, Christopher lifted the glass and brought it close to his nose. For a moment, his gaze wavered. Deep notes of raspberry and cherry, delicate violet scents. It was a Pinot Noir with a different texture, one that could only be felt from a single vineyard in the Russian River Valley.
“It seems certain that they used the best grapes.”
“...... I heard it was from the Russian River Valley, and I think so too.”
As he tilted the glass slightly and took a sip, Christopher’s lips trembled subtly.
The smoothly flowing texture, the refreshing acidity, and the long, subtle finish. This was not the Pinot Noir of a mere startup winery. Rather, it was a level of perfection that brought to mind the works of numerous mid-sized wineries.
He couldn’t put the glass down for a long time. And finally, he spoke quietly.
“I... will not include this in my review.”
Thomas’s eyebrows shot up.
“What? What is the reason?”
Christopher hesitated slightly, biting his lip and wearing a troubled expression before opening his mouth.
“I want to distribute this. I have to sell it in New York. If I write the review and then distribute it myself, it’s practically manipulation. It’s customary not to include wines I’m involved with in my reviews. I’ll give up on Achelon since I already wrote about it, but I can’t give up on Sylphide.”
“I see. But in New York?”
“As you know, the U.S. is currently in the midst of a Pinot Noir craze. Achelon is excellent, but generally, Cabernet isn’t as popular as Pinot Noir. Only those who can enjoy the weight of a wine know its value. But this is different. With the whole country looking for Pinot Noir, Sylphide will... cause a huge sensation. New York, Boston, D.C.... I will mobilize my entire network to spread it. By the way, how much is this?”
Seeing him ask for the price only then, Dean Thomas burst into laughter.
“I don’t know. I got it for free.”
“My goodness... Dean, you must not spend any money on wine. You got Insignia for free today, too.”
“Do you know why I’m a Dean? It’s exactly because of that.”
Christopher stood up from his seat immediately.
“I think I need to move right now. That Asian winemaker might have only made a few hundred cases again.”
He decided to forget his prejudice against Asians. Right now, he decided to think only of the wine.
“Hahaha, yes. Go ahead.”
“Is it my imagination, or do you look happy that I’m leaving?”
“I’m sorry, but you guessed correctly this time.”
Dean Thomas grinned and lifted his glass, filled to the brim with Sylphide.
Arriving at Redwood Vineyard in Napa Valley after driving for over an hour, Christopher ran toward the winery. Meeting the owner of the winery who happened to be outside, Christopher raised his voice to greet him.
“Hello! I’ve been here before, though I’m not sure if you remember.”
“Ah! That critic fellow?”
“Yes, that’s right. Nothing else, but you released Sylphide this time, and actually, I distribute wine. If there isn’t a contract already, I’d like to distribute Sylphide to the East Coast. Would that be possible?”
However, Woody Choi, looking troubled, shook his head.
“I’m sorry, but regarding contracts, I always talk with my son, so you’ll have to wait here.”
“What? Ah... when might I be able to meet him?”
“It will probably take at least 2 hours. I’ll discuss it with my son later and get back to you.”
In this situation, someone who leaves their number and goes away leisurely is someone without a sense for business.
“No, I will wait.”
“Well... do as you please.”
Eventually, Christopher, who had been waiting blankly in his car for about two hours, straightened his upper body as he saw an old pickup truck enter the farm. Only after seeing the familiar young Asian man did his expression brighten.
“Hey!”
I was getting out of the car and heading to the winery when I saw a man waving and approaching, and for a moment I thought I was seeing things. But after confirming that the man approaching was Christopher, who had left quite sulky last time, I tilted my head.
“Hello... how are you here...?”
“Ah, I have something to discuss, you see. Let’s go up and talk.”
“Yes...”
As we went up to the winery, Dad saw Christopher coming up with me and chuckled.
“This gentleman says he wants to distribute Sylphide?”
As I turned my head, he wore an embarrassed expression.
“That’s unexpected.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were preparing a Pinot Noir?”
“You didn’t ask, did you?”
“Then did you custom crush the Pinot Noir with the money you made selling vinegar back then?”
“Of course. I was originally going to let you taste the Pinot Noir. There was a barrel for tasting right here in the aging room at that time.”
Christopher wanted to punch himself, recalling his rash behavior back then.
“.... I was rash. I want to say I’m sorry.”
Whether his sincere apology is truly sincere or not doesn’t matter. What matters is that he wants to distribute Sylphide.
“Let’s go inside first.”
Once we entered the office, he sat in a chair in front of the table and brought up the main point with a serious face.
“I just came from Dean Thomas’s office after drinking Sylphide. And I thought about it. This wine is going to explode in the East.”
Dad and I watched his face silently, and he continued his explanation enthusiastically.
“Do you know the situation in the East right now? It’s the same everywhere, but because of Sideways, Pinot Noir is literally selling like hotcakes. Michelin-starred restaurants in New York, wine bars in Boston, political and financial banquet halls in Washington D.C.... they’re all looking for ‘good Pinot.’ But the supply is woefully insufficient.”
He tapped the table with his finger and continued.
“I have a distribution network I’ve already contracted with. Four direct retail stores in Manhattan alone, two dealers in Boston and Philadelphia, and in Washington D.C., I’m dealing with wine cellars frequented by federal lobbyists. It’s not just about putting it on a shop shelf; it’s about putting it directly on their tables. Politicians, lawyers, financiers... they’ll probably each end up holding a bottle in their hands, and they’ll fall in love when they see the goddess silhouette of Sylphide.”
Dad listened to his story silently and asked.
“So you’re saying you won’t just supply it to wine shops, but you’ll handle the brand positioning right away?”
Christopher nodded as if he had been waiting for that.
“That’s right. It’s not just about selling off bottles. I will make Redwood a premium winery in the East. Chefs and sommeliers in New York will remember it.”
I made eye contact with Dad for a moment, then smiled and asked.
“Do you know how much it is?”
“Yes, I heard the wholesale price is 33 dollars.”
In fact, the current price takes into account the whirlwind caused by the movie Sideways; if that hadn’t happened, it would be a quite high price for a Pinot Noir.
“Even if it’s mass distribution, I don’t intend to lower the wholesale price.”
“It doesn’t matter. How much quantity do you have?”
He was curious about how much volume we had rather than the price. To him, that seemed to be the most important thing.
“If you had come yesterday, it would have been about 2,500 cases (1 case = 12 bottles), but today, about 2,000 cases are possible.”
“500 cases went out in one day?”
If it were another famous winery, 500 cases a day wouldn’t be a big deal, but for a tiny winery like Redwood, which is only 15 acres, 500 cases a day is an enormous amount.
“It might be hard to believe, but there were quite a few shops waiting for Sylphide. And since Pinot Noir is doing so well right now, I think they just assume it will sell no matter what if they stock it.”
“... Good. Then I’ll buy the rest.”
This time, even I couldn’t help but be surprised.
“All of it?”
“Yes, everything you have.”
He was declaring it with intense eyes, like a gambler calling ‘all-in’ at a poker table.