The Dark Horse of Napa Valley
The moment my name echoed through the San Francisco Convention Center, I threw both arms into the air. The applause from the audience rolled over me like a tidal wave. The announcement that both Aschelon and Sylphide had simultaneously achieved Double Gold was something even I found hard to believe.
Below the stage, the flashes of reporters' cameras erupted, and even the head judge nodded in my direction with a smile.
"Two awards for a single winery... that's truly a rare sight."
"The name Redwood. I'll have to remember that one."
The murmurs reached my ears as I climbed onto the podium. I tried to catch my breath while receiving the Double Gold medals and slowly descending the stage, but my heart was still pounding against my ribs.
A short while later, the Best of Class judging began. Aschelon was a candidate in the Cabernet Sauvignon category, and Sylphide in the Pinot Noir category. Every time a glass on the judges' table was tilted, a suffocating tension filled the air.
"Aschelon, it shows remarkable balance despite being such a young wine."
"Sylphide, delicate yet powerful... it possesses an astonishing complexity."
The judges' comments made me hopeful, but the results were cold. In the Cabernet Sauvignon category, Joseph Phelps Insignia took the final Best of Class, and in the Pinot Noir category, another famous winery from the Russian River Valley claimed the title.
A wave of disappointment washed over me for a moment, but the applause from the audience soon lifted my spirits.
"Still, it's incredible that Redwood was a finalist in both categories simultaneously."
"For a startup winery, that's a massive achievement. In a way, they are the real protagonists of the day."
Amidst the gazes of the crowd, I looked up at the screen on the stage. The names Aschelon and Sylphide were still shining brightly, and my heart swelled with pride.
Just then, someone approached me.
"Congratulations."
I turned to see two familiar middle-aged men. Mark Harrington was someone I’d met at the Serasia tasting, and I had seen Joseph Higgins at an alumni wine showcase.
"Ah, thank you. It’s a pleasure to see you here."
"Did you come alone? Where is your father?"
Both men were looking for my father, not me. It was natural. Even if they suspected I participated in the winemaking, it was hard for them to imagine I was the one leading the production.
"My father couldn't make it today. I sent him on a trip for a while so he could finally get some rest."
It wasn't just me who had been buried in farm work. Mom and Dad had been working without a single break. I was young, so it wasn't a problem, but my parents were reaching their limits. After finishing the most important tasks, I sent them on a two-week vacation to find some peace. I could still see the look of childlike joy on my mother's face when I told them.
"A trip...? At such an important time?"
However, the two men looked even more bewildered.
"Oh... it wasn't exactly critical. We’ve already finished the release of the red wines, and well..."
The additional release of Serasia wouldn't be until late November or early December. There was no reason for my parents to be at the farm until then. And crucially, all the released wines had already sold out. With nothing left in the warehouse, when else would they take a break?
Perhaps noticing the ease in my expression, Joseph Higgins asked with a slightly puzzled look.
"Don't tell me all the released wines are already cleared out?"
"Yes... but there wasn't a huge quantity to begin with. Aschelon was only 2,000 cases, and Sylphide was 3,000."
"Hmm..."
By the standards of Harrington Winery or Castello Winery, it was certainly a very small amount. The two men looked at each other for a moment. Mark then turned to me and said,
"Are you still sourcing the Pinot Noir this year?"
"Yes. I think we'll release a similar amount next year."
A hint of relief washed over Mark's face. He clearly thought that if the supply were ten times larger than the 3,000 cases of Sylphide, it would have been a blow to his own winery. Honestly, I wanted to produce 30,000 cases, but that was impossible for now. I was still debating how much to increase production, knowing that signing new block contracts for Pinot Noir now would be incomparably more expensive than the first time.
"I see."
This time, Joseph Higgins asked,
"And Aschelon?"
Aschelon was a direct competitor to Castello Winery, whose flagship was Cabernet Sauvignon.
"I think we might hit 4,000 cases?"
As soon as I said the production would double, I saw the corners of his eyes twitch. It was still far less than their capacity, but the fact that the production of a flagship wine was doubling seemed to bother him.
"4,000 cases... I see. Anyway, congratulations. It's a good thing for the long term that such good wine continues to be produced here in Napa Valley."
In truth, Joseph was right. In the long run, if high-quality wineries continued to emerge in Napa Valley, the brand value of the region itself would rise, driving up prices. The problem was the absurd profit gap between the wines that actually elevated the brand reputation and the wineries that simply benefited from the rising tide.
"Thank you. I’ll keep working hard to maintain the high standards."
At my words of gratitude, their faces stiffened even further.
"Y-yes, you do that."
"......"
Joseph Higgins gave an awkward laugh and patted my shoulder, while Mark Harrington simply stared at me with a complex expression.
Three days after the wine event in San Francisco, a strange car pulled up in front of the Redwood Winery. A middle-aged man stepped out of a black SUV, adjusted his neat suit, and looked around the farm. He wore a smile as he took in the characteristic desolation of the post-harvest vineyards.
"So this is where it was made...?"
A young man who followed him out captured the scenery with his camera and said,
"But they say the owner here is Asian. Two Double Golds—is that even possible?"
"That’s what I’m curious about. How on earth did they do it? I’m definitely grabbing a bottle of Aschelon, which is apparently impossible to find now."
Coming from New York, he had managed to get his hands on three bottles of Sylphide as soon as he read the news, looking quite satisfied. Word was that Sylphide was widely distributed in the Eastern U.S., while Aschelon was mostly in the West, and it was becoming as rare as hen's teeth.
He passed through the farm entrance and slowly walked up to the winery. When he met the young man waiting for him, he offered a greeting.
"Is this Redwood Winery?"
A deep, charming voice. He immediately took out a business card and handed it to the young Asian man. He was already convinced he had found the right place just by meeting an Asian owner.
Michael Lowell
Senior Editor, Wine Enthusiast
Wine Enthusiast was a major American wine magazine often compared to Wine Spectator. I accepted the card with a smile.
"Thank you for coming."
"Two Double Golds—I hopped on a plane the moment I heard the news. I felt a single line in an article wouldn't be enough."
"I apologize, but the owner, my father, is away. What should we do?"
"I already spoke with him on the phone. He seems to rely on you quite a bit, doesn't he? He told us it would be better to interview you instead, so we don't mind at all."
"If that’s the case... would you like to take photos first?"
"Thank you."
Michael’s gaze was already scanning the vineyard. The cameraman began filming the aging cellar and the exterior of the building at his signal.
When I opened the cellar door, the cool air and the scent of oak barrels drifted out. Michael took a deep breath and nodded.
"This scent... it has a depth rarely found in a startup winery. Do you use a blend of French and American oak?"
I was slightly surprised, but replied,
"Yes, for the Cabernet, I used 70% French and 30% American oak. For the Pinot Noir, I only use French oak to preserve the softness of the Russian River fruit, but it’s a custom crush, so it’s not kept here."
"And what about the toast level? Medium? Medium+?"
The question was sharp. It was the expertise of someone who could guess the profile just from the scent of the cellar without even tasting the wine.
"Medium+ for the Cabernet, and Medium for the Pinot Noir. I wanted to ensure the fruit notes of the Pinot weren't masked."
Michael scribbled something quickly in his notebook and studied me. I knew what that expectant look in his eyes meant. It was clearly a signal to bring out the wine I had prepared.
Although the released stock was effectively gone, I had kept about five cases of each wine at the winery just in case. I brought up the Aschelon and Sylphide stored in the cellar.
I opened the Aschelon with an opener and poured it into a decanter. Michael watched the red light flowing through the transparent decanter as if spellbound.
"I'll leave the Aschelon to breathe for a moment to wake up the aromas. Let’s experience the Sylphide first."
When I opened the Sylphide and poured it into a clear glass, the sound of camera shutters rang out in succession. Michael swirled the glass, observing the color clinging to the glass walls.
"Russian River Valley Single Vineyard... interesting. Pinot Noir is delicate, so startups rarely attempt it. Why did you choose this? The timing doesn't match the Sideways effect, as you had already pre-purchased the grapes."
"I considered it a challenge from the start, but I wasn't particularly afraid. And I thought Pinot Noir had a special character that our farm's Cabernet Sauvignon couldn't show, which made it very attractive. I wanted to try it. I had faith that even if it didn't go well, I wouldn't suffer a loss."
Michael lifted the glass, inhaled the aroma, and closed his eyes for a moment.
"...Raspberry, violet, and a subtle spice note. It’s hard to believe this is from such a short aging period."
"Thank you."
After taking a sip of the Sylphide, Michael closed his eyes again, fully savoring the finish. He opened them slowly and looked at the glass in his hand with an expression of awe.
"So this is it. This is why you received the Double Gold. Russian River Valley Pinot Noir in just one year... it’s astonishing."
"Thank you."
"Did you know? Unlike Aschelon, Sylphide is widely distributed in the Eastern U.S. Is there a special reason for that?"
"Ah, that’s the distributor’s strategy. We didn't have any special involvement."
"Oh... I see."
"Aschelon was handled by a distributor active in this area, so it didn't leave California, but Sylphide had a different distributor, so I suppose they used a different strategy."
"It’s interesting that a single winery can have different distributors."
"Haha, it just happened that way."
"I heard Aschelon has already become difficult to find...?"
"Aside from the few cases we have at the winery, it’s probably impossible to find on the market. Only 2,000 cases were released to begin with..."
His eyes sparkled.
"Do you happen to have any Aschelon in stock?"
He was asking while secretly hoping, knowing full well I would have some. Since Wine Enthusiast had a review and rating system, I couldn't help but offer him a bottle.
"Yes, I have about a bottle..."
Michael, wearing a look of pure emotion, pointed to the Aschelon that was decanting.
"And that one over there...?"
"Haha, I’ll make sure you get that one."
"Hahahaha! Thank you. I’ll have to savor this."
Michael, who had burst into a laugh of joy, looked at me with shining eyes, lowered his voice, and asked subtly,
"With two Double Golds at once, you’ve suddenly become the dark horse of Napa Valley. From now on, Redwood Winery will be under everyone’s spotlight, and the prices for the 2005 Aschelon and Sylphide will be different from what they are now, won't they?"
"Hmm... nothing is finalized regarding the pricing..."
I avoided a definitive answer, but he just gave a meaningful smile as if he knew the answer, and continued,
"Redwood Winery is clearly smaller in scale compared to the existing large wineries in Napa and Sonoma. I’m curious how you plan to overcome that in the future. Will you continue as a small winery, maintaining Redwood’s unique color...?"
"It’s a point of concern, but for Sylphide, which is contract-produced, I plan to focus on consistently securing high-quality Pinot Noir."
"Oh, so you have plans to release more Sylphide?"
"It will be difficult next year, but I think it will be possible the year after. Along with that, I am also considering expanding the farm."
He looked at me with an impressed face.
"Expanding the farm with the money you’ve earned... I’m curious about the future of Redwood. Once the article on Aschelon and Sylphide is published in our magazine, the thousands of cases of Sylphide currently distributed in the East will completely vanish. But that’s not necessarily a good thing. Wine lovers will remember Redwood’s 2004 Sylphide. If the subsequent vintages don't live up to expectations..."
He was already convinced that the Aschelon and Sylphide released next year would become cult-level wines worth over $100. It would bring massive profits to the winery, but if the quality of the wine released then didn't match the hype, wine magazines and critics would be merciless.
"I know. They will be even more disappointed."
At my calm, matter-of-fact attitude, Michael nodded and downed the Sylphide in one go. Then, he stared intently at the Aschelon, which was reaching its peak flavor.
Only after waiting for a reasonable amount of time while discussing wine did Michael take a sip of the decanted Aschelon.
"My goodness..."
Surprised by the heavy structure and balance, he looked at me, hesitated for a moment, and said,
"Would it be possible to buy one more bottle of Aschelon? It’s not for me—there’s someone I really want to gift it to."
I couldn't bring myself to say no to him, as he looked at me with such complex eyes.