Memories of Thirty Years Ago (1)
Los Angeles, White & Co. Wine Trading.
Since early morning, Christopher had been staring at something with a furrowed brow. It was Blender, a magazine that, while perhaps not quite suited for his age, was a monthly subscription staple for any company dealing in alcohol.
There was a reason he was reading the magazine with such gravity.
[The One, Four Young Farmers of California.]
It was a feature article about a twenty-one-year-old who had started at a rural rice farm and gone on to build a distillery to sell spirits—a fresh, eye-catching story. But the reason it held his attention was that a figure he knew all too well had popped up in the pages.
Brian Choi, the young winemaker of Redwood Winery—it was that very young man.
Furthermore, the article also featured Jacob Miller, the distillery owner from Sacramento; Chloe Harris of the Brentwood cherry farm; and Armando Cortez, the vinegar maker from Alexander Valley. It was information he hadn't known at all, revealed to him through this magazine feature.
"I completely missed this."
'Redwood' and 'The One'.
Though they were different markets—wine and vodka—they were names that would undoubtedly stand at the center of the future. Seeing them tied together in a single article made his stomach churn.
"Damn it... I should have figured this out sooner."
There had certainly been opportunities. If he had gotten closer to Brian and dug a little deeper into the young man's life, he could have grasped the connections between these people. He couldn't help but look back at his own behavior, where he had focused solely on securing Sylphide like a customer buying goods at a grocery store.
It was regrettable, but it was already in the past. He let out a deep sigh and closed the magazine.
"I... I'm going to Napa!"
As if to shake off his disappointment, he left the company and headed for Napa Valley. He had a scheduled appointment. A gray building located in downtown Napa.
The American Center for Wine, Food & the Arts. Founded by Robert Mondavi, it was a non-profit cultural center, but people simply called it COPIA.
A place where wine, food, art, and philosophy breathed together, the building itself resembled a massive wine cellar. The exterior, a blend of glass, steel, and the red clay tones of Napa, shimmered softly under the winter sun.
Inside the spacious lobby, a giant steel sculpture stretched toward the ceiling, and the walls were adorned with photographs capturing the history of American wine and maps showing the distribution of grape varieties.
Each table had a badge with a winery logo placed on it; one glance was enough to tell that today's gathering was highly formal and important.
Christopher White, in attendance, adjusted his tie slightly and presented his invitation at the reception desk.
"White & Co., I'm Christopher White. This is an invitation sent by Chairman Robert Mondavi."
"Welcome, sir."
Behind the staff member's bright smile, the glass doors opened smoothly. As he stepped into the hall, familiar names caught his eye one by one.
Robert Mondavi, Joseph Phelps, Chuck Wagner of Caymus, Warren Winiarski of Stag's Leap. The figures who were called the very history of Napa were gathered in one place.
In one corner, UC Davis faculty members were discussing over wine glasses, and on the other side, sommeliers were busy checking the tasting tables.
"Welcome, White!"
A low, warm voice came from behind him. When he turned, an elderly man in a gray suit stood leaning on a cane. Robert Mondavi.
"Thank you for inviting me... Chairman Mondavi."
"It's been a while, hasn't it? Seeing you, who was once just a college student, grow into a giant in the wine industry makes me feel how much time has passed."
"You must stay to see the American wine industry grow even further."
"I've lived too long for that. But it's alright. Even if I go, there are many brilliant young friends, so I'm not worried. Anyway, glad you're here. Go take your seat."
"Yes."
After Christopher sat in the seat bearing his name, it was quite some time before Robert Mondavi climbed onto the podium. He slowly picked up the microphone and looked over the attendees, while on the large screen behind him, black-and-white photos changed in sequence.
[1976, Paris Judgment.]
In the famous 'Judgment of Paris' photo, there were the younger versions of Mondavi, Phelps, and Stag's Leap's Winiarski.
"My dear friends, this year marks exactly 30 years since the Judgment of Paris was held. In 1976, that was the very day California wine crossed the wall of the world."
Robert Mondavi's voice was low, but even at his advanced age, an intense passion remained, and the people in the hall listened in hushed silence.
The judging scores from that day appeared on the screen.
Chateau Montelena Chardonnay: 1st place.
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars: 1st place.
As if the shock of that time was being recreated, subtle exclamations leaked out from various places.
"This coming May, we will hold a 30th-anniversary event. It will be a stage where Napa wine challenges the world once again. On that day, here at 'Copia', we will taste French wine and Napa wine together."
Applause erupted among the crowd. Whether they would recreate the glory of that day or kneel before the greatness of French wine as they had before, the attendees wore expressions of mixed anticipation and worry.
Nevertheless, they couldn't help but feel excited.
At this moment, someone approached his side.
"Mr. Christopher?"
Turning his head, he saw Mark Harrington, a white man with a very handsome face. He was the most influential Pinot Noir producer in Sonoma, but considering that all 10 wines to be featured in this event were Cabernet Sauvignon, his presence today was a bit unexpected.
"It's been a while, Mark."
After shaking hands, Mark sat next to him and asked in a subtle voice.
"What do you think of this event?"
"What do I think of it?"
"I meant, how do you think the results will turn out?"
"Well. Surely the French wines will come out with sharpened knives, but I think we will get good results this time as well. Mr. Mondavi will certainly fight to win, staking Napa's honor on it."
Even if it wasn't just for the honor of Mondavi Winery, as Napa Valley's reputation rose, the Mondavi family's reputation would naturally rise with it. Therefore, it was important that a Napa-affiliated wine won, regardless of which winery it was.
"I see. It will be a blind test, of course, but I hope you will be impressed by American wine, Christopher."
"Hahaha, I'm just honored to have been invited to this place."
"By the way... there will likely be linked events held before and after the main event."
Only then did Christopher realize why this man was in attendance. If he thought about it deeply, there was no reason to miss the opportunity to showcase other varietals from the Sonoma region during such a large and important event.
At a time when the world's eyes were focused on Napa and France, they would surely hold other events to build up the atmosphere of the main event.
Mondavi had undoubtedly sought Mark Harrington's opinion on the sub-events to be held in Sonoma and the participating wineries.
"Ah... I see. What kind of events will be held?"
"First, there is a tasting series called California’s Future Icons, held for a week before and after the main event, as part of the Judgment Revisited Series. There will be talks with wine panels, and Christopher, you might be additionally invited to those."
"Oh, then...?"
"That's right. It seems our Harrington Winery's wine will be showcased at California’s Future Icons."
Mark, explaining proudly, soon straightened his shoulders and said with confidence.
"I'm not saying this to ask for special favors. I just hope that you, Christopher, who will be participating in the blind tasting at the main event, will also participate in the California’s Future Icons tasting, which is a sub-event."
It was a statement rooted in the belief that if he just participated, he would surely rate the wine from Harrington Winery favorably. It was immense confidence, but Christopher actually found it admirable.
Wine never reveals its results easily. Isn't wine a product where even a slight difference can send the year's evaluation to opposite extremes? Yet, he could see how much effort Mark must have put in to have that kind of confidence in the wine from his own winery.
"I understand. If such an opportunity comes my way, I will participate without refusal."
"Haha, thank you."
"But besides the tasting, what other events are there?"
Mark hesitated for a moment, then gave a faint smile.
"I heard that your company is distributing Redwood's Sylphide in the East. How is it? Is it doing well?"
"Yes, it's doing very well."
"Oh, really?"
To Mark, who asked with wide eyes, Christopher spoke honestly.
"It's hard to reveal exactly how much, but a significant portion of the stock we received from Redwood has already been sold, and in New York, a premium has already formed around Sylphide."
"That much? Did you intentionally hold back some of the stock?"
"That's hard to say."
The fact that they had intentionally held back stock. It meant that the distribution company valued the premium of this wine quite highly. If a $100 wine becomes a $200 or $300 wine, not only could the distribution company make a significant margin, but if they let it age for 5 or 6 years and it suddenly received high acclaim like an art piece, it would be no different from winning the lottery.
"Haha, is that so?"
Mark, who looked at Christopher with a mysterious smile for a moment, slowly opened his mouth.
"Actually, there is an event scheduled that you might like, Christopher."
"Me?"
"Yes, there is a session scheduled called 'New Blood of Napa' that invites young winemakers."
"Oho, that sounds interesting."
Wasn't this the perfect custom-made event for Redwood Winery?
"It's a session where new-generation wineries introduce their wines, and I have a feeling that Redwood, which received two double golds at the same time, will be the protagonist of this event."
"Haha... thank you for letting me know. I want to go to Redwood and deliver this news right away. Since it's not far, I'll stop by Redwood before I head back."
Christopher, feeling impatient to deliver the news, headed straight for Redwood as soon as the event ended.
A long, endless fence cutting through the farm. Every 30 meters or so, a panel hanging on the fence that read 'Do Not Trespass' along with the name Silveroak Hills Vineyards would clatter whenever the wind blew.
I would give a bitter smile every time I saw it, but in a way, I felt grateful that they were keeping the farm boundaries well on their own.
Honestly, if they had often come out to the fence and watched me tilling the soil, it would have been very troublesome, but the fact that they didn't even show their faces, as if to keep my secret, was very good.
Anyway, having spent a year creating the soil environment like this, I had perfectly restored it to a state where one wouldn't think it was land swept away by fire, and I finally started planting the seedlings.
They were one-year-old seedlings, so they still had a long way to grow, but I had already given up on commercial profit for 5 years from the moment I bought this land. So, I wasn't in a hurry at all when planting the seedlings; I just hoped they would take root well and adapt to the new soil.
As I was planting the seedlings with the workers, I saw someone walking from a distance.
"Brian!"
Since he was wearing a suit, which was attire that didn't fit the farm, I looked closely at the person walking toward me, and soon I realized it was Christopher, who should have been in LA.
He walked over with quick steps, and by the time he reached me, he was gasping for breath.
"Phew, that's exhausting."
"Hello. How did you know to come here?"
"Well, exactly. I went to Redwood, and Woody told me you were somewhere else and gave me this location. But... you have a new farm site in Napa? I didn't know."
"I bought it last winter. It came out cheap because of the wildfire."
"Ah... it's hard to imagine that this was a place where a wildfire occurred."
He looked around the farm, where it was hard to find any traces of the past, and shook his head.
"It's thanks to a lot of effort. But what's the matter?"
"Ah, it's good news. In the upcoming May, the Judgment of Paris 30th Anniversary Retasting will be held in Napa."
"Ah."
Honestly, I already knew that the event was being held around this time. And I also knew the results.
"And they say there's a session called 'New Blood of Napa' that invites young winemakers, and Redwood Winery will be invited. The eyes of people all over the world who love wine will be focused on it."
It was definitely a good thing, but I didn't understand why this person was so excited.
"Ah... yes..."
"Hahahaha! Are you stunned? It's okay. I'll help you."
When I didn't know what he was going to help with, he smiled with a look of triumph.
"I got a call from a farm in the Russian River Valley. They said it's possible to contract by the block as much as you want!"
At those words, I realized why this person was so happy.
"I'm the one spending the money, so why are you so happy?"
"Hahahaha! Isn't that money going to come back multiplied several times over!"
For him, thinking that it would be as profitable as making Sylphide, he couldn't help but be that happy.