[The Re-tasting (1)]
May 2006. The early summer weather in Napa Valley was warm and sunny.
Christopher’s steps as he walked toward COPIA (The American Center for Wine, Food & the Arts) were as light as the weather, but the moment he saw the massive banner hanging at the main entrance, he felt a shiver run down his spine.
[Judgment of Paris 30th Anniversary Retasting 1976-2006]
There wasn't a single person working in the California wine industry who wasn't looking forward to this event. Christopher was no exception. He was half-excited and half-worried about what the results would be this time around.
Inside the convention hall, preparations were in full swing. Wine critics, sommeliers, professors, and reporters were gathered, each holding a freshly printed list of judges.
The list, with French and American names placed side-by-side, only added to the tension.
"If the French judging panel has Michel Bettane and Jean-Pierre Rouan, then the Americans have Christopher White and Kenneth Lee," someone muttered.
"Isn't Rouan the guy who assisted with the judging back at the original Judgment of Paris?"
"That's him. He was in his thirties back then, but now he's a legend in France."
Amidst the buzzing whispers, Christopher organized his documents and let out a deep breath. The mere fact that he was in charge of the tasting was a heavy burden.
Thirty years ago, a single tasting had shifted the center of the wine world. Could it happen again?
"Mr. White."
It was an aide to the NVV president calling him from behind. The aide handed Christopher the schedule for the day of the event and said, "You mentioned you were distributing the Sylphide from Redwood Winery for the upcoming 'New Blood of Napa,' right?"
"That's correct. Please pass any Redwood-related matters to me, and I will relay them."
"Excellent. The event program starts at 9:30 AM. There will be a panel talk titled 'After Judgment: Where Does Napa Go Next?' Then, at 11:00 AM, there's a new-generation wine tasting session. We'll be tasting the 2004/2005 vintages, and each producer will have three minutes for a presentation. Redwood will be included in this."
"Oh, I see."
Since they could showcase the Aschelon and Sylphide, both of which had received Double Gold, it was essentially Redwood's stage to dominate. It was just a pity that, aside from the tasting itself, they had almost no stock left to capitalize on the explosive sales this event would likely trigger.
Regardless, looking at the participating wineries, there weren't many that stood out.
Silver Oak Winery
Duckhorn Estate
Redwood Winery
He was pleased that Redwood was the final act.
"Each winery will likely try to show off their strengths. Would you happen to know what Redwood's strength is?"
"As of now... I haven't been able to confirm that part yet."
"Understandable. By the way, the day before the re-tasting, there is a seminar co-hosted by the Napa Valley Vintners & Wine Institute called 'Legacy & Innovation,' where young winemakers will demonstrate barrel samples and new blending techniques."
"Is that so?"
"Perhaps...?"
Christopher waved his hand with a regretful expression.
"To show barrel samples... as far as I know, almost all of their finished wine has already been sold out."
"My goodness... It’s clear why Redwood Winery deserved to win two Double Golds."
"Indeed. And I doubt they will participate in the new blending technique demonstration, either."
In Christopher's view, Brian wasn't the type to constantly show off his abilities. If he were that kind of person, he would have stepped to the front himself from the very beginning instead of letting his father do it.
Especially when he had asked how he had captured the structure of Sylphide at the Grendel Hill vineyard, the way Brian had answered—as if it were too precious to give away—had left a lasting impression on him, even if he hadn't shown it at the time.
With a personality like that, it was clear Brian wouldn't want to reveal his blending techniques to the public.
"A pity. Regardless, the atmosphere will change significantly depending on the results of the re-tasting, so please tell them to prepare well."
"Understood. I will pass that along."
If they won this re-tasting, which was meant to re-evaluate the same vintage wines used in the 1976 Judgment of Paris, it was certain that the momentum would draw even more attention to the 'New Blood of Napa' event to follow.
At that same time, in the Redwood Winery laboratory, only the quiet hum of the cooling unit filled the air. I sat staring at the computer monitor, a pen in one hand and coffee in the other.
Two data sheets were open side-by-side on the screen.
[Heart Vineyard]
[Grendel Hill Vineyard]
The harvest was still a long way off, but I needed to organize my thoughts before the season arrived. If I could set the direction for the wine before the grapes even ripened, I could begin the aging process much faster. If I started worrying about what kind of wine to make only after receiving the grapes, I would waste a significant amount of time.
Several printed tables were scattered next to my laptop, each row detailing sunlight exposure, humidity, wind speed, iron content in the soil, and organic matter levels. On the desk lay a small Flavor Map chart.
This was a chart I had created myself.
The horizontal axis represented sunlight, the vertical axis represented acidity, and each dot was a coordinate for a flavor obtainable from the grapes. 'Cherry' was marked in the center, 'Vanilla' at the bottom right, and 'Spice' at the top corner.
I was trying to capture the flavor profile of the wine I wanted to create—exactly as I used to do in the research lab.
"Something different from Sylphide..."
For other wines, I had simply thought about making a decent wine by recalling memories from before my regression, but after accepting Mr. Elias's request, I couldn't just do that. Was it a sense of competitiveness?
Just as I was deeply immersed in my research, I heard my father's voice from outside.
"Brian! Your friends are here."
I looked up at the clock and realized three hours had already passed. I hurried out to find Chloe, Armando, and Jacob in the office.
"As expected, the winemaker heading to the 30th-anniversary re-tasting is always busy," Armando said, half-teasing. Beside him, Chloe narrowed her eyes and glared at me.
"You invited all of them? I thought you only invited me..."
As I turned my head away, Jacob defended me.
"He only invited you at first, but Armando got the re-tasting details from the association and called Brian right away. Hahaha... You should have seen how upset he was that we weren't invited."
Armando, arms crossed, nodded and looked up at Chloe. "Isn't that obvious? I got close to Brian way before you did. Since when were you even close to him anyway?"
"Funny! What does the order matter?"
"It matters. And you might not know this, but Asians are sensitive to order and age. Right?"
He suddenly passed the baton to me.
"Well, it depends on the situation, but..."
"See, he said I'm right!"
"How is that being right?!"
At this point, my father stepped in, bringing out some snacks he had kept in the office. "Don't fight, just eat and talk. Want some wine? You're all over twenty-one now, so it's fine, right?"
"I drove, so I'm fine."
"I'll take some, it's not that far."
Only Armando accepted the wine, while the others opted for juice. In truth, Armando's Aguna Creek farm was over a thirty-minute drive away, but in this neighborhood, it was practically the countryside, and almost no one here considered a few glasses of wine to be drunk driving.
It was a neighborhood inhabited by people who mostly thought of wine as a soft drink.
Of course, it wasn't just because Armando drank wine like water; he simply couldn't refuse a chance to drink our winery's wine.
"What are you giving me?"
"I have a few barrels of Aschelon left."
I was referring to the barrels we kept without selling to preserve the history of the winery.
"Ohhh—this is why I want to come here often!"
"What about the vinegar? It's about time for it to be released, right?"
Armando smiled contentedly. "That's right. John Anderson got a call right on time. He said there are a ton of customers waiting. Three supermarket chains and two department store chains have already sent proposals. So, I'm planning to raise the price a little and release a premium line by aging some of the vinegar in the empty oak barrels at the winery."
"Oh, that's a great idea."
"My mom and stepfather, who were worried at first, are finally at ease because of the orders coming in."
"How's the state of the vinegar?"
"I brought some, just in case."
As if he had been waiting, Armando pulled a small bottle of vinegar from his bag. As he popped the cap, a sour yet deep grape aroma filled the office. I took a teaspoon, dipped it into the vinegar, and took a small sip.
"Hmm, not bad."
"Right?"
"Because of the Merlot, the flavor is slightly different from the original, but it's not bad at all. It's excellent. If you age it in an oak barrel for about six more months, it'll get even deeper."
At my praise, Armando's mouth stretched wide.
"Great, great. When the oak-aged vinegar is released, I'll send you some first."
"Me too."
"Send me some too."
Jacob, and even Chloe, who had been bickering just a moment ago, were greedy for it.
"Don't worry. I'll send it. Just promote it to the people around you in return."
"Obviously."
Since all four of my friends were essentially running their own businesses, promoting each other's work was a given.
Next, Jacob pulled a bottle from the paper bag he had brought.
"Can you taste this for me?"
Armando immediately showed interest. "What's this?"
"It's a high-end Soju made with the premium recipe Brian taught me before."
"Is it different from 'The One'?"
"That one is more like a refined vodka with pure alcohol, but this is different—it's a Soju with a rich grain aroma. The scent alone is different when you drink it."
"Let's try it. Open it up."
Jacob opened the bottle and poured the liquor into a glass, and a deep, mellow grain aroma spread through the air.
"The feeling is different from Sake, isn't it?"
"Yeah, but I was wondering what you'd think."
I lifted the glass and inhaled the aroma. Instead of the sharp, stinging alcohol scent of vodka, it was much smoother, and a heavy, subtle fragrance from the rice was noticeable. I took a slow sip; the texture in my mouth was surprisingly soft, and a lingering, subtle sweetness remained in the aftertaste.
"It's good."
"Really?"
"Hmm..."
Jacob tensed up at my hesitant reaction. A student at school might have stopped there, but since this was a product to be sold to consumers, I honestly pointed out what was lacking.
"It's good, very good. But... it needs a little more refinement. Right now, the aromas overlap slightly, creating a pile-up rather than a complex harmony. Keep the grain aroma, but try reducing the alcohol scent in the middle layer by 5%."
"Reduce the alcohol?"
"No, not the distillation temperature... reduce the 'lead time.' If you cut the time it takes to cool down after distillation by three minutes, you can cool it before the volatile aromatic compounds escape. If you do that, the aroma of the first sip will be much clearer. It's good enough for people who already enjoy Soju, but for someone drinking it for the first time, it might feel a bit bland."
Jacob nodded repeatedly. "Okay, I can try that right away. I'll do that."
"Great. Have you decided on a name yet?"
"Not yet... You name it later. I feel like it should have a name you choose."
"Sure, I'm looking forward to it. But keep in mind, this isn't familiar to Westerners, so don't expect a box-office hit from the start like The One."
"I know. I'm already making enough profit with The One anyway. It's fascinating and great to see the rice from my farm turned into this. My mom even has a glass every night before she sleeps now."
Armando chimed in with a joke. "At that rate, she'll become an alcoholic when she gets older. Stop her."
"Is that so?"
Seeing Jacob's happy expression, Armando shook his head and looked at me. "What do you think will happen at this re-tasting?"
"Who knows."
I knew the results, but I didn't say anything.
"The day you're going is the day after the main tasting ends, right?"
"Yeah."
"Then you'll see both you and Elaina there."
"Elaina?"
As I tilted my head, Armando looked at me with an expression that asked if I really didn't know.
"What, you didn't even look at the wineries participating that day?"
"I didn't really... but wait, no way...?"
"Yeah, I looked into it, and Silver Oak Winery is on the list. I was the only one getting excited about it."
Now that I thought about it, I had vaguely heard that Silver Oak's wine last year was decent.
"I see."
"It's not just 'I see.' I called and checked, you know? It's not Mr. Elowen Pike coming as the representative for Silver Oak."
"Oh? Then?"
"It's Elaina."
She had been quietly attending school since the wildfire incident... Even I was slightly surprised by this.