Page 360 (1/2)

Chapter 360: Wine Tasting

“Drank it?” Aubert’s voice took on a strange tone “That’s good Good! Once all of his bottles are gone, Jayer will fade in to legend” There was an audible undertone of resentment in his voice Clearly, there was a story there

“Since you all are true fans of good vintage, I insist you stay You’re in luck, in fact The grapes are ready… it’s time to create the wine This has bee in the work for three years You can see how things are done, and try some flor perhaps Since you’ve had some of my past creations, you’ll be able to better compare thehtedly “Thank you for your generosity, and hospitality” Wine had been a passion of his all his life The opportunity to try a wine made fresh at the hands of a master was like a dream co that Abuert de Villaine still lived!

“Gates, give them the tour if you would Then return, I’d like to hear their perspective” Aubrey indifferently relayed

Gates stood to the side, and indicated for the others to follow Once the three visitors offered their respects to de Villaine, they made to follow Lan Jue, the Pauper, and especially the Wine Master were almost in a daze as they mirrored Gates’ path This entire experience was unprecedented, culend Was this some sort of reincarnation, where the man becahteningly powerful! In retrospect, it was no surprise his Do Gates’ lead, they entered into the old stone building As soon as they entered, they were met with the rich scent of white oak The inside was almost entirely empty but for a massive cask in the center The wooden container was ten meters tall, perhaps six in diameter, and a mystery to the three visitors

Gates seemed to sense their curiosity “We use the most traditional methods in biodynamics to make our wines Part of that means absolutely no mechanical processes are employed For instance, we till the land with horse and oxen The grapes are harvested by hand, and only the best are selected”

“We spent a great deal of ti the soil here, all with the ulti those seven DRC wines to ate the land from the lake above That isn’t perfectly natural, perhaps, but we’ve taken pains to make this place as close to the mother world as possible Currently, our vines are about forty years old Once the wine is hteen or twenty fouron the crop Sadly, our barrels aren’t old, so they will likely impact the flavor and quality of our wine this year The result of our first harvest has already been bottles, while the others are still aging in casks It’s still mostly flor”

“Would we be able to sample some of the wine from your first year?” Lan Jue asked

Gates turned his attention to the young Jewelry Master, then nodded his head “Certainly Now that Master de Villaine has given his blessing, we encourage you to If you would please come with me”

They walked further in to the old stone fort, where they discovered a flight of steps Gates lead the stone staircase, and they followed in single file As they went on, Gates continued the tour

“Traditionally, wine cellars round The temperature rees Celsius with a stable level of hu process, that involves dust and bacteria, but all of it is part of a wine’s journey Accumulation is the key On the home world there were chateaus that had existed for thousands of years, passed down froeneration That, too, was a journey It was the accumulation of that ties”

“Are any of Aubret’s inheritors here a you?” the Wine Master asked

“Of course”

The Wine Master went on “And you ey here?”

“Actually no,” came Gates’ response “Master de Villaine preserved an old winery fro within it was exactly the sa its hay-day This isn’t that one, and in fact the original hasn’t been touched in ages We’re not even sure the contents are still intact”

Of course, thea as to make sure it hadn’t spoiled A spoiled wine, of course, made for a terrible experience Those wines that had reached such a state were siely wines that had been i

Both Lan Jue and the Wine Master’s eyes were bright with the prospect of what Gates had revealed There existed an intact winery froy to help control the wine’s environors of time would likely have spoiled all the contents The chance that any bottle survived was very slim indeed

The reached the bottom of the stairwell, and Gates pulled out a pair of wooden doors barring their path They shuffled in to the next roo, that rich oak scent rose up tohigh the stone roof of the s widely, one would discovery rows upon rows of oak barrels stacked on two levels with two barrels each They stretched on down to the dark recesses of the cellar’s far end

“We’ve just started, so we have around eleven hundred barrels About seven hundred of each vintage The first vintage has begun the bottle process, and the third has just been placed in their casks”