A classic white Jaguar convertible approaches them, coming up the drive. It's driven by a flashy blonde in a blue beret. She eyes them with curiosity, but overlays that with a smile that conveys: hey, we're all wine lovers, right?
They turn and walk back toward the parking area. They cross a wide flagstone walkway in front of the gracious stucco winery and look up at its red-tiled roof and the stone steps that lead up to the building's entrance.
Through his dark glasses, Cory can see that the massive carved wooden doors of the entrance are ajar, allowing the sounds of music and conversation to float out into the afternoon air. Water splashes pleasingly down the ornate tiers of a tall granite fountain at the base of the stone steps and Cory now spots a tree-lined path that continues up the hill beyond the building. He reminds himself that the guy he is playing today can't know any of these visual details.
Dawn points to an artistically-rendered wooden sign near the fountain that bears the family insignia found on every bottle of Trella's famous wines, a beautiful green and gold rooster. Today the sign is also sporting green and gold balloons.
Cory pauses at the foot of the steps, pulling back on Snoots, who is eager to ascend them. "Let's do it," he sighs under his breath.
Rob smiles at him. "Show time."
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Trella Tasting Room. Toby Rovati is standing along the long side of an L-shaped bar, chatting with Joe Trella and the two invited wine masters, who are sitting on bar stools.
The high-ceilinged interior of the tasting room is bathed in golden afternoon light, flooding through picture windows and the open doors.
Along the shorter end of the L-shaped bar are three sets of five wine glasses and three stainless steel buckets. There are also five opened bottles of wine wrapped in plain brown paper.
Two black-clad servers with trays dart quietly around the room offering small glasses of perfectly chilled Trella sauvignon blanc to the guests, who have each paid one hundred and seventy five dollars to attend this scholarship fundraiser. Couples in dressy-casual attire mill about, sipping their wine and swirling it over their tongues.
"You have to wonder what these new patent filings mean in terms of the direction they'll be taking with digital media over netbooks and smart phones." This comment is made by one of two entrepreneurs who have flown their plane up for the weekend. Both men are in their thirties, dressed in expensive Italian shirts and dockers, and are currently at the center of a small cluster of people. Their plane is parked at the local airport.
In another small cluster, a suntanned woman in white silk pants is holding the attention of several other chic ladies. The tanned woman's thick blonde hair is pulled straight back into a classic pony tail. Her laughter is assertive, socially polished. "He's just opened a second spa in Santa Barbara. You must absolutely try the coca-leaf body mask."
Figures appear in the doorway of the tasting room; it's Rob followed by Dawn, and then Snoots in his harness who is leading Cory, now in deep cover as a blind man with near extra-sensory wine-tasting abilities.
The guests direct their attention toward the striking foursome. Toby recognizes Rob and Dawn immediately. He looks at Joe and gestures to the new arrivals and he and Joe walk over to greet them.
Snoots leans his head forward eagerly, tail high, sniffing Toby. Dawn rests her hand firmly on the dog's head to control him. She's trying to be nonchalant, but Snoots is a wiggling mass of excited dog flesh.
Toby and Joe see the harness, the glasses, and without broadcasting surprise on their faces, reach the obvious conclusion -- the Taster is blind.
Toby smiles at Dawn, extending his hand. "Hello again."
He then offers his hand to Cory, who looks straight ahead and does not shake until Toby has made actual contact with his hand. "Toby Rovati. Two Ravens."
"Hey. I really like your '07 Fire Lake and '07 Love Child."
Toby smiles broadly. "Greatly appreciated. Let me introduce you to the man behind the event today, and the owner of this magnificent winery, Joe Trella."
Joe shakes Cory's hand firmly, looking straight at the impenetrable dark glasses. "Welcome to Trella family winery. I hope today will be a fun event for all of us. Denis and Julie from the Association of California Wine Masters are here and they are so interested to meet you."
Snoots pulls forward eagerly, wanting to inspect more of the crowd. Dawn takes his collar again to slow him down a little. He's looking right and left with a happy dog grin. It's his lab breed coming through at the moment -- a party!
Cory, from behind the protective concealment of his dark glasses, can see the surprised looks of the people near him.
"I'm still training him. He's excited to be in a crowd," he explains, hoping the dog will settle down soon.
Joe nods empathetically. "Anything we can do to help, please let me know." He leads Cory by the elbow to the wine masters.
The male wine master is late forties, somewhat stout and jovial-faced. His dark hair and goatee are combed neatly and he wears no tie with his casual sports jacket and slacks. He clasps Cory's hand firmly. "So, the Taster behind Blind Tasting. Denis Stafford."
Snoots pushes his nose between Denis's legs for attention, which startles him, but he smiles pleasantly at the dog. "Well, my friend, hello to you, too."
He reaches down to pet Snoots briefly, then turns back to Cory. "Let me introduce my colleague, Julie Laroche."
Julie turns her face toward Cory, her green eyes curious and intelligent. Her shoulder-length light red hair is stylishly layered with sweeping bangs that partly conceal dark brows. Her black clothing has a French flair, a tapered blouse and capri-style jeans.
Cory is startled by how young she seems compared to Denis. Probably not even thirty.
"What gave you the idea for your blog?" she asks Cory. "Those types of matches you are making. It's an unusual slant, gutsy."
Cory smiles self-effacingly. "'Gutsy' is one word for it. I can think of others."
She laughs. "Well, you seem to be doing well. Leonard is not easily impressed."
He bows his head deferentially. "My tastings focus on California wineries predominately. I have a lot of exposure to them."
"What about French?" she asks, crossing her legs. Cory covertly notices her shapely feet clad in dark-red sling-back heels.
"Only indirectly through Paso Robles."
"Paso Robles is hardly Bordeaux." She's more serious now.
Cory is beginning to stress. He's feeling both wired and exhausted. He's got to stay focused for the next couple of hours.
"You're right. But some of the vintners in Paso Robles are from France. They're experimenting with French styles."
He wonders if he said that too aggressively. Don't antagonize these wine judges.
Her response is a little more gentle. "Yes, they've nicknamed it 'Pareaux' to rhyme with 'Bordeaux'.'"
"Is your interest more in French wine than in Californian?" Cory asks her. He wants to know something about the wine masters he's about to go up against. Just in case Snoots fails to perform in this setting.
"France is where I got most of my training. I was married to a grower and winemaker in Bordeaux."
He notes her use of the past tense.
Denis touches his arm. "Joe is making motions that we should be starting." Denis leads Cory to the far end of the bar where the bottles wrapped in plain paper are ready and waiting.
Cory sits down on a stool and encourages Snoots to sit. He has forgotten to switch on the batteries!
One of the black-clad assistants is standing behind the bar, looking at him. "I'll be pouring for you. I'll be happy to hand you each glass."
His heart is racing. He's got to activate his shoes and his glasses. He speaks to the assistant in a calm voice that belies his internal state. "If you just pour, I'll find them. But thanks."
He commands Snoots to lie down as he casually touches his hand to his temple, rubbing it slightly. He finds the little switch and pushes it on, the
reassuring red LED is glowing.
Snoots is still sitting, looking around the room, panting lightly. He yawns, and abruptly lies down, but his tail is pointing toward Cory's feet.
This won't work. Cory feels his heart pounding in his throat.
He nudges the dog up with his left sneaker, reaching down as he does so, and quickly locates the switch inside the shoe. A tiny blue light pulses in the glasses -- one bluetooth connection established. Snoots circles around and settles back down with his nose pointing toward Cory.
Cory wonders what his pulse rate is right now. He leans over, on the pretext of arranging the harness on his dog, and touches inside his right shoe and the second blue light pulses on. Okay. Rob was damn good with the electronics. James Bond grade.
"Everything okay?"
Cory is suddenly aware that Denis is speaking to him.
"Yeah, thanks. I just had to get my dog settled. He's learning what different...positions mean."
The tinkling of a spoon on a glass is heard and conversation in the room ceases. Joe is standing behind the bar facing the assembled crowd. He loves holding court in his winery.
"So, welcome everyone. It's a pleasure to have you all here for this festive, worthwhile, and I hope, extraordinary event. All of you here love wine. That's why you came." He pauses, making a small, mischievous shrug. "Unless perhaps you were hoping to impress a date."
The humor works. There is appreciative laughter. He's on a roll now.
"Wine lovers are adventurous types I find. You like to explore. So today we are going to explore what I think is an interesting and complex landscape of vintages. All of you will be tasters today. We've set up tables, each with a different flight of bottles. You will all have the chance to sample and judge these flights, and, ready for the challenge? See whether you can identify the varietal, the region, the winery, and if you are really good, the vintage. The taster with the most correct guesses will receive a magnum of Trella's 2004 Golden Vale GSM."
There are appreciative murmurs and bright applause. That is a three-hundred-dollar bottle of wine. Joe nods his acknowledgment. "It won't be easy, but it'll be fun. But before we begin, we'll have a chance to see how the pros do it. We are honored to have two distinguished members of the Association of California Wine Masters with us today, Denis Stafford and Julie Laroche."
More applause as Joe points out the two wine masters. "I've known Denis for years and had the pleasure of meeting Julie last fall at the California International Wine Expo. Julie has deep ties to the Bordeaux region of France, but we won't hold it against her."
Laughter. Joe now looks at Cory. "And as a special treat, we have with us today, the mystery man behind Blind Tasting, the new Bay Area blog that's been attracting so much attention." Joe smiles. “Including the attention of Leonard Pillar."
More applause. Joe nods his head in affirmation and continues, "It's with great personal pleasure that I'd like to introduce The Taster."
Enthusiastic applause. Cory looks in the direction of the crowd and nods. He feels as though he's downed four double shots of espresso. The attendant begins to pour the wines into the glasses in front of him.
Joe continues. "We'll be pouring some special vintages for these folks, and they'll be sharing their views. Watch and learn. I must point out that this type of blind tasting is extremely challenging and, because of that, rarely done. The only information our judges have been given is that these are red wines selected from Napa and Sonoma and all the vintages are from 2004 or later. Believe me, that leaves the field wide open. So, we should be especially impressed by the willingness of our experts today to put their talents to this test in such an open forum."
Big applause. Joe now extends his arm toward Toby. "Finally, I'd like to thank Toby Rovati of Two Ravens, my long-time friend and a rising star among Sonoma winemakers these days."
Toby smiles graciously at the applause. He appears suave, yet rustic, with his Mediterranean features and deep eyes. His green chambray shirt is becoming on him, setting off the olive tones of his skin. Skin burnished by countless hours under the Sonoma sun.
Joe looks out across the crowd, enjoying the moment. "Toby helped put together the wines for today's tasting. Please know that all proceeds from today's event will go to supporting our Scholarship Fund for Resilient Viticulture, which helps to ensure the continuation and thriving of our great winemaking traditions here in Napa. We are blessed with the natural qualities of this great valley and we feel a sense of pride and humility to be part of this special community."
More applause. Joe looks at the trio of wine tasters at the bar, their glasses now filled. "So without further ado, let our tasting begin. And let me invite you all to enjoy the buffet afterwards on the patio." Joe points to the french doors that open onto a spacious red-brick terrace. "Enjoy some excellent tapas from Chef Manny's kitchen at Lobo's."
There is loud applause and a few cheers. Joe magnanimously extends an arm in the direction of the tasters, and ducks out from behind the bar to join his guests, who have gathered in around the bar to watch.
Chapter Thirty
It's time. Carefully, Cory slides his left hand in front of the wine glasses, lightly touching the base of each one. He can see them, but this has to look real. When he reaches the leftmost glass, he moves his hand past it, then returns to it, picking it up and swirling the wine in it gently.
He brings the glass slowly to his nose and inhales, immediately realizing he likes the wine's bouquet. For one instant he forgets his nerves and the fakery of his persona and just enjoys the good wine in his glass. His mind snaps back to attention, realizing the performance has begun.
Julie is working the corresponding glass in her own set, swirling and sniffing. She takes a small taste and savors it. She spits the wine into the stainless bucket next to her.
She turns her head slightly to address the watching crowd. "There's a lot of red fruit, raspberry, cherry. This is a well-balanced pinot noir."
Julie jots down notes, picks up her second glass and swirls, tastes and spits. She nods. "A lot of tannin. A pleasant mouth." She takes a sip of water to cleanse her palate before proceeding to the third glass.
Denis takes a shot at the first wine they've all sampled. "A pinot noir from Sonoma, perhaps from Carneros." He tastes more, after spitting. "I won't guess the vintage just yet, but it's got the dense black cherry, excellent acidity of a first-rate pinot noir."
While the two wine masters report their initial impressions, Cory executes his first finger ballet in public. He slides his left hand up the bowl of the glass and lifts it, swirling more to let the wine just touch his left thumb. Then he raises his right hand in order to hold the glass with both hands. The left hand moves casually to his lap while the right hand keeps swirling the glass as he inhales the wine's nose in concentration. He finally tastes it as he waits for Snoots.
The dog sniffs the offered thumb, now mostly out of view with Cory’s left hand resting between his legs. Snoots hovers his snout over the left shoe, then the right shoe. He returns to the left one.
Cory feels light pressure on the ‘west side’ of the shoe. The little LCD inside his dark glasses is displaying text!
05 dk mn pinot-nr russ-r
He feels a rush of exhilaration, the thrill of invention, hard work and training coming together, yielding results. His thoughts come rapidly. It certainly tastes like a pinot noir, and Denis and Julie have already made that call. But Denis guessed Carneros. Cory remembers there is one other pinot noir sample on the right shoe and it's from Carneros in Sonoma. What is it? But Snoots would have picked that if Denis were on track. The wine he's swirling in his hand must be closer to Russian River vines. He trusts the dog's nose.
Should he go for it? It's not necessarily from Dark Moon, but he'll at least bring up their name.
"Yeah, it's certainly a Sonoma cool climate pinot noir, but I think it's from the Russian River. Almost surely 2005. Dark Moon comes to mind."
"Terrific call!" Jo
e didn't expect such a quick answer. He may as well reveal the wine, given Cory's answer. "The left-most glass does contain a Russian River '05 pinot noir, although it happens to be from Firelight, their north slope. But, those vineyards abut several blocks of Dark Moon's pinot noir."
There is spontaneous applause. Julie and Denis look at Cory in surprise.
Cory picks up the second glass of wine with his left hand. He swirls, aware that many eyes are watching him now. He'll let Denis and Julie offer their first impressions before he says anything. Assuming he has anything to say. After that first big success, he can probably get away with a bad call at this point.
It's his forefinger that picks up the sample drop this time. He repeats the hand switch and drops the left hand down casually, slowly, while his attention is fully focused on the glass of wine in his right hand.
Snoots, obscured by Cory's legs, sniffs the forefinger, reviews the sneakers, and returns to the right high top, pressing the center of the toe, upper level.
06 avatar cab-franc diam-mnt napa
Cory thrills to see the data on the LCD again. He suddenly realizes he's grinning and quickly drops into a more serious expression.
He takes a mouthful of the wine, savoring it slowly. They seem to be waiting for him to speak first this time. Fair enough.
"This is predominately cabernet franc. From Napa, I'm guessing the Diamond Mountain appellation."
He sips more in genuine admiration. "It's got kind of velvety red berry and spice, not a heavy wine, but it has a lot going on. This might be one of Avatar's '06 releases. If not, it's an '06 vintage of stature."
Joe looks expectantly at the two wine masters.
Denis offers his view. "I think it's more of a cabernet-sauvignon cabernet-franc blend, probably Knights Valley in Sonoma. It could be '06, but it might be '04."
Julie nods her agreement with Denis' call.
Joe smiles. "We'll split the difference. The wine in that glass is a Pavio from their Black Dove vineyard in Knight's Valley." Joe acknowledges Denis and Julie.
Blind Tasting Page 16
