His Excellency the Count of Grandet

I think so, but new wine is still more intoxicating after aging.So what Shire meant was to take good care of these wines and wait until he could use them.

Mr. Myron fully agrees with this view.It is a waste of money to use the wine they have worked so hard to get as the most common table wine; taste it for yourself, and the most correct handling posture is of course to continue to stay in the wine cellar, exuding a more pleasant and more delicious taste. The unique tannin fragrance can convince more people.

As for the rest of the wine, the two also discussed it.

As Shire previously considered, the wines in Bordeaux are generally of better quality than those in other regions, and it would be a bit of a waste to supply the troops who only need ordinary new wines.

But on the other hand, the wine always has to be sold, and selling the wine produced by the family also saves a sum of money that should have been earned by the vineyard owner.Moreover, the price gap of new wine is not too big, and the price gap of wine after several years of aging is big.

In addition, the yield of the newly planted grafted grapes this year was good, so the two of them thought together that the rest of the grapes should also be planted in this way.

In this way, there will be more wine to be aged in the future.Considering the space of the wine cellar and the time to pay back, the wine that was not very good before (compared to several years of aging) should be released in time.

So Shire is going to take out [-] barrels for special wine, and put the remaining hundreds of barrels in the wine cellar, and sell them at least one or two years later-this can just maximize the benefits.

In the next few days, Mr. Myron took Charles to show him the completely changed vineyard.After plowing and plowing, the land has become much leveler; the boulders have disappeared, and the rows of oak trees are rooted on the gravel ground, and they seem to be growing well; the still dense vines are stretched out in rows on the hills, like some Kind of slow movement.

"... those oak seedlings are planted with soil on their roots, which will allow them to survive better. As for those American grape vines, their roots are more developed, and their ability to adapt to land with better conditions is naturally good During the inspection break, Mr. Myron told Charles the details bit by bit, with a sense of satisfaction in his tone from beginning to end.

"Sounds good." Charles asked, thinking of the assistant question that Guillaume had mentioned with him, "But, with so many things to do, wouldn't it be better to find you a helper?"

Elderly people need to be taken care of, not to mention a capable partner like Mr. Miron?Although their agreement is that Mr. Myron will officially become the owner of Myron Castle after his death, so what does it matter?It is not easy to find another person who loves grape business so much!

"Are you worried that my body will not be able to bear it?" Mr. Myron smiled, his white beard trembling slightly. "I must thank you for your concern, but it is really not necessary. I love grapes, and I love them here; every year I see them bloom and bear fruit, I am younger!"

Charles pursed his lips and smiled. "I'm just making a suggestion, and of course it's up to you in the end. As long as you don't feel forced, I think it's the best thing to do."

"You're a charming young man, always have been; and if you really want to ease me up, go to Mr. Hampton!" said the old gentleman, with a playful tone, "I've stayed at Bordeaux Never been good at dealing with foreigners in all my life; and I think his wood is pretty good, whether it's oak or white oak."

This Mr. Hampton is the lumber merchant that Shire asked to bring back some grape vines from the United States.In fact, the scope of his business includes cherry wood, ash, ash, black walnut, etc., but the best-selling wood in Bordeaux is undoubtedly the wood that can be used to make wine barrels.

"I understand." Charles replied. "But I heard that the aroma of wood on the American side is generally stronger?"

"That's right, but there are also accidents. No matter what, you can try it." Mr. Myron didn't mind it too much. "I have been using local sessile oak before, and I should think about other directions."

Because of his previous impression—Mr. Myron is a good, conservative person—Charles was stunned at this moment.Then he thought, probably because American grapes are really effective, so Mr. Myron was persuaded invisibly, and began to feel that the quality is not judged only by the place of origin.As long as the details are perfectly controlled, innovation does not necessarily die on the beach.

So, when he is more focused on increasing the production of wine, has Mr. Miron thought of developing a series of wine products?Although judging from the brewing cycle of good wine, it is a bit ambitious to set such a goal now, but it is always good to want to develop.

"Okay, then that's settled." Charles nodded, and joked: "Although we use American grapes as rootstocks, maybe they just happen to be a perfect match?"

And that Mr. Hampton.As a qualified multinational panel merchant, he is committed to selling American timber to various places.This also means that he has to travel all over the world, usually no more than three times to a specific place in a year.It's wine season, and of course he's in Bordeaux, trying to find customers for next year—

Although according to the traditional view of the French, native grapes and oak are the best partners, and the sales of American wood are not very good; The price gap should not be too large!

So one can imagine Mr. Hampton's attitude towards Shire, who is interested in buying. "You have great foresight," he said to Charles. "This is an untapped treasure!"

This is an exaggeration.It’s not that no one has developed it, but that the French are generally more tricky in their tastes, and they like wines that can perfectly integrate various aromas—they recognize that such wines are high-quality goods.

The wine brewed from American white oak barrels has a stronger oak aroma.In addition, both American white oak and oak grow faster than French yellow oak, and their texture is not so dense. They are not suitable for wines that need to be aged for 20 to [-] years, because the barrels are changed more frequently.

Charles didn't mind much about Hampton's self-promotion.As a businessman, he always sells his products. More or less, Hampton is relatively restrained.

As for the durability of barrels, the most advanced ones are of course native oak.It's just that they will definitely not meet the top domestic standards for a while, so there is no need to be so harsh.After all, growing grapes is a time-consuming job. Without a hundred years of meticulous care, no one can say that an ordinary grape field can be turned into a winery that can be as famous as Lafite.

Then we should focus on the next level, which is the mid-tier market development.The quality and sales of wine are in the shape of a pyramid: the top is expensive, but not much is produced and sold; the middle is cheaper, and more people can afford it;

Time, time!

Shire thinks that he doesn't have a time machine, and he can't jump over a hundred years of development time at once, so he can only settle for the next best thing.Midstream can make as much money as the top if done right.But even so, there are some parts that cannot be settled.

"I know what you think; I can even guarantee that if you can meet our requirements, I am willing to sign a long-term supply agreement with you." He replied to Hampton, saying that he had already considered the decision . "That way, you don't have to keep trying your luck; you can sit at home and count your money."

Hampton's small eyes blinked, inevitably moved.He looks richer, the flesh on his face almost squeezes out the eyes, coupled with a round beer belly, it is quite entertaining to watch together; but if you want to judge him from the surface as a short and fat man, it would be a big mistake Wrong - he is also very shrewd. "Of course," he replied quickly, neither affirming nor denying, "but your tone of voice must be something else?"

"A little bit." Charles saw this, and couldn't help but add a star to the other party's evaluation in his heart.

"Let me guess what you want me to do," Hampton quickly continued, "Such as a few more shipments of grape rhizomes?"

"You are very sharp." Charles smiled.

Hampton knew that this was a polite remark—although Mr. Myron was never willing to talk about his grafted grapes with others, everyone had eyes and ears, so they naturally knew that the result was good.To be honest, someone has already asked him what the price is for shipping grape vines to the United States.No matter whether you are sensitive or not, you will know about it, let alone him?

"It's not too difficult." Because he had thought about it a long time ago, he answered quickly. "I'd be more than happy to do it for you personally - because it doesn't mean success if someone else gets the same vines as you." Copy successfully?

Charles gave Hampton an approving look.At the beginning, he thought that the board merchant was interested in him, so he asked Hampton to make grape rootstocks, but now the other party has proved that his value is not limited to this. "That's right. But that's just the easy part."

"What else?" Hampton finally got a little confused.

He had already figured it out, if Shire made an agreement with him, those few boats of vines—no matter how many—would be his cooperative gift to Shire.Because Charles is so vigorous and resolute at such a young age, and has a brilliant record.Not only in Bordeaux and Paris, I heard that the development in eastern France is also very good...

Such a partner must of course have a good relationship!

But Shire says it's just the easy part?

"I have some other requirements for oak." Charles sat upright, "They will take more time. If you can do it, the price is easy to negotiate."

Hampton almost thought it was an excessive request, but he was relieved when he heard that it had something to do with oak.Does he not know the French?The requirements for basic necessities of life are astonishingly high!It's normal to be picky about raw materials! "You can talk about it as much as you want." He promised. "It's hard to guarantee anything else, but I can at least guarantee my heart." As for time, isn't it enough to be careful?

It was Hampton's answer that Charles wanted.He took out a folded letter paper from his pocket and handed it to the other party.

Hampton could see that Charles had come prepared.But he likes this attitude; if the other party is prepared, his time will not be wasted on lip service. "The plant height is more than ten meters... Natural aging for two to three years... Soaking in March, changing the water every day... Neat stacking..." He opened the paper and read out in a low voice.

"How is it?" Charles asked.

"It does seem to be a matter of time." Hampton raised his head, even more puzzled.It's bad luck not to make a stack, so Charles asked him to do these things.The conditions don't look too difficult to do, but the question is, why do you want to treat the wood like this?

Charles didn't intend to explain. "Then there's no problem, is there?"

Hampton thought about it again, and finally decided that it must be French perfectionism. "No." He affirmed, "If the agreement can be finalized now, there is still time to deal with the newly felled trees this year." The felling season is usually in winter, but it has not yet arrived.

"That would be great." Charles made a calculation in his heart.That is to say, it will take about three or four years for the first batch of oak to reach his hands... By that time, all the plants in his vineyard should have replaced their roots, just right!

Both parties intend to cooperate for a long time, the price is negotiated amicably, and the contract negotiation is relatively smooth.Anyway, in the first week of Charles' arrival in Bordeaux, he had already got his share of the deal.Because the process took longer than usual to cut it down and sell it directly, he had already paid Hampton a part of the deposit in advance.

"Don't worry, I'll leave this to me!" Hampton said to Charles before leaving-this time he left Bordeaux for the first time when the wine was first released-"I promise, you will See all the requirements for the wood you imagined, in the fastest time possible!"

After sending off the plank merchant, Charles was temporarily idle.By this time, the square in the village of Pouillac was already bustling with wholesalers, both Parisian and foreign.But the real peak season of wine is still in October, so Shire is not in a hurry to buy wine, but just strolls around the market to learn about the market.

Although not the biggest vineyard owner, Charles is one of the big names in Pauillac, as he has made the most noise in the past year.At the same time, everyone knows that the wines produced on the land of Shire will never worry about selling. Although they may not be good enough in their eyes, they are enough for ordinary table wines, and they can be regarded as high-end goods if sold to the army. .

So there are far more people chatting with Shire than doing business.The main reason is that there are also many topics that other people care about in small talk-grapes, barrels, America... and so on.If they can find out those details, wouldn't it be of great benefit to themselves?

But those who had such an idea ended up in vain, because Shire looked young, but his skill in changing the subject without any trace was really not weak.He seems to have answered everything, but after careful analysis, there is nothing crucial——

"It's even more difficult to get close to than Mr. Myron!" Some people said that, and there was no lack of envy and hatred. "It makes people think that he is a wily and calculating fox!"

"Forget it," some people persuaded, "It's strange that people have invested so much gold, so it's strange to say so easily?"

Most of the people who say something similar to the above have their own vineyards; most of the latter have nothing to do with them, such as wine merchants from all over the world, tourists who are either rich or expensive, and stockbrokers wandering in Bordeaux Square, etc. .Especially stockbrokers—

Now who doesn't want to be the manager of the Grandet family in Paris?The Grandet family has a solid foothold in the political world, and they know people including His Excellency the Earl and a bank tycoon, and it is said that they have good friendships; they were just wine merchants, but now they are vineyard owners, and the situation will only become more and more powerful; On the surface, it manages at least three textile companies and mining companies, and it is likely to involve machinery or transportation...

In Paris, it was not easy to see either of the Grandet father and son, but now Charles is in the crowded square——

If you don't brush the boss at this time, when will you wait?The gold rewarded for customs clearance is much more than that dropped by ordinary mobs!

Charles belatedly realized that he was surrounded by people and accosted him, so he couldn't help being a little surprised.Because he felt that it would be too early for the onlookers to wait for him to do something.

If this idea is spread, many people will probably vomit blood.The family wealth has already exceeded one million francs, and there are still one million francs in the account every year. Isn't it considered an achievement?

In any case, Charles handled it well.Two days later, the news probably reached Madame Lemaire, so she once again kindly invited Charles to visit Lafite Manor.

The invitation was not easy to refuse, and Charles agreed.He originally thought that Madame Lemaire could also be considered a smart woman, and now she must know what to do and what not to do.But this time, when he arrived at the living room in Lafite Castle, he discovered that Mrs. Le Maire had invited another person.

"This is Mr. Pierre-Narcis Dorot Michel, he is a banker." Mrs. Le Maire introduced the two with a smile, "This is Charles Grandet, "She jokingly said, "I heard that there are so many things I have done now that I can't remember them all."

Michelle was tall, lanky, and looked to be in her thirties.Well-dressed and personable, he looks like a Parisian. "Hello." He said politely, and stretched out his right hand, "I've heard about you for a long time, Monsieur Grandet."

"It's the same for you, Mr. Michel." Charles stretched out his hand while maintaining a smile, but the screen was full of complaints in his heart.

Another banker?He didn't have any magic stuff like a banker's magnet on him, did he?