Helicopter

 

“A Helicopter?” You whisper to yourself as you reach for the bottle. “I’ve never seen this symbol on a wine bottle before… what could it mean?” You turn the weighty bottle in your hands, its cool glass inviting to the touch. The label, proudly boasting the image of a chateau floating in a sea of vineyards, reads, “Byington.” You say it aloud, “Byington.” It’s powerful, yet familiar. Suddenly you notice a QR code by the helicopter. “Dare I,” you wonder, puzzled, even frightened, but your curiosity must be quenched, and so you reach for your phone and scan the code. 

Hark! You’re greeted by an image of that stunning chateau come to life! And an article, a treasured piece of history from 1989, featuring one mighty helicopter hoisting roof structures - a truss - to the very peak of the Santa Cruz Mountains. At 2000ft elevation this chateau becomes Byington Winery before your very eyes! The sea of vineyards, you learn, are 8 planted acres of Pinot Noir. You can hear the whirling blades of the helicopter as a gust of wind from the nearby Monterey Bay rushes through the magnificent redwoods on the mountain top. You shield your eyes but catch a sparkling glimpse of the ocean in the distance.  

 

And then… you can taste it. Berries, earth, and oak. The culmination of award-winning winemaking over decades of craftsmanship. You watch as the vineyards are picked and sorted by hand. You see no use of pesticides or chemicals, only the pure and natural consequences of wines well loved. You hear the low hum of a truck filled with crates overflowing with grapes from Tin Cross, another mountain peak vineyard from Alexander Valley, owned and loved by Byington. The helicopter flies overhead, and leads your eyes to the stainless steel tanks, where the grapes are now becoming wine. You float through the cellar, and deep within, find the caves, 40 ft. under ground, where the wine has now been barreled. The clinking of glass captures your attention, and you see the wines being bottled right there in the mountain-top chateau!

 

Alas, the helicopter returns for you, “but I don’t want this dream to end,” you cry. It doesn’t have to. You’re back now, with the bottle in your hand, and beneath the cork lies the triumphant finale to the story you’ve just lived through. Go on… taste and see why this helicopter symbol will be the beginning of a multitude of stories in your life. Cheers.