Wow, it's rare for you to be concerned about someone else.
Right now?
A sexy photo shoot for a magazine.
When you're back in Tokyo?
Really?
Great! Let's have dinner.
What's the meaning of all this?
You were so upset about the idea of moving to the wine division before.
Well, a lot has happened.
Listen, it's still a small division.
We'd be happy to have Shinohara-san as a freelance consultant.
Thank you!
I'm so glad they said yes.
Will things be okay at the restaurant?
I talked with CEO Mishima, and he said that I should do this.
He'll be working as a server while I'm here.
He's starting over from the ground up, huh?
Wine Division
Excuse us.
I'm Kanzaki from the first sales division...
Oh, you must be Kanzaki-kun and Shinohara-kun, yes?
I'm Kawarage, the division chief.
This is Kawamata, my assistant.
Hello.
Nice to meet you...
Um, where's the rest of the team?
Kanzaki-kun, you're famous among wine lovers.
You're competing against the genius critic Tomine Issei to find "The Drops of God."
And I certainly hope that you do.
That'd be huge for Taiyo Beer.
Does that mean I can look for it during work hours?
Finding wine that will sell well is our job, after all.
It was nice of him to say that, but I don't know where to begin.
Hmm...
Why don't we start by checking out the will?
Oh, you're right. I haven't read it yet.
I've been waiting for you, Shizuku-san.
I've come to see my father's will.
I'm glad to see you've taken an interest in this.
The Drops of God
Here you are.
The Drops of God
To the one who will inherit all I own...
"To the one who will inherit all I own..."
I leave this message.
I've spent over half a century drinking wines from all over the world.
What is wine?
What is it about that fragrant liquid that has entranced humanity
for thousands of years?
With my death at hand,
I've finally found my answer.
Heaven, earth, and man...
Wine is born of the harmony between them all.
It is both a masterpiece of literature
and a masterpiece of painting.
But even the best literature and the best paintings are imperfect.
Wine is the same way.
What is wine?
It's difficult to share the answer I've found with words alone.
So instead, I have decided to share my answer
in the form of several of the most divine wines.
The twelve wines I have in mind
are like the twelve apostles of Christ.
Each has a role that it alone can fulfill.
The twelve apostles are all equally sublime.
I have split what I believe to be the most important raison d'être of wine,
the reason it exists, into twelve pieces.
The wines that can capture the answer are my chosen Twelve Apostles.
And the heavenly wine I seek that is the master of them all...
That is "The Drops of God."
The Drops of God...
Why, if it isn't Shizuku-kun.
Fancy seeing you here.
Tomine Issei!
Shall I come back another time?
Come on in.
I was just reading my dad's will.
Then I can finally read it as well myself.
What?
I'd given it to Kiryu-san and was waiting to look at it.
Given how little you know about wine, I didn't want to get a head start.
I actually came to see how you were doing
and only happened to bump into you.
This jerk...
Shizuku-san!
Perhaps this is the ideal opportunity.
Why don't we read the description
for one of the Twelve Apostles together?
Then, until we fetch the first,
we can have Kiryu keep the rest of the text regarding the other apostles
and the Drops of God locked away.
Yeah, that's fine by me.
Very well.
In that case, I shall read from the will for the both of you.
The First Apostle
"The First Apostle."
"I wander in a deep, primeval forest."
"The mossy trees give off the damp scent of life..."
In search of rest, I head further into the woods.
Then a ray of light sharply strikes my eyes,
and I smell flowers and red fruits that have no place within the forest.
I put my hand to my chest, feel my heart race, and quicken my pace.
The trees part unexpectedly, revealing a crystal spring welling up like a miracle.
Like an oasis in a desert, this sanctuary of healing water appears out of nowhere.
Drawn by its beauty, I quietly approach the spring.
In that moment, a gust of wind sweeps past,
stirring ripples and carrying the sweet scent of flowers
and wild red berries to my senses.
It is a harmony of fragrances that makes me forget I am deep within a forest.
A faint dizziness washes over me, and I am suddenly overcome by a profound thirst.
Dipping my hands into the spring, clear as fine crystal,
I gently bring the pristine water to my lips.
What sweetness!
What nobility!
This richness, bestowed by the grace of nature,
is truly fitting for this virgin land beyond the reach of human hands.
Oh, look at those two violet butterflies intertwining in the air!
Perhaps this little spring is your sacred sanctuary.
Just what I would expect from Kanzaki-sensei.
Such beautiful prose.
I have a guess as to where the First Apostle was grown.
Now I need only to find the vintage.
To proceed, why don't we have you bring the First Apostle to his mansion?
Very well, then.
Let's both take a copy of the First Apostle's description and call it a day.
Shizuku-kun, do you know how many wines have been released in the world?
No.
It's better that you don't.
The work you're about to embark on is like finding a single jewel in a vast desert.
Shizuku-san...
Don't worry.
I'm Kanzaki Yutaka's real son.
Ever since I was little, I was taught to enjoy music, paintings, and restaurants.
He took me to experience all of that countless times.
And the people I've met through wine have shown me...
It wasn't just decanting!
To hear you describe it that way surprises me.
You're a strange man.
My dad was trying to teach me something.
I want to know what.
No, I'm going to find out.
This poem doesn't tell me a thing!
Wine Division
I guess the descriptions of a true master are, well... hard to grasp.
Let's start by sampling what we think might be it.
This is delicious.
It really is.
But, well...
It doesn't have that "crystal spring in a forest" feel.
I was pretty sure a pure Pinot noir would be in the ballpark...
I thought the same thing.
There's that delicate sense of being one with nature
that I felt with the First Apostle's description...
Plus a purity that's like clear crystal.
It's reminiscent of what I felt when I first drank a pure Pinot noir wine.
Pinot noir, huh?
They're a type of luxury grape used in red wines from the Burgundy area.
There are many kinds of Pinot wine,
but ones from Italy and California tend to feel light and cheerful.
The description makes me think of something more subdued.
Subdued?
Yes.
Standing alone at the edge of a spring...
I guess that's the image I got.
I see.
A subdued Pinot noir?
That would suggest Burgundy, yes.
And of the villages in Burgundy that can make quality red wine...
There are the vineyards that make the most expensive wines in the world.
Gevrey-Chambertin
Morey-Saint-Denis
Chambolle-Musigny
Vougeot
Vosne-Romanée
There's the village of Vosne-Romanée including Romanée-Conti.
There's also where Napoleon's favorite wines were were grown,
the village of Gevrey-Chambertin.
There's even Chambolle-Musigny, known for its elegant and expensive wines.
Gevrey-Chambertin
Morey-Saint-Denis
Chambolle-Musigny
Vougeot
Vosne-Romanée
The Côte de Nuits region where these villages are located is small,
but it's one of the most famous growing regions in the world.
It's also a tourist destination thanks to its endless vineyards.
Perhaps we should start by narrowing our focus to the Côte de Nuits,
a favorite spot of wine lovers everywhere.
Of course! CEO Mishima might be onto something!
Remember what Tomine-san said when we heard the will?
I have a guess as to where the First Apostle was grown.
So then the will was clearly describing where the wine came from?
I was so sure we'd really narrowed it down...
There are still a ton of wines to get through, though.
It's like finding a single jewel in a vast desert.
We'll have to try everything we can with the time we've got!
Shizuku-san, is that why we left the restaurant?
Unlike Tomine, I've got no knowledge and no experience.
I'll drink as long as my liver will hold out!
Don't push yourself that hard!
Shizuku-san!
Yeowch!
What's up?
I smell flowers...
It's aroma oils.
I'm getting tiny flowers and berries.
A painter's exhibition, huh?
This is the exact image portrayed by the First Apostle's description.
Do you like it?
Where was this picture painted?
It isn't an actual location.
It's a painting of the image that came to me when I had a bottle of wine.
Would you tell us what wine that was?
I actually don't know.
I have amnesia, you see.
All I remember is the taste of the wine...
So then you won, right?
The battle of the farewell wine.
I'm not letting you have my father's wine.
I'll be the one to find the Drops of God and the Twelve Apostles.
Victory, huh?
Issei, you can't possibly believe
that Shizuku knew in advance this wine was made in '82.
Then explain how he was able to associate it with his mother's death that year.
The grapes.
He'd eaten the grapes that were grown in '82, before they were turned into wine.
And he was able to decipher from that
the real meaning of the "farewell wine" Yutaka left behind.
Whereas all you did was describe the wine as it exists in the present.
Nevertheless, I was the victor.
Indeed, but which of you truly understood it?
Either way, the feelings that Yutaka put into this wine...
You must have experienced them as well.
Anyway, this guy... Kanzaki Shizuku-san?
I think I've seen him.
He might be a lot like you.
He and I are alike, you say?
You're so stubborn.
Hey, let's have a toast.
To what?
To the Drops of God and to you, my brother, who's going to find it.
Taiyo Beer's wine division?
Yes. My name is Kanzaki Shizuku.
And I'm Shinohara Miyabi.
My name is Mizusawa Kaori.
Mizusawa Kaori Art Exhibition
"Kaori" is written in katakana.
I was brought to the hospital eight years ago.
I was injured, so they said I was probably in an accident.
When I awoke, I found myself lying in bed with amnesia.
"Kaori" was the name engraved on my only possession, a ring.
I'm sure there's really kanji to go with it.
And the only memory you have is of this wine?
Maybe it was one you really liked.
I still love wine, even now.
Thought I only ever drink Bordeaux, since that's what my husband likes.
You never tried to find the wine that inspired this painting?
I don't at all remember which wines I liked personally.
And my husband is the doctor who took care of me. He saved my life.
Because of that, perhaps, I let him take care of everything for me.
When did you start painting?
As soon as I was discharged.
Perhaps it was my job before I lost my memories.
Kaori-san, is it possible that whoever gave you that ring
has some deep connection to that wine?
He's right.
You wouldn't wear a ring with your name on it unless it was a present.
It was a small diamond ring.
On my left ring finger...
So it was an engagement ring?
It's fine.
I'm happy now.
So...
It's fine.
Looking at this painting, I think I can understand how you feel.
You may be happy with a husband that loves you,
but the truth is that you want your past back.
There's no need for her to remember!
Darling...
Kaori is finally in a good spot mentally.
She and I live a quiet life.
There's no need for her to remember a thing.
That's enough.
Kanzaki-san, Shinohara-san, I'm sorry...
But I don't think I can help you.
She has amnesia and all she remembers is a single wine, eh?
That's a fascinating story.
Moreover, it might be the First Apostle.
So I want to figure it out no matter what.
But you were so quick to back off...
Because we gave up so easily,
she's going to be driven to regain her memories on her own.
Still, are you sure about this, Shizuku-kun?
This wine of yours may change someone's life forever.
Shinohara-san.
Yes?
What's gotten into Kanzaki-kun?
I believe he's thinking about someone he met yesterday.
Shizuku-san! Where are you going?
You're going to see Kaori-san, right?
You shouldn't.
I understand how you feel, but she's happy right now.
Happy?
She didn't look happy to me.
For a human being, the past is the ground from which the present grows.
Even if you're blessed by heaven and loved by man,
a life not also rooted in the earth will never really bloom.
Just like the best wines are only born when heaven, man, and earth align.
Kaori-san!
Kanzaki-san... I want to know after all.
What is my past?
What is the image I had of that wine?
I want to know no matter what.