Page 84 - How We Lead Matters

Temptation

As the clerk very carefully placed the dusty bottle of Romanee Conti in my
hands, I remember thinking, “So this is the object of my husband’s desire.” It
was the only present he wanted for his fortieth birthday. I asked him how he
could proclaim it to be his favorite, never having tasted it. He said that
everything he had read about the wine indicated that it was very special.
And he was right, it was indeed exquisite.
Several years later, while traveling with another couple in Burgundy,
we suggested that we take a detour to visit the vineyard where this superb
nectar originated. It would be the perfect ending to the trip—a picturesque
afternoon at a spectacular château overlooking the finest wine country in the
world.
The small sign on a cement post was the only confirmation that the few
hectares of grapevines before us was indeed the vineyard we were seeking.
There was no château. There wasn’t even a shed. When we asked a passerby
how such a superlative product could come from this unassuming location,
he shrugged. “C’est facile. Tout est parfait.”
He went on to explain that even in abundant years, the vintner would
resist the temptation to get greedy and harvest a larger crop. Instead, he would
prune back the vines reducing the yield to ensure that the wine was . . . always
just perfect.

Marilyn Carlson Nelson 67