Michael led David through the cellar to the bins of Château d'Yquem, and as he pointed to the tags, he read, "1913, 1911, 1909, 1908, this is a very rich year." He continued, "1906, 1904, a great wine. 1903, 1901, another lusciously rich year. But here, the 1900, absolutely superb, and the 1899, also excellent."

He pointed to two empty bins. "1896 and 1897 were good, but they needed drinking." He chose a bottle of the 1893 from the next bin. "My favourite of the lot. We'll have this with dinner." He nodded to the next empty bins. "The 1890 and 1891 were also excellent, but we finished them when they began fading. There's no need of bins for the twenty years of the phylloxera blight, back to our two oldest, the 1870 and 1865."

David turned and counted the bins with wine. "Only thirteen vintages. Seems I was too optimistic when I told Wilhelm I'd assemble twenty bottles of their best vintages from the last few decades."

"Why not do two bottles of each? Pick the ten finest years. That would be better than giving him mediocre vintages for the sake of making the number."

"Excellent! That will make this much easier."

Michael nodded along the aisle and began walking as he talked. "We'll repeat the 1900 pair. I'm still curious to see which is developing better, the Mouton or the Latour."

"We had those when we were here Christmas week, didn't we." David chuckled. "As I recall, I couldn't decide. I kept changing my opinion with each sip."

"As did I, and that's why I want to compare them again while you're here. Two bottles are too much for only Mary and me, and we rarely have guests with an appreciation such as yours." He shrugged. "Great wine is meant to be shared and discussed, but it's a waste to do this with those who don't understand."

"I'm honoured you consider me worthy. I'm still a neophyte, and I bluff my way along."

"With wine, we're all still learning. There's little written on the topic, so the only way to learn is through experience. Besides, one cannot study wine appreciation; one must taste, assess, compare and discuss."

They arrived at the bins of 1900 Bordeaux, and Michael lifted one of each of the Latour and the Mouton and gently laid them in David's waiting hands, saying, "Let's take these up and allow them to chambré."

As they ascended the stairs, Michael asked, "Will you have time to go to Paris with your duties?"

"Yes, certainly; finding the wine has become part of my duty. London considers my maintaining a friendly connection with Wilhelm as top priority. My thought is to assemble them in the next two weeks while Maria is on her break, and she can come along with me."

"But finding the wines quickly will defeat using them as an assurance of payment. Once you give it to him, what security have you?"

"The speed of acquisition doesn't matter unless it's too slow. My idea is to write frequently to keep him informed of what I've found, adding one or two new vintages every few days to both show steady progress and to build anticipation."

"There's your marketing coming to the fore, David. If we can confirm the château has no old vintages, you can tell him this to demonstrate how hard you're working."

"He likely already knows. He said he has had agents searching, and if they're worth anything, the château would have been the first place they will have checked." David laughed. "Though, if they pronounce it as he does, dye-kwem, they might not have found it."

Michael chuckled as he tried a few Germanic renditions of the name. "But, I would expect any agent to be fluent in French and to have an impeccable accent."

"That's true." They arrived in the dining room, and David placed the two bottles in the cradles on the sideboard. "But, whatever. My plan is to stretch out the communication for the five weeks it takes to complete the deal. And in the process, determine where I should deliver it."

"To meet with him again?"

"If he allows it. I gain little snippets of information each time I meet with him. He seems to let his defences down when discussing wine."

"How old is he?"

"He's just turned thirty-four, married with four sons and a daughter." David shrugged. "London had sent me a dossier on him in February. Since the age of six, when his father became Emperor, he's been the Crown Prince, the first the in line of succession."

"I'm surprised that with his background and wealth, he's not aware of French wine."

"He said that until recently, he had considered it a lady's drink, but as they swept through Belgium and into northern France, he decided to join his officers in celebrating their victory with plundered Champagne, and this began to change his attitude."

Michael nodded. "But he's unaware of its culture, its traditions."

"He was seriously involved with the rough-and-tumble of football and the beer and schnaps which accompany it. The major prize for football teams in the Empire is the cup he donated, the Kronprinzenpokal."

"Is this information from him or from your dossier?"

"A bit of each, confirming both his open honesty and the validity of the briefing notes."

"Again, David, your subtle probing and constant analysis."

"It's essential with what I do." David shrugged. "But it explains well his lack of knowledge, even with his current intense interest. That he takes me as an expert, shows he has had nobody with whom to share his growing craving for more experience, more knowledge."

"Has he expressed any interest in red wine?"

"None. He seems now focused on sweet whites. But sweet whites at the superb and rare end of the spectrum."

"Reds might be the next step with him. Introduce him to mature claret; young ones would be too harsh to begin with. St-Emilion offers softer wines because they're primarily Merlot, and I think a well-aged one such as an 1899 or 1900 Cheval Blanc or Ausonne will easily sway him to red and increase his respect for your knowledge and wisdom."

David tilted his head toward the cellar. "Have you some of those down there?"

"I do. But you should find them in the better cellars in Paris. Nicolas is nearly a century old, and it has one of the finest selections. You may well find old Yquem there. Also, we've found Caves Augé in Boulevard Haussmann is a great source of rare wines."

David reached into his pocket and pulled out his pen and notebook.

"I'll give you details tomorrow. But they'll be of no use to you unless you enjoy the wines in their proper environment first. Stay at one of the great hotels, the Ritz, the Maurice, the Crillon, and dine there."

Michael watched David nod in silence, then he continued, "Dine also at the better restaurants, the classic ones such as Maxim's, Lucas and La Tour d'Argent. Enjoy the wines in those environments, absorb the atmosphere, and you'll be able to share much more about them with Wilhelm."

"Yeah, experience."

"Exactly! You need to speak from a depth of it. With Wilhelm's interest and connections, he will soon find advisers and closer sources of wine. You must quickly gain a depth of experience if you wish to maintain his interest."

"True. There must be great wine cellars in the noble houses in Germany and in those of the wealthy, the merchants, the bankers, the educated."

"Indeed, and it's folly to think they contain no French wine." Michael shrugged. "There's likely a great selection of Château d'Yquem right under his nose. The Germans are wealthy, aware and adventurous, and before the war, the world was their oyster."

David tilted his head. "Oyster?"

"It's from one of Shakespeare's plays, the world's mine oyster, and it's come to mean that the world is ours to enjoy."

"I would dearly love to."

"Immerse yourself in it next week, David; you deserve a break. You've been going non-stop for nearly two years."

"Yeah." David paused, bobbing his head as he thought, then he looked into Michael's eyes and said, "But I will need a guide. Could you and Grandma come with us?"

Michael pursed his lips for a moment before they spread into a broad smile. "I'd love to, and I'm sure Mary would as well. It was a regular with us. Three or four times a year, but not since the start of the war."

"Great! And don't be concerned with expenses; you'll both more than earn your keep as my guides and mentors."