Caleb Vance was once a celebrated sommelier, a man whose palate was insured for a million dollars. After a tragic accident robs him of his sense of smell and taste, his life and career crumble into a grey, flavorless existence. In a desperate attempt to feel something again, he acquires a bottle of an impossibly rare, mythical vintage known as “Lacrima Mortis” from a shadowy auction. The first sip is a revelation: not only does it miraculously restore his senses, but it floods his mind with a vivid, visceral memory that is not his own—a moment of intense joy from a forgotten past.
Hooked on the intoxicating experience, Caleb discovers the wine’s terrible secret. Each bottle contains the “terroir” of a human life, a single, potent memory harvested and fermented through an ancient, unnatural process. As he descends deeper into his addiction, the memories become darker, more violent, and begin to bleed into his reality. His quest for more of the wine leads him to a remote, insular valley in Italy and the ancient family who cultivates the “vines of memory.” He soon learns that they are preparing to harvest a new, unique vintage. They don’t just want him to taste the wine; they want to bottle his despair, making the sommelier himself the ultimate expression of their terrible art.
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