Château Clinet, 1970 – 2021
In 1957 Hugh Everett III (1930 – 1982) turned up to his old lab at Princeton University in order to defend his PhD thesis, entitled On the Foundations of Quantum Mechanics. And just an hour or two later, his examiners having concluded they were content with his work – “he dealt with a very difficult subject and defended his conclusions firmly, clearly, and logically,” wrote one of the interrogating academics – Everett had his PhD. Job done.
While no doubt a personal triumph, it seems unlikely that this moment would eventually go down in the annals of science history, but that would ultimately be the case. The reason for this is simple; Everett was the first to propose, within the pages of his thesis, the Many Worlds Interpretation of quantum mechanics.
Everett’s concept was superficially simple; at any defining moment, when any decision is made, all possible outcomes are realised, in newly created co-existing universes. At the time Everett’s notions were interesting but not taken too seriously, and after securing his PhD he left the world of research permanently, and took a job on the Weapons Systems Evaluation Group at the Pentagon (well, at least that’s what he did in this universe). Less than two decades later, however, new understandings of quantum mechanics meant that the many-worlds interpretation was a real possibility, and it has since become accepted as a mainstream concept in quantum physics.
What made Everett’s theory even more remarkable was the young age – he was still in his twenties – at which it simmered to the surface of his complex mind.
Ronan Laborde, the proprietor of Château Clinet (among other roles – more on that later) was even younger when he faced his Everett moment, his very own fork in the road. At the time he was still at boarding school, and the life that lay ahead promised endless possibilities. Then one day his father made him an offer; he had a tip-off from a family friend that Château Clinet was for sale, and if Ronan was interested they would buy it together.
Do you say yes, and commit to this as your life, at such a young age? Or do you say no, and follow a different, as yet undecided path?
In some parallel universe Ronan Laborde chose the other path, perhaps the life of a professional athlete, given his excellence as a marathon runner, recording times well under three hours. But in our universe Ronan said yes, and while the transition was not straightforward, having been marred by tragedy, Ronan – aged just 23 years – subsequently took over the management of Château Clinet.
