Robert Mondavi
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The entrance of Robert Mondavi Winery. |
Robert Gerald Mondavi (born
June 18,
1913 in
Virginia, Minnesota,
United States) is a leading
vineyard operator whose technical improvements and marketing strategies brought worldwide recognition for the wines of the
Napa Valley in
California. From an early period, Mondavi aggressively promoted labeling wines varietally rather than generically. This is now the standard for
New World wines and is favored by most consumers around the world. Where legally permitted, many Old World producers are increasingly labeling their wines varietally because of consumer demand.
Robert Mondavi's parents emigrated from the
Marche region of
Italy and established a wine making business in the United States. Mondavi grew up in the Minnesota city of Virginia, where he attended Hibbing High School. Mondavi graduated from
Stanford University in 1937 with a degree in economics and business administration. While at Stanford he was a member of the
Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity. He worked with his father after the latter had acquired the Charles Krug Winery, established in 1861 in the Napa Valley.
After a family
feud, Mondavi left Krug in 1965 to open his own winery. He bought the
To Kalon vineyard in
Oakville in the
Napa Valley. The winery bearing his name produced high quality wine in the California mission style.
In 1966, with his elder son, R. Michael Mondavi, and family founded the Robert Mondavi Winery in the Napa Valley with the goal of producing wines that would rival the finest wines of Europe.
In 1967, Robert's wife, Margrit Biever Mondavi, joined the winery.
In 1968 he made a dry oak-aged
Sauvignon Blanc, an unpopular variety in the California at the time, and labelled it "
Fumé Blanc." The wine was a success and, in time,
Fumé Blanc became accepted as a synonym for
Sauvignon Blanc.
Mondavi successfully developed a number of premium wines that earned the respect of connoisseurs and vintners alike. In 1979, he acquired Woodbridge Winery in
Lodi, California developing it into a leader of popular-premium wines. He also entered into a joint venture the
Baron Philippe de Rothschild of
Château Mouton Rothschild to create
Opus One Winery, and since the 1990s has set up joint ventures with local partners in
Europe,
South America and
Australia.
In the
Grand European Jury Wine Tasting of 1997, a panel of European experts
blind tasted three vintages (1989, 1992 and 1994) of 27 Chardonnays from seven countries. Seventy percent were from France. All other countries were represented by one wine except for Australia, which had two entries. Ranked number one in the
wine competition was Robert Mondavi Chardonnay Reserve.
Robert Mondavi's autobiography
Harvests of Joy was published in 1998.
On
December 22,
2004,
Constellation Brands acquired the Mondavi vinery for nearly US$1.36 billion.
Due to the contributions of Robert and Margrit Mondavi, the
Mondavi Center in
Davis, California for performing arts was named after him.
The two are founders and major benefactors behind
COPIA: The American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts, which opened November, 2001 in the town of
Napa, California. Robert and Margrit are also founding supporters of the restoration of the 19th Century
Napa Valley Opera House and the
Oxbow School, a new art school in Napa that provides grants and instruction to art students in their junior year of high school. They have contributed to the restoration of the
Lincoln Theatre in
Yountville, California, and have supported the
Cantor Art Center at
Stanford University in
Palo Alto, California.
Mondovino is a documentary film wherein the Mondavi wines and family are a central theme.
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Robert Mondavi Winery Official site
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Mondavi Panoramic |
