Winery Overview
Napa Valley, California
Robert Mondavi, who sadly passed away in May 2008 at the age of 94, was quite simply, the father of the Napa Valley wine industry. His mission had been to "enrich life through wine" and he succeeded - brilliantly. Today, Mondavi wines are ranked amongst the greatest in the world.
But his beginnings were far simpler; his family were Italian immigrants in the early twentieth century. The family produced grapes, but had to send them to the east coast for home winemaking (which was legal during Prohibition). After the death of his father, Robert continued to work in the family winery, but the rest of the family saw little future in his vision for premium winemaking, so he left the family business to go it alone and realise his dream.
"Making good wine is a skill, fine wine an art."
Robert G. Mondavi
Undeterred, in 1966, aged 53, Robert built the first new winery in America after Prohibition. Situated in Oakville, Napa Valley, it was a visionary example of beautiful architecture and design. Not only that, it set aside half of its space to a visitors' centre - ambitious to say the least, especially as at the time there were no visitors to Napa. Robert also chose the To Kalon vineyard next door, which had the oldest plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon (1945), to start producing premium wine.
The wine took off and the rest is history. The visitors' centre is packed too, but don't worry if you can't make it there. With the help of head winemaker Genevieve Janssens, we've brought you a selection of the winery's finest - Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and of course, Fume Blanc - the varietal invented by Robert Mondavi himself.
