Mondavi celebrates 40 years of making wine in the Napa Valley

By L. PIERCE CARSON, Register Staff Writer

If brothers Robert and Peter Mondavi had always seen eye to eye, who knows what America's place in the wine world would be today.

Familial friction prompted the elder brother, Robert, to strike out on his own, to leave the family-run Charles Krug Winery and launch his own wine brand.

But Mondavi did more than make and peddle his own wine. He took his message -- about the potential to make great wine in California -- all over the world. And when he popped the cork on one of his own wines, the world listened.

On this date four decades ago, the industry icon -- along with his oldest son, Michael -- founded the Robert Mondavi Winery in Oakville with the goal of producing wines that would rival the finest in all of Europe.

From the get-go, amiable wine ambassador Bob Mondavi aggressively promoted labeling wines by grape variety rather than generically. This is now the standard for New World wines and is favored by most consumers around the globe.

Founded in 1966, the winery's striking architecture by Cliff May reflects the missions of early California history. Visitors to the winery over the years have experienced the Mondavi family's commitment to innovation, education, the arts, and, as the industry's elder statesman often declared, "dedication to producing fine wines that belong in the company of the great wines of the world."

Now celebrating its 40th anniversary, the Robert Mondavi Winery is a prime example of Napa Valley wine quality and pioneering spirit.

Over the years, the Mondavi family expanded its winemaking ventures considerably. Still, the flagship winery in Oakville was the standard by which others measured Napa Valley worth.

The winery's latest addition, the To Kalon Cellar -- a state-of-the-art, gravity-flow design -- features a return to oak fermentation for the winery's reserve, district and vineyard-designated red wines. Mondavi pioneered the move to stainless steel fermentation in the '60s, and today, he stands behind a return to oak fermentation that the winemaking team believes enhances aromas, flavors and complexity in the winery's red wines.

The Mondavi wine empire was sold in December 2004, to Constellation Brands for $1.36 billion.

Today, Constellation and the Mondavis are celebrating the winery's 40th anniversary with a party that includes historic displays, wine tastings, cooking demonstrations, foods prepared by some of the valley's top chefs and, of course, a tribute to 93-year-old Robert Mondavi.

A special symposium designed around the anniversary, Taste 3, has been in session at Copia since Thursday night, featuring speakers from all walks of life, ranging from poet to pragmatist, mugwump to musician. The heady list of invitees also included some of the most respected cooks/cookbook authors in the world -- Diana Kennedy, Guiliano Bugialli, Barbara Kafka, Paula Wolfert, Maricel Presilla. Last night an army of chefs -- celebrating the winery's landmark Great Chefs cooking program -- prepared a feast for several hundred guests at the winery. They included George Morrone, Roy Yamaguchi, Mark Militello, Stephan Pyles and Nancy Silverton.

More than 750 were expected at today's winery celebration.

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