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Robert Mondavi: Much More Than a Trademark

Written By: Dylan York on Thursday, May 22, 2008

Dylan York discusses the great accomplishments of this American innovator.

Most stories involving Robert Mondavi seem to focus on his enormous company, corporate life, and the controversial family feuds. There are countless stories available divulging about the corporate takeovers and law suits, but ultimately it's a story about an Italian-American family that chose two different paths: quantity and quality. Robert Mondavi was born in a time where the sole purpose of making wine was to produce a bulk product, but he saw a greater vision for California wines and was determined to make it come true.

Robert Gerald Mondavi was born on June 18, 1913 in Virginia, Minnesota to Cesare and Rosa Mondavi. The family moved to Lodi, California in the 1920s and began shipping grapes for juice production. After prohibition, Cesare purchased a small winery in St Helena and began pressing grapes for bulk wine production. During this time Robert was attending Stanford University and began taking Chemistry classes so he could someday learn to make wine. He graduated from Stanford with a degree in economics and business administration and moved back to Napa Valley to take part in the family business.


Wine producer Robert Mondavi tests wine at his Oakville winery in California.
His background landed him a job in sales and marketing where he quickly became the face of the family's newly acquired winery, Charles Krug, in 1943. It was then that Robert started experimenting with different techniques in order to improve the wines. Along with his brother Peter, he started aging the wine in used brandy barrels and implemented the new technique of cold fermentation. Needless to say, his brother was not fond of Robert's grand ideas because these techniques required more time and money. It seemed that it was not the family's agenda to invest more money in producing quality wines. Eventually Robert left Charles Krug to begin his own winery where he could make the wines he envisioned.

In 1966, Robert Mondavi opened his own winery, the first in California after Prohibition. He set out to make top quality wines that could compete with the great wines of Europe. After a trip to Europe and experimenting with different types of oak, he decided that all his wines would be aged in small French oak barrels. This was an expensive maneuver even at this time as state of the art equipment such as chilled fermentation tanks and French oak barrels where quite expensive.

Entryway to the famous Robert Mondavi Winery.
Not to mention, producing higher quality wines required cutting yields. Nonetheless, he started producing his own style of wine. In 1967, Robert along with his sons Michael and Tim produced their first wine, a Chenin Blanc that sold for around $2-$3 a bottle. That same year Mondavi took the Sauvignon Blanc variety, one that was not heavily regarded at the time, blended it with Semillon, aged it in French oak barrels, and coined it Fume Blanc. The newly created Fume Blanc was an enormous success and it put Mondavi on the map. From this point on, Robert Mondavi's wines became a symbol of quality and innovation. He had achieved a new outlook for the California wine industry and poured the buzz of wine on the lips and minds of American consumers. It looked as if his success would allow him to do everything he ever dreamed of, but that was not the case.

Unfortunately, even with all the success production was too expensive and the winery was not making enough money. Mondavi tried his best to remain a boutique winery but it was impossible if he was to stay in business. He turned down several investment offers from large conglomerates such as Nestle and Suntory in Japan. In the end, business became business and the result left Mondavi with only 25% of his company. Despite his loss in ownership, the winery had new investors with deep pockets and his name became the trademark that most people know today. However, Robert Mondavi was much more than a trademark.


Robert Mondavi stands with barrels of wine.
Robert Mondavi took on a new role and began to donate large sums of money to wine education programs in California. He donated over $30 million dollars to UC Davis for the new wine and food sciences building and also established a performing arts center among many other things. Along with his influential friends such as Richard Graff, Julia Childs and many others, they conceived the idea for COPIA, the American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts, located in the town of Napa. The aim for COPIA was to demonstrate the achievements of American wine and cuisine and has become everything that Mondavi dreamed it could be.

From all that I have read about Robert Mondavi, it is clear that he was very proud of California wines and their potential for greatness. He was a man that not only saw the transformation of the California wine industry, but spearheaded the movement. Though he had to fuel his ambition with global marketing he was always concerned with quality and advancement. He was a man on a journey to educate people on the wonderful joys of food and wine and wanted everyone to have a seat at the table.

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apples7
Santa Barbra, CA
Posted on 5/23/08

RIP Robert! Your legend will certainly live on.


apples7
Santa Barbra, CA
Posted on 5/23/08

RIP Robert! Your legend will certainly live on.

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