The guy created a hell of a business and brought table wine to people that was both affordable and drinkable.
Truly sad. He was one of the first great winemakers from California.
I’ll be drinking a glass for him tonight.
Drink to me!
Drink to my health!
You know I can’t drink anymore.
He’s been in failing health for the past year or so, and I give much kudos to his wife Margrit, who kept him as active in the industry and community as his health would allow, yet still protected him and allowed him his dignity.
His name is synonymous with Napa. His story is a great one, with so many ups and downs. I nearly cried when the family lost the empire, but they have worked towards building a new one.
I highly recommend his autobiography “Harvests of Joy” as well as the biography “The House of Mondavi - The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty.”
The first is a powerhouse, a true American Dream come true, steel nerves and grit kind of story. The second, well, it begins that way, and goes into the heartbreaking tale of how the family lost control of it all.
I will most certainly be drinking a glass in his honor tonight. And while I wish it was a glass of Continuum, I’ll make due with a glass of Robert Mondavi Fumé Blanc.
I just heard about this.
I’ll have to rain check raising a glass, though. It’s too damn hot for wine, tonight it’s Coronas.
I’ll pick up some Pinot Noir from BevMo for when it cools off.
They funded a beautiful center for the performing arts on campus at UC Davis–I regret that I never did get a chance to see a performance there before leaving the area.
Oh, stop wining! 
Weird. I think about Robert Mondavi all the time, whenever I hear a news story about Robert Mugabe. I like to say “Mondavi, Mugabe!” loudly in my car when I’m by myself.