Peter Mondavi Sr., Napa Valley visionary responsible for the success of his family’s winery for more than 50 years died on February 20th at his home in St. Helena, California. He was 101.
Mondavi was born in Virginia, Minnesota, on November 8, 1914, to Cesare and Rosa Grassi Mondavi, natives of Sassoferrato in the Marche region of Italy. Typical of hardworking immigrants, Rosa ran a boarding house for Italian iron miners while Cesare opened a saloon and later a grocery store at the beginning of prohibition. Cesare became a wine-grape buyer, traveling to California to purchase fruit for his home-winemaking fellow Italian immigrants in Minnesota. Eventually the growing success of his business resulted in the family’s move to Lodi, California, in 1922. The Mondavi brothers spent summers packing 30-pound boxes of zinfandel grapes and helped their father make their own table wine which Peter Sr. remembers tasting, wine cut with water, from about the age of eight as was the custom in Italian families.
As a young and enterprising giovanetto, Mondavi got his start nailing boxes for his father’s wine-grape shipping business. He went on to earn a degree in economics from Stanford University in 1937 and later became interested in winemaking research and oenology, the study of all aspects of wine and winemaking, at the University of California, Berkeley. Under the guidance of highly-respected educator, Dr. William Vere Cruess, Peter Sr. conducted revolutionary research on cold fermentation, enabling the production of exceptionally crisp, fruity white wines that became the industry standard. “Most of the wines at that time were made at higher temperatures, where they would lose their fruit character through oxidation,” Mondavi explained.
He served in World War II returning to California in 1946 and marrying Blanche Hurtzig in 1950. They had three children and were married for 60 years until her death in 2010.
Mondavi’s parents purchased the Charles Krug Winery in 1943 marking the family’s formal entrance into the wine business. Peter Sr. worked the property with his family, eventually assuming the role of president and CEO upon his mother’s death in 1976.
He acquired over 800 acres of premium Napa Valley land in the late 1960s and early 1970s at a mere fraction of current land values. These purchases provided the foundation for the growth and success of the family wine business. He was determined to keep the winery family owned in the midst of rampant corporate buyouts. Over a period of nine years, Mondavi invested $22 million in replanting 400 prime acres of vineyards with primarily red Bordeaux varietals, instituting sustainable farming practices and implementing state-of-the-art winemaking equipment in the process. Having had the foresight to purchase and successfully retain the Charles Krug Mondavi Family winery. The winery achieved double landmark status, with both National and California landmark designations. Mondavi toured the wine regions of Europe and Charles Krug was the first winery in Napa Valley to import French oak barrels for ageing, now a common practice among winemakers.
L’Italo-Americano asked the Mondavi family how Peter Sr. credited his Italian heritage to the success of his important legacy. The family responded, “All things Italian were instilled in Peter Sr. by his parents, Cesare and Rosa. All things Italian meant good food, wine, and family gatherings around the table. As a result, Peter Sr. created wines that were meant to be consumed with food. He wanted food wines that people could enjoy.”
Bestowed with many honors throughout his distinguished career, Peter Sr. was named one of the twelve living legends in Napa Valley wine history by the Napa Valley Vintner Association in 1989. In 2009 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Napa vintners from the California State Fair.
When asked to note his proudest accomplishment, he would reply, “Never losing control of our family winery. If I could, I would tell my father: I did the best I could during the difficult years. I was determined and we held on.”
The family business, C. Mondavi & Family, founded by and named after patriarch Cesare Mondavi, continues to thrive and includes third and fourth generations of the family. Today, Mondavi’s sons, Marc and Peter Jr., lead the vision for the family winery.
Although Peter Mondavi officially retired in 2015, he continued to be involved in the business, regularly climbing two flights of stairs to his office. When asked what he credited his stamina to he replied, “Living a good life and drinking great wine.” We now raise our glasses to you, Peter Rudolf Mondavi.
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