Napa loses one of its founding fathers with the passing of Peter Mondavi Sr on the weekend.
Peter Mondavi Sr, one of Napa Valley's great innovators and the man who steered his family's Charles Krug Winery for more than half a century, has died at his home in St. Helena, California, at the age of 101.
Mondavi – whose fistfight with his brother Robert led to the latter leaving Krug and striking out on his own and spreading the family fame even further –began his career in 1943, when his parents bought the Charles Krug Winery, which even then enjoyed a long pedigree – Prussian emigrant Charles Krug had founded it in 1861. Mondavi worked the property with his family and eventually became president and CEO when his mother died in 1976.
He quickly became something of a legend in Napa Valley, and some of the innovations he brought in were crucial to the style that become synonymous with the region. He introduced cold fermentation, resulting in crisp, fruity white wines, rather than the oxidized styles that had hitherto been produced.
At Mondavi's insistence, Charles Krug was the first winery in Napa Valley to import French oak barrels for aging, a common practice today. He was also among the first to plant Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in Carneros.
He dedicated his life to building his family's business. Asked late in life to note his proudest accomplishment, he replied: "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."
He was born in Virginia, Minnesota, on November 8, 1914, to Cesare and Rosa Grassi Mondavi, Italian natives who had emigrated to the US. His mother Rosa ran a boarding house for Italian miners while Cesare ran a saloon and grocery store. He also traveled to California frequently to purchase grapes for his home-winemaking neighbors in Minnesota. Eventually, he moved the family to Lodi, California, in 1922.
Peter Mondavi got his start as a boy nailing boxes for his father's wine grape business. He went on to earn a degree in economics from Stanford University in 1938, but was drawn to winemaking, studying enology at the University of California, Berkeley. World War II interrupted his career, and he served in the military overseas, returning in 1946.
Mondavi's influence on the Napa Valley wine industry has been recognized and honored for decades. In 1986, the Napa Valley Vintners Association named him one of "Twelve Living Legends in the Napa Valley", and he was the last survivor of that group. In 2002, he graced the cover of the Wine Spectator as one of the "Napa Mavericks" who were the wine region's trailblazers. In 2009, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the California State Fair. In 2011, Governor Jerry Brown honored him, along with the legacy of the Charles Krug Winery, with a proclamation for his contributions to the wine industry. Congress acknowledged him and the winery on his 97th birthday in the Congressional Record. His lifetime achievements were recognized in 2012 when he was inducted into the St. Helena-based Culinary Institute of America Vintners Hall of Fame for his industry contributions in cold fermentation and sterile filtration. "I share this award with my parents," a characteristically modest Mondavi said at that time.
Mondavi was predeceased by his wife, Blanche, and his siblings, Robert, Mary and Helen. He is survived by his daughter, Siena, sons Marc and Peter Jr – who run the family business – nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Mondavi – whose fistfight with his brother Robert led to the latter leaving Krug and striking out on his own and spreading the family fame even further –began his career in 1943, when his parents bought the Charles Krug Winery, which even then enjoyed a long pedigree – Prussian emigrant Charles Krug had founded it in 1861. Mondavi worked the property with his family and eventually became president and CEO when his mother died in 1976.
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At Mondavi's insistence, Charles Krug was the first winery in Napa Valley to import French oak barrels for aging, a common practice today. He was also among the first to plant Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in Carneros.
He dedicated his life to building his family's business. Asked late in life to note his proudest accomplishment, he replied: "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."
He was born in Virginia, Minnesota, on November 8, 1914, to Cesare and Rosa Grassi Mondavi, Italian natives who had emigrated to the US. His mother Rosa ran a boarding house for Italian miners while Cesare ran a saloon and grocery store. He also traveled to California frequently to purchase grapes for his home-winemaking neighbors in Minnesota. Eventually, he moved the family to Lodi, California, in 1922.
Peter Mondavi got his start as a boy nailing boxes for his father's wine grape business. He went on to earn a degree in economics from Stanford University in 1938, but was drawn to winemaking, studying enology at the University of California, Berkeley. World War II interrupted his career, and he served in the military overseas, returning in 1946.
Mondavi's influence on the Napa Valley wine industry has been recognized and honored for decades. In 1986, the Napa Valley Vintners Association named him one of "Twelve Living Legends in the Napa Valley", and he was the last survivor of that group. In 2002, he graced the cover of the Wine Spectator as one of the "Napa Mavericks" who were the wine region's trailblazers. In 2009, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the California State Fair. In 2011, Governor Jerry Brown honored him, along with the legacy of the Charles Krug Winery, with a proclamation for his contributions to the wine industry. Congress acknowledged him and the winery on his 97th birthday in the Congressional Record. His lifetime achievements were recognized in 2012 when he was inducted into the St. Helena-based Culinary Institute of America Vintners Hall of Fame for his industry contributions in cold fermentation and sterile filtration. "I share this award with my parents," a characteristically modest Mondavi said at that time.
Mondavi was predeceased by his wife, Blanche, and his siblings, Robert, Mary and Helen. He is survived by his daughter, Siena, sons Marc and Peter Jr – who run the family business – nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
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