The Upstart

Winemaking was the primary subject of conversation at his father’s and grandfather’s dinner tables, and he held jobs in every aspect of the business. But when he was a junior in high school and contemplating various colleges, a professor of viticulture and enology at University of California, Davis said Michael already was expert in the vintner’s art, had nothing to learn except for the information in a few botanical science courses, and should instead focus on the mercantile aspects of a winery.

So Michael’s major at Santa Clara became management in the degree program of the business of science and commerce, with a minor in architecture. His extracurricular interests were in the ski club and playing on the intramural football and rugby teams. Most importantly, it was at Santa Clara that he met the Spaniard Isabel Alcantara ’67, one year his junior, who would become his wife and, eventually, the author of some of her own chardonnay and rosé wine selections.

Because Wednesdays at Santa Clara were then reserved for faculty meetings, there were no classes for undergraduates. Frequently, during the fall harvest, Michael would hitchhike north to Napa for the Tuesday night shift, work eight hours in the vineyards or cellars on Wednesday, then get back to the Valley for his Thursday classes. Weekends were much the same. “I was paid the same as the other field workers,” Michael said, “so I made a fair amount of money. I could afford to pay my own tuition, and my parents paid room and board.”

Up to then, California wines often tended to be sweet, cheap, jug wines, like Italy’s grappa. But seeking greater elegance in the product, Robert, with his brother Peter, introduced high-quality European winemaking to the region, aging wines in expensive barrels of French oak or in stainless-steel fermentation tanks. At Robert Mondavi Winery, he even invented his own version of sauvignon blanc that he called a fumé blanc, or “smoky white.” Still, Robert maintained some California-casual charm, hiring the architect Cliff May—the mid-century father of the modern ranch house—to design the Mission-style adobe estate to preside over his winery.

After graduating from Santa Clara, Michael fulfilled his military obligation by joining the National Guard, with service in the Corps of Engineers, and completed his tour as a First Lieutenant. Meanwhile, he was serving as winemaker, then vice president of sales for his father’s company, generally traveling much of the year in publicity tours that promoted not only Mondavi varietals but the entire wine industry in Napa Valley, where he became known as the “quiet icon” among his friends and colleagues.

Earlier, in 1999, Michael and his family sought a Napa Valley vineyard of their own to manage and to that end bought 15 acres in the high elevation and volcanic soil of Atlas Peak, a property that his daughter Dina ’98 named Animo, “spirit” in Italian. They also collectively acquired the 95 acres of Oso Vineyard near Howell Mountain. And so a new chapter began.

All the vineyards in the Michael Mondavi Family Estate are farmed sustainably and are certified “green.” Dina handles marketing and foreign export sales. Son Robert Jr. ’94 serves as the overall viniculturist for Animo, Emblem, Isabel Mondavi Wines, and M by Michael Mondavi labels. Additionally, Michael is “founder & coach” of Folio Fine Wine Partners, which produces Oberon and Spellbound wines and also represents the fine wines crafted by 20 independent families in Europe and Argentina.

“My grandfather and father had vision and good business acumen, but my grandmother and mother made sure we did it with the proper values and they always treated employees like extended members of the family,” Michael said. “So fast forward to when I began my second company with Folio Fine Wine Partners, I made sure that the employees themselves owned 10 percent of it.”

The American wine dynasty called the House of Mondavi, has not just been good for the family and employees. In many ways, it singularly transformed Napa from its early existence as a sleepy farming community on Highway 29—the town you passed on your way elsewhere—into a busy, vibrant tourist destination with a host of wine tasting locations, new hotels, posh restaurants, and an actual night life.

“My father,” Michael said, “knew that in order to sell Robert Mondavi wines, we couldn’t just sell our brand. We had to help build the Napa region and sell, number one, California wine, number two, Napa wine, and number three, Robert Mondavi wine. If you don’t build the category, it’s pretty hard to build a business.”

And a wine region of grand renown isn’t a bad thing to have grown.