Robert Mondavi, a legend in Napa Valley. There was no doubt that he put Napa Valley on the wine map and shocked the wine world in the famous 1976 Paris Tastings. In my opinion, in some ways, made wine more approachable to ordinary people like us.
My husband and I took a vacation in the west coast of US last summer. It was July 2008 and we stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel in San Francisco. There was a copy of Wine Spectator in the room; on the cover was Robert Mondavi, who had just passed away in May.
We drove to Napa Valley for a few days; the first vineyard we visited was Robert Mondavi. I wasn’t sure if it was because Mondavi just passed away, but there were a number of life size posters of Robert Mondavi in the visitor’s center. The one that caught my attention was the one with his vision on work life balance:
“To succeed and have a happy life, you need common sense; a commitment to hard work and the courage to go your own way. Interest is not enough – you must be passionate about what you do. Find a job you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.”
It was sad that the vineyard that he built and made famous was no longer owned by the Mondavi family when he passed away. I am sure one day it will be made into a Hollywood movie with all the perfect elements poised to make a great movie.
To become a legend, you must have a vision that was ahead of time. Robert Mondavi believed in making quality wines and also educating people on wine: he built an education center at the vineyard, and it was 1966 when there were no visitors in Napa Valley.
I was at a crossroad in my career life when I visited the vineyard and, in some ways, reading about his success and failure gave me an insight into life. So here’s my tribute to the legend.
Grape Wine Journey 
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