How Robert Mondavi's White Smoke Captured the Wine Industry
In the history of Napa Valley, California, Robert Mondavi (1913 – 2008) holds a special place. In 1965, Robert had a much-publicized split with younger brother Peter Mondavi.
The rift precipitated Robert’s leaving the family business at Charles
Krug Winery in St. Helena. In what seemed like no time, Robert Mondavi
then created the California premium wine business, as we know it today.
Among his first moves was to secure a location in Oakville for his new winery. Mondavi hired architect Cliff May
(1909 – 1989) to design his new winery. It also happened to be the
first new winery in the Napa Valley since the passing of Prohibition in
1930. Well known for his California ranch style homes,
the Mondavi Winery soon became May’s most prominent commission. Even
today, the arched entrance arouses both our contemporary esthetic and
our search for timeless beauty. From his first
vintage onward, Mondavi featured the building’s front façade on his
label. Experiencing only minor variations in style, the Mondavi premium
contemporary label looks much like one from the 1960s. To this day, the Mondavi label is a reliable symbol for quality California wine.
Mondavi
was a marketing genius. The first vintage for Robert Mondavi Winery
was his 1966 Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon. Upon its release in 1968, the
entire vintage sold out almost immediately. Soon after his Cabernet
Sauvignon sold out, Robert Mondavi rechristened an otherwise plebeian
Sauvignon Blanc, calling it “Fume Blanc”.
By featuring the “white smoke” designation on the label, Robert Mondavi
succeeded in convincing many neophyte wine consumers that he had
invented a new varietal wine. Advances in large-scale cold fermentation
were still years away, so making a distinguished Sauvignon Blanc was
not easy. I will leave it up to others to determine if Mondavi
succeeded in making a remarkable Sauvignon Blanc.
On
my first visit to Robert Mondavi Winery in 1969, the ubiquitous Fume
Blanc was the only wine available for sale to the public. Although I
have since consumed many bottles of Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon
and Chardonnay, I have not noticed a bottle of Robert Mondavi Fume
Blanc on sale for years. However, there are images of 2007 Robert
Mondavi Fume Blanc on the internet, so they must still make that wine.
For those who bought land early, like Joseph Heitz, producing the only
other 1966 Oakville Cabernet on the market was a natural step. Before
Mondavi and Heitz, Beringer, Inglenook
and other Napa Valley winemakers saw the place as just another
California viticulture area. It was after Mondavi opened his winery that
the Napa Valley became one of the hottest real estate markets in the
United States. Wealthy individuals and corporations alike rushed to own
a part of the California premium wine business.
Until Napa Valley real estate prices skyrocketed, Sonoma County and Mendocino County
held nearly equal viticultural status to the nearby Napa Valley. After
a string of international accolades for its premium wines in the
1970s, Napa Valley rose to preeminence in the minds of most California
wine aficionados. To the present day, a Napa Valley "domaine de origin"
still holds sway with wine aficionados, both young and old. Regardless
of how imperfect a Napa Valley wine may be, most vinophiles will
unconsciously give a Napa Valley wine the benefit of the doubt.
For Robert Mondavi, one could say that he happened
to be in the right place at the right time. Although he was certainly
in the right place, he capitalized 
on
several trends, including the rush to varietal wine labeling. Until
ridiculed by Mondavi and others, the term “California Burgundy” was in
common usage. Soon thereafter, new laws required winemakers use
accurate geographical and varietal wine labeling.
As with the red wine tradition in Bordeaux, France, a blend of California Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot
often makes a wine preferable to straight Cabernet Sauvignon. However,
Robert Mondavi’s push for varietal labeling won the hearts of both
legislators and consumers. Unless a wine could meet the seventy-five
percent-of-content threshold, such a blend might be labeled “Claret” or worse yet, “Red Table Wine”.
Out of misplaced deference for Robert Mondavi and his successful push
for varietal labeling, we now drink our California Cabernet Sauvignon
and even Merlot mostly straight, rather than in more thoughtful blends.
For a winemaker to do otherwise, risks having his or her wine languish
on the shelf, rather than consumed by the public.
Another
reason for the success of Robert Mondavi and his fellow Napa Valley
Vintners is the compact geography of the appellation. The valley is
only twenty miles long and several miles wide. In the 1970s, a tourist
could visit almost every winery in the valley in one day. In the early
1970s, stops at Robert Mondavi, Beaulieu, Louis M. Martini, Beringer,
Charles Krug, Inglenook, then newly reformed Freemark Abbey and the new Sterling Vineyards might make for one full day of Napa Valley wine tasting.
Today, a tasting-trip north on the same California Highway 29 might take
a week, given the large number of wineries now along that road. From
Calistoga, a return trip south along the Silverado Trail
yields scores more wineries, all still in the Napa Valley. On a
weekend during the crush, the Napa Valley can seem like one giant
amusement park for adults. When at Sterling Vineyards, be sure to ride
the overhead tram out to the tasting room and back. After a glass of
wine, it is a real experience.
By James McGillis at 05:38 PM | Travel | Comments (0) | Link
