Ideas and Projects » Robert Mondavi http://ideas.tom-hanna.org Projects: do-it-yourself, business, online. Ideas: wild ideas, hairbrained schemes, trial balloons Sat, 17 May 2008 11:06:47 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 en hourly 1 Robert Mondavi dead at 94 http://ideas.tom-hanna.org/2008/robert-mondavi-dead-at-94/ http://ideas.tom-hanna.org/2008/robert-mondavi-dead-at-94/#comments Sat, 17 May 2008 11:03:17 +0000 Tom http://ideas.tom-hanna.org/?p=7 a

Robert Mondavi dead at 94

]]> Robert Mondavi, the California vintner whose Oakville, California winery provided the «code name» for my wine cellar project died Friday at the age of 94. A Cabernet Sauvignon that I tasted at the Oakville winery several years ago was the best wine I've ever tasted. It was a 6-year old wine and had mellowed to the stage that it felt like velvet hitting the tongue and literally burst with flavor. The winery's architecture and location is everything it's cracked up to be.

According to Wikipedia:

was a leading American vineyard operator whose technical improvements and marketing strategies brought worldwide recognition for the wines of the Napa Valley in California. From an early period, Mondavi aggressively promoted labeling wines varietally rather than generically. This is now the standard for New World wines.

The Associated Press:

At the time, California was still primarily known for cheap jug wines. But he set out to change that, championing use of cold fermentation, stainless steel tanks and French oak barrels, all commonplace in the industry today. He introduced blind tastings in Napa Valley, putting his wines up against French vintages, a bold move.

A bold move? Having tasted a few French wines, none of which compared to the worst of the Mondavi wines I've tasted, I'd say it was a smart move.

Mondavi was an enthusiastic ambassador for wine — especially California wine — and traveled the world into his 90s promoting the health, cultural and social benefits of its moderate consumption.

Benjamin Franklin said that «Wine is proof that God exists and wants us to be happy.» Robert Mondavi did God's work and did it well.

a

Robert Mondavi dead at 94

]]> http://ideas.tom-hanna.org/2008/robert-mondavi-dead-at-94/feed/