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.

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Robert Mondavi dead at 94

• The Wine Collection - Project Oakville: I'm buying a bottle or two a week of wine to bottle age. A 1998 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon (my favorite variety from my favorite vintner) runs $50-$120. A 2006 Mondavi Cab can be had for as little as $9. It will be 8 more years before we'll really know if the 2006 is as good at the 1998, but it's a risk I'm willing to run - I bought two bottles yesterday. If I drink two bottles a week and buy four, then in ten years I should be able to drink one beautifully aged bottle a week while still building the collection. I'd have to earn a pretty hefty stock market return to be able to buy the wine ten years down the road and I'd be at the mercy of availability to a greater degree. The downside is in the storing of a thousand bottles or so of wine. So...
• The Wine Cellar - Project Pauillac: Right now, those bottles are in a dark cupboard and the temperature in that room is about 65 degrees - about 8 degrees higher than optimum, but it's probably a little cooler in the cupboard. For the moment, that's acceptable and I can even take some steps to keep it cooler. Investing in a small wine cooler might even be a short run option, but they only hold a few dozen bottles at best. Ultimately, I need a wine cellar or cellars. I will be starting with a hand dug cellar, probably a glorified «root cellar» with some racks. The main goals are darkness, sufficiently high humidity, lack of vibration and constant cool temperatures. My current thinking is a shallow cellar that will be accessed by opening the top and reaching in. Past that, something in the 20x20 range with concrete walls and sand floors (that might also eventually be the basement foundation for a new house) is likely. I expect digging something like that will likely be the work of several months, followed by the work and cost of building forms and pouring concrete. More details as plans take shape and photos/videos as the plans turn into action.

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Wine cellar and wine collection