Robert Mondavi

Robert Mondavi
Robert Mondavi and his wife Margrit
Born	June 18, 1913 Virginia, Minnesota
Died	May 16, 2008 (aged 94) Yountville, California
Nationality	American
Occupation	Winemaker Philanthropist
Known for	Winemaker
Spouse(s)	Marjorie Declusin (1937–79) Margrit Biever (1980-2008)
Children	Michael Mondavi Marcia Mondavi Tim Mondavi
Awards	Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (2002), French Legion of Honour (2005) California Hall of Fame (2005)

Robert Gerald Mondavi (June 18, 1913 – May 16, 2008) was a leading California 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 Robert Mondavi Institute (RMI) for Wine and Food Science at the University of California, Davis opened October 2008 in his honor.

Robert Mondavi's parents Cesare Mondavi and Rosa Grassi emigrated from Sassoferrato in the Marche region of Italy and settled in the Minnesota city of Hibbing. Robert Gerald Mondavi was born in Virginia, Minnesota. From Minnesota the Mondavi family moved to Lodi, California, where he attended Lodi High School. In Lodi, his father, Cesare, established a successful fruit packing business under the name C. Mondavi and Sons, packing and shipping grapes to the east coast primarily for home winemaking. Mondavi graduated from Stanford University in 1937 with a degree in economics and business administration. While at Stanford he was a member of the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity.

In 1943, Mondavi joined his father and brother Peter after the family acquired the Charles Krug Winery located in St. Helena from James Moffitt. In 1965, Robert Mondavi left the family winery after a feud with his younger brother Peter over the business direction of the Krug Winery. Subsequently, Mondavi started his own winery in Oakville, California, and set out to create wines that could compete with fine French wines Today, the Robert Mondavi Winery is located between Oakville and Rutherford (though its corporate headquarters are in nearby St. Helena).