Mondavi, Robert

Robert Mondavi (1913–2008) helped lead the transformation of the American wine industry, making Napa synonymous with fine winemaking in the United States. In 1966 he founded the Robert Mondavi Winery, which quickly expanded from its modest beginnings to partner with international wine producers such as the Frescobaldi family in Italy and Eduardo Chadwick in Chile. The best known of Robert Mondavi’s partnerships was that with Baron Philippe de Rothschild to create the wine Opus One. This partnership and the quality of the wine gave new cachet to the wines of California, specifically to those of the Napa Valley.