Robert Mondavi, R.I.P.
By
Nick Haramis
May 16, 2008
Robert Mondavi, the wine master who put California grapes on the map, died this morning at the age of 94. In his 1998 autobiography, Harvests of Joy, he wrote, “My passion for bringing wine into the American culture was motivated by a desire to plant deep into the soil of our young country the same values, traditions, and daily pleasures that my mother and father had brought with them from central Italy: good food, good wine, and love of family." Amen to that.
Posted by Stephanie Douglas on Sat May 17, 2008 at 10.46 am
To those who cherish wine country and the fruits of it’s labor like root stock to the soil,the passing of Mr. Mondavi is akin to the sweet sadness of the last harvest from an old vine. The complex fruit though now gone from the vine will continue to evolve; each sip a beautiful symphony created from decades of discipline, slow growth and hard struggle. The vine,it’s now job done, whithers in a final glorious display of amber, rose and umber leaving for us in the end a cherished root stock for the next generation. For those of us who met this great man for a mere moment or a lifetime will tell you his passion and joy of harvest and in life was truly inspiring. He loved his craft and he loved his community. His essence will forever emminate from our American terrior.