WELCOME TO
ROBERT MONDAVI’S VINEYARD
HISTORY In 1966, Robert G. Mondovi founded the Robert Mondavi Winery to create wines in California that belong in the company of the world's finest. For over three decades, our winery embodies the Robert Mondavi family's commitment to excellence, innovation and the production of distinctive wines that define the very best of Napa Valley. Robert Mondavi Winery is located in the heart of Napa Valley, California. The first major winery built in Napa Valley in the post Prohibition era, Robert Mondavi Winery helped establish the foundation for the modern-day California wine business. Its mission-style architecture, with the expansive archway and bell tower designed by Cliff May, has become an enduring landmark that evokes California's winemaking history.
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PHILOSOPHY The Robert Mondavi Winery is recognized nationally and internationally as a leader in the wine industry. From the introduction of cold fermentation in stainless steel tanks and the use of French oak barrels in the late 1960s, to collaboration with NASA using aerial imaging to understand the health and vigor of the vines in the 1990s, the Robert Mondavi Winery has always been at the forefront of wine industry technology. Our innovations, such as gentle winemaking techniques to increase wine quality and natural farming to protect people and the environment, have led to fundamental changes in the industry’s approach to winegrowing.
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INSIDE THE WINERY Robert Mondavi Winery works in harmony with nature to protect the environment and its inhabitants, while producing the finest quality wines possible. From conserving water and minimizing chemical use, to employing sustainable winemaking techniques and recycling waste, Robert Mondavi Winery has been a leader in environmental responsibility for over 20 years. “We believe we are stewards of the land,” explains Michael Mondavi, CEO. “We need to leave the land in better shape for future generations.” Tim Mondavi, Winegrower, adds, “Fine quality wine is the expression of the earth, so we have a commitment to the environment. We have cultivated a natural winegrowing philosophy from vine to bottle.”
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CHILLING A wine’s best flavours ‘come out’ at room temperature. So how cold or how warm you serve your wines will affect how they taste. Woody characters in wine are emphasised with chilling. And the warmer a wine is served, the more the sweet, fruity flavours will be perceived. The lighter a wine is and the less oak maturation it has seen, the cooler it can be drunk. Alternatively, the more full bodied a wine is, or the greater its oak component, the closer it should be served to room temperature. For example, a fresh, crisp, Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc is best served between 8º and 11ºC, whereas a more heavily oaked Chardonnay or Semillon is best between 11º and 14ºC. This rule also applies to fuller, more robust reds - best a little warmer at 14º-18ºC. Lighter reds or more fruit driven reds are better at lower temperatures.
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DECANTING Wines are decanted for two reasons: firstly to separate the sediment out of older wines and secondly, to let younger wines “breathe”. This way, they open up and taste a little softer and rounder. With older wines they are allowed to lose any undesirable aromas that may have developed with age and to round out. Older wines may only need 30 minutes breathing, but they do need decanting. Crystal decanters or expensive glassware are not necessary - a large clean container such as a jug or carafe will suffice. To decant: pour the wine slowly into the decanter and look down the neck of the bottle - a candle or torch under the bottle will make it easy to see – until the sediment starts to appear in the neck of the bottle.
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It is giving me a great satisfaction, because I had the notion that we could make great wines equal to the greatest wines in the world, and everybody said it was impossible. Robert Mondavi
http://www.robertmondavi.com/rmw/