Getting your
Trinity Audioplayer ready...For anyone who believes Napa Valley’s influence in the world of wine is fading, the reimagined Robert Mondavi Winery begs to differ.
After an ambitious three-year renovation reported to have cost more than $100 million, the winery’s owner, Constellation Brands, is betting big on the region’s future.
The story
Robert Mondavi was one of the defining figures in California wine history. Born to Italian immigrants, he grew up in Lodi, where his parents worked with local growers and later owned a stake in a bulk wine company. By 1943, the family had earned enough to purchase Charles Krug Winery in St. Helena.
Mondavi and his brother Peter ran the winery together, but disagreed over its direction. Tensions built, and in 1966, the family pushed Robert out of the business.
That same year, he founded his namesake brand, the first major winery built in Napa Valley after the repeal of Prohibition. With Warren Winiarski — later the founder of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars — as his first winemaker, Mondavi pursued what seemed an audacious goal for 1960s America: creating a genuine wine culture in the United States while proving that Napa Valley wines could rival Europe’s best.
Mondavi embraced European winemaking traditions while championing American innovation. He helped popularize techniques now commonplace in California, including cold fermentation, and was among the state’s earliest adopters of stainless steel tanks and French oak barrels. He was also an indefatigable ambassador, promoting California wine around the world.
The winery changed hands in 2004, four years before Mondavi’s death, when Constellation Brands acquired it for more than $1 billion. By then, its prestige had been diluted by the proliferation of lower-priced labels, including Robert Mondavi Private Selection and Woodbridge. (Constellation recently sold those brands to focus on premium wines.)
In April, the winery opened its new, multimillion-dollar hospitality center.
The vibe
The renovation took three years, preserving the best elements of architect Cliff May’s original design, including the iconic Mission-style arch and bell tower, while giving the property a contemporary feel. Manicured lawns have been replaced with more natural landscaping.
The original buildings are now joined by the new Vineyard Room hospitality wing, home to seated tastings and the private Mondavi Table culinary experience.
Inside, a wall of vintage photographs traces the winery’s history. Family snapshots hang alongside images of Mondavi with figures such as Julia Child and Sophia Loren. Rather than overwhelm visitors with memorabilia, the design incorporates subtle historical touches throughout: staves from Mondavi’s original wooden casks line the tasting room ceiling, while the statue of St. Francis of Assisi that once greeted guests at the entrance now stands in the garden among works commissioned by Mondavi’s wife, Margrit.
The tasting lounge is bright and expansive, with contemporary furniture and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the To Kalon Vineyard and surrounding woodlands. Concrete walls are textured to evoke layers of soil, while patios wrap around the building and pathways wind through the gardens. Cabanas provide comfortable spaces for walk-in guests to sip wine by the glass or by the bottle.
Guided tours include the new To Kalon Cellar, where vineyard-facing windows, skylights and gleaming temperature-controlled fermentation tanks create one of Napa Valley’s most striking production spaces. Guests also visit the intimate Tower Room tasting area tucked beneath the winery’s bell tower.
On the palate
The wines have evolved alongside the property, moving toward a more restrained use of oak. Winemaker Kurtis Ogasawara still ages the winery’s flagship reds in new French oak, but for shorter periods — about 20 months — and with lighter toast levels. The emphasis is increasingly on vineyard expression and vintage character. The organically certified, 440-acre To Kalon Vineyard remains the cornerstone of the program, supplemented by carefully sourced fruit.
The 2022 The Estates Oakville Fume Blanc ($65) is a peachy little number with a nice balance between crispness, body and toasted oak notes. A standout among Mondavi’s reds, the 2021 The Estates Stag’s Leap Cabernet Sauvignon ($95) is elegant and balanced with spice aromas, subtle tannins and juicy black fruit flavors. If you like your Cabs on the lusher side, try the 2021 The Estates Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon ($105). The wine shows off concentrated flavors of black cherries and spice, and a firm tannic structure.
Experiences range from the Pioneer Tasting ($60) to the Legend Tasting and Tour ($150), featuring reserve wines. The Mondavi Table offers a family-style meal of seasonal Italian-inspired dishes, such as handmade ricotta cappelletti, paired with estate wines. At $95, it is comparatively approachable by Napa Valley standards.
Beyond the bottle
A short drive away in Yountville, Mad Fritz Tap House offers a different expression of terroir. Brewer and owner Nile Zacherle, who is also the winemaker at David Arthur Vineyards, applies a winemaker’s sensibility to beer, sourcing water from different springs and wells around Napa Valley to shape each brew. Visitors can build a tasting flight or order a 10-ounce pour.
Robert Mondavi Winery, 7801 St. Helena Highway, Oakville. Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. robertmondaviwinery.com
Tina Caputo is a wine, food, and travel writer whose work has appeared in numerous publications, including SevenFifty Daily, Visit California, HuffPost, and Sonoma magazine. Follow Tina on Bluesky @winebroad, view her website at tinacaputo.com, and email her story ideas at tina@caputocontent.com.