The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty

The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty, by Robert Mondavi

With a lifetime's effort, Robert Mondavi put Napa Valley on center stage in the $22 billion dollar U.S. wine industry. In The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty Wall Street Journal writer Julia Flynn uncorks the tale of four decades of dynastic family and wine business drama. The feuding Mondavis have been gossip fodder for the region and the wine trade at least since the 60s when Robert was banished from, and then sued, the company founded by his father. He triumphed, and started his own house. I guzzled this book down. Fascinating subplots about the visionary, dynamic and disparate personalities, their clashes in wine making and marketing philosophies, marathon legal proceedings, boardroom intrigue, sibling and cousin rivalry, and cases and cases of betrayal. All on a grand scale. The story starts one hundred years ago as immigrant Cesare Mondavi arrived at Ellis Island, and ends as third generation heirs waged a corporate control war yet again. The Mondavis were no match for powerful outside forces and, predictably, Mondavi is now part of an international conglomerate. The House of Mondavi. Cheers.
-Susan