Post #381021 by The Gnomon on Sun, May 18, 2008 11:15 AM

It's more along the lines of honoring the fallen, Bead, many of whom have disapperaed from public view for ages.

This one is a few days late. One of the few vineyards I toured and tasted during my visits to Northern California was the Robert Modavi vineyard. I also visited Beringer (mainly because of Falcon Crest), but Mondavi was my favorite; especially, the walks through the vineyard and the tastings.

Robert Mondavi, 94; vintner was a powerful ambassador for California wine
One of the best-known figures in American viticulture, he had little formal training in making wine. His exile from the family business became the stuff of legend.

Robert Mondavi, the pioneering Napa Valley vintner whose drive and salesmanship revolutionized the way the world thought about California wine, died peacefully Friday at his Yountville, Calif., home, a spokeswoman for the Robert Mondavi Winery said. He was 94.

Robert Mondavi obit