Winemaking scion Tim Mondavi on the Napa Valley’s next chapter

The youngest son of the renowned Napa Valley pioneer, Robert Mondavi, shares how the wine region’s evolving future and his family’s legacy are intertwined with his wine estate, Continuum.

Photo: Continuum Estate/Steven Rothfeld
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If you were to capture Napa Valley’s wine history in a flash, two names would likely emerge at the forefront: the late Robert Mondavi and Cabernet Sauvignon.

 Mondavi was widely credited for catapulting Napa Valley — renowned for its rich, age-worthy cabernets — into the global spotlight. His namesake winery, Robert Mondavi, was the first post-prohibition Napa winery to launch in 1966.

His decision to label wines varietally — distinct from the European nomenclature of naming the wine by region — helped set the global marketing standards for New World wines.

Now, his youngest son, the 73-year-old silver-haired Tim, carries that legacy forward, not under the Mondavi name, but with his wine brand, Continuum, which tells a different story of perseverance and evolution.

The shift in Cabernet dominance

“Everyone projects onto Napa Valley a singularity of purpose,” Mondavi remarks early in our conversation. He refers to the dominance of Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa’s king grape, which has long defined the region. From Harlan Estate, Opus One to Dominus Estate and more, the grape makes up the lion’s share of many iconic bottles.

But Mondavi sees a shift on the horizon. Napa’s winemakers are now working on distinguishing terroir differences between the valley floor, mountains, and hillsides and recognising lesser-known grapes like Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

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Continuum’s wine estate on Pritchard Hill. (Photo: Continuum Estate/Steven Rothfeld)

“Our region favours the cabernet family varietals”, he states, noting how Cabernet Sauvignon excels on the valley floor while Cabernet Franc thrives on the hills, where the soils are thinner and deliver smaller vines and small berries with better concentration.

“I am increasingly confident that Cabernet Franc and Merlot do so much better in the hillsides than the valley floor,” he says, comparing the hillside terroir to St Emillion in Bordeaux, where these varietals have flourished.

His venture, Continuum, is located on Pritchard Hill along the eastern ridge of Napa Valley. The unreleased 2022 vintage — a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot — captures the changes he speaks of.

Over the years, Mondavi has slowly increased the proportion of Cabernet Franc, a grape known for its lifted acidity and perfumed profile.

Cabernet Franc: Napa’s rising star

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The Continuum label art by Chiara Mondavi depicts a 75-year-old Cabernet Sauvignon vine planted by her father, Tim. (Photo: Continuum Estate/Steven Rothfeld)

Cabernet Franc, the lesser-known parent of Cabernet Sauvignon, has slowly gained prominence in Napa. The Californian wine region’s climate and soil favour the classic Bordeaux-blend grape, which took root in the area as early as 1950. Given that Napa parallels Bordeaux, the varietal appeals to classic lovers and younger drinkers looking for leaner wines.

Originally from Southwest France, it thrives in the Loire Valley, and it is bottled as a single varietal in regions like Chinon and Bourgueil. In Bordeaux, it plays a supporting role in the region’s iconic blends. 

Mondavi’s statement echoes the current trend in Napa. Recent trends show an increasing focus on Cabernet Franc, with celebrated wine author Karen MacNeil declaring it the valley’s most expensive grape. The varietal is also widely tipped to be Napa’s future.

From immigrants to icons

The Mondavi family’s winemaking journey stretches back nearly 120 years. Tim’s grandparents, Rose and Cesare Mondavi, immigrated from Italy’s Marche region in 1906 and purchased the Charles Krug vineyard in 1943.

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Tim Mondavi bought Continuum with his sister, Marcia Mondavi, in 2005. (Photo: Continuum Estate/Steven Rothfeld)

But it was his father, Robert, who made Napa Valley a household name when he founded his winery in 1966. That winery, however, was sold to Constellation Brands in 2005. “We were heartbroken,” he admits, his voice tinged with the loss, even after two decades. 

Constellation Brands bought Robert Mondavi Winery for a reported US$1 billion ($1.34 billion, adjusted for inflation). Mondavi recollects: “I had a bag of money, but that’s not enough. You need a new love.” That new love was Continuum, which he founded in 2005.

A UC Davis-qualified enologist and viticulturist, the younger Mondavi worked closely with his father as director of winemaking and later, at Opus One, the legendary tie-up between Mondavi and Baron de Rothschild.

Widely travelled, he also created the super Tuscan wine Luce with the Frescobaldi family in Italy and the celebrated Chilean Bordeaux blend, Seña. He is also an ardent fan of Burgundy and firmly believes in site and terroir.

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The cellar room at Continuum Estate. (Photo: Continuum Estate/Steven Rothfeld)

“Great wines are a function of several things, most importantly, the site,” he says. For Mondavi, Continuum was his chance to create something distinct from Robert Mondavi Winery’s and Opus One’s legacies.

In 2005, he and his sister, Marcia Mondavi Borger, co-purchased a 70-ha estate on Pritchard Hill. About 40 per cent of it is now planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. 

“Continuum was born out of all of this history”, he reflects, referencing his family’s winemaking legacy and drawing attention to the name, which spurs his “wish to carry on the best of what the family stood for”. The wines reflect their terroir, showing more berry character, more layers of flavours and more nuances of the hillsides.

Continuum 2018 offers mulberries, sage and refined tannins, while 2021 shows remarkable depth, with notes of deep black fruits, star anise, and bay leaf. 2022, due to be released later this year, is still evolving, with a perfume of red berries, thyme, and liquorice.

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Carlo Mondavi, Marcia Mondavi Borger, Tim Mondavi, Chiara Mondavi, Dante Mondavi. Front row: Carissa Mondavi. (Photo: Continuum Estate/Steven Rothfeld)

As Napa Valley evolves, so does the Mondavi family’s vision for the future. The fourth generation from both siblings — Carissa, Chiara Mondavi, and Brian Mondavi Bolger — are involved in Continuum, while Tim Mondavi’s sons Dante and Carlo have launched their ventures.

As a totem of the past and future, the label art, designed by his daughter Chiara, is a gold-foiled rendition of a life-size Cabernet Franc vine that Tim planted in 1975.

Mondavi firmly believes that Continuum represents the family’s new chapter. 

“Fine wine is measured not in quarters or even in years, but in decades, in multiple generations,” he declares. “Continuum is our family’s new Opus.”

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