History
The joint venture was announced in 1980, briefly named Napamedoc until 1982, and its first vintage, the 1979, was made from Mondavi To Kalon fruit and released in 1984 alongside the 1980. Mondavi sold the venture 35 To Kalon acres, the Q Block, in 1980; the River and Ballestra parcels followed in the mid 1980s, the landmark limestone winery opened in 1991, and the K Block of To Kalon joined in 2008. Tim Mondavi led the winemaking with Lucien Sionneau and then Patrick Leon; Michael Silacci arrived in 2001 and has been winemaker since 2003. Since Constellation's 2004 purchase of Robert Mondavi, ownership is split evenly between Constellation and the Rothschild family, with the winery run independently.
The Site
About 170 planted acres in western Oakville: two To Kalon parcels totaling around 100 acres and the 70 acres of Ballestra and River ground surrounding the winery, farmed organically with no-till and regenerative practices under Guyot trellising.
Vines and Blocks
Cabernet Sauvignon leads with Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot.
The Wines
One wine and its second, Overture: around 25,000 cases of the grand vin a year, sixty percent sold abroad in more than ninety countries, Napa's most internationally distributed icon.