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

A terrific story with an almost biblical feel. Sibling rivalry, generational friction, love, infidelity, modern business, success, craftmanship, family pride, hubris and ambition all intersect in the picturesque Napa Valley. Despite its almost 400 page length, the book is a quick, exciting read. You'll never open a bottle of wine from Napa Valley without thinking about the story of the valley's first family.

This is a terrific history of the Mondavi family and the rise and fall of its wine empire. Family infighting and unwise business decisions and a dash of bad luck are part and parcel of this story. The author, Julia Flynn Siler, writes in a spellbinding manner. The approach and theme (page ix): "Over a period of two and a half years, the author interviewed all of the principle family members involved in the events leading to the sale of Robert Mondavi Corporation, seeking to understand how and why a seemingly "takeover proof" family-controlled company was sold over the objections of several key family members." The book takes us through four generations of the family. There at the beginning: Cesare and Rosa Mondavi (there is a useful genealogy on the inside of the cover page). The book describes their journey to California and the start of the family wine business. The book is divided into four parts--Foundation, Construction, Expansion, and the lugubrious finale, Demolition. Key themes: family infighting. Cesare's two sons, Robert and Peter had a major falling out, with Peter winning the family battle and ousting him from the family business. The father had sought a single condition when he began the purchase of the Charles Krug Winery--(page 23): "Robert and Peter must work together to build the business." The promise failed. After he left Charles Krug, Robert Mondavi engaged in a legal scorched earth policy against his brother and mother (who sided with Peter). The end result? Robert won and the rest of the family, in essence, lost. This sad story is told engagingly and leaves one scratching one's head as to what could have accounted for a family meltdown. Robert began his own wine business and brought his sons and daughter into key positions. Over time, he acquired other businesses and the venture expanded. However, eerily reminiscent of his own family falling out, his two sons had serious tensions between them, with very different visions of where the company should go. Interesting vignettes: the joint venture with the legendary Baron Philippe de Rothschild and his wife, who took aver the reins after the Baron's death, Baroness Philippine de Rothschild. The book itself reads almost like a Greek tragedy, where the reader can see all the fault lines and can see disaster looming; however, the characters themselves as they lived their lives were unable to control events. This is a well written book that brings one into the world of winemaking and one family's successes and failures.

I had an opportunity to meet Robert Mondavi in 1995 at his Napa vineyard during one the famed "Summer Concerts in the Vineyard." We had a shared interest since we were both involved in IPOs (Initial Public Offerings) managed by Goldman Sachs. He took the family business, Robert Mondavi Corp., public in 1993 and I was taking a life science business, KeraVision, Inc., public in 1995. Mondavi impressed me then as an American gem - hard working, visionary, entrepreneurial, humble and generous. Julia Flynn Siler's "House of Mondavi" chronicles the life of this American gem, how he changed the wine industry in America and how his generosity caused him to lose control of a his company during the turbulent early 2000s. Generosity, not greed, brought the downfall - an outlier in a period when greed was the headline story. After being banished from the family in 1965, Robert, the son of an Italian peasant, started over with virtually nothing and built the biggest name in the American wine industry. His wines took their place proudly with the world's finest. His generosity with major gifts, including the largest single gift of $35 million (in pledged stock) to the University of California at Davis for a cultural center, put him in harm's way when the Mondavi share price plummeted. A board coup followed with Mondavi Chairman, and former Mckinsey & Co. partner, Ted Hall, firing Mondavi's son, Michael, and putting an end to the dual class ownership of the company's stock...and a loss of control by the Mondavi family. The book also sheds light on the fragility of family succession and control in even the most established of enterprises - and how botched transfers of power from one generation to another caused conflicts that separated the family from its legacy. Running any family business is notoriously troublesome and very few ever make it into the fifth generation. This one did not as the public spotlight on Michael Mondavi's performance in a time of crisis (a general collapse of wine prices)weighed heavily in the final outcome. Julia Flynn Siler has written a tight, well researched book that will keep most readers turning each page - particularly those interested in behind the scenes business stories, entrepreneurs, large family-run businesses, Napa Valley and its wine industry, and/or Robert Mondavi the person. The story does not end with the loss of control as there is a silver lining which saved the Mondavi family from financial ruin. I will leave that and other details of the Mondavi chronicles for the reader to learn first hand.

"The House of Mondavi" is a fascinating tale of how the Mondavis' internal family feud, and Robert Mondavi's struggle to balance his sons' ambitions (while never wanting to give away control) ultimately cost the family the global brand winery they built with so much passion. Julia Flynn does an awesome job with her fluid and wonderful narration that makes this book extremely enjoyable. There can be no doubts that she is a gifted story teller. The book reads like a best-seller fiction set in the backdrop of a high profile family drama mixed with feud, anger, betrayal and pure emotions. The most interesting and racy part of this book is where the author moves the story like a thriller detailing Robert Mondavi's fisticuffs with brother Peter in 1965 and sending him out of his family's Charles Krug winery, inspiring him to strike out on his own. Similarly, the book also gets interesting where the differences between Robert's sons Tim and Micheal are detailed. Tim lobbying for higher-quality wines while Michael focused on the bottom line -- and their father as pitting them against each other. All in all, "The House of Mondavi" is not just simply an historic account, It's a very well narrated literature that will make you feel as if you just read a novel with twists,turns and classic plots. N.Sivakumar Author of: America Misunderstood: What a Second Bush Victory Meant to the Rest of the World

This meticulously researched story about the rise and fall of the House that Robert built was a revelation. So much has been writen about Robert Mondavi. He's an icon, a charismatic visionary who not only built a small winery into an empire, but was responsible, more than any other individual, for giving the maligned American wine industry the world-wide respect it now enjoys. As far as I know, this is the first book that explains how and why the House of Mondavi fell in 2004. The answer is complex, of course, but is rooted in Robert Mondavi's determination to have a family-owned company. That family -- all 4 generations of it -- is colorful, volitile and driven by conflicting views. The author paints individuals easy to remember, as are the outsiders who become involved in the business. No need to have a winemaking or busines background to follow what's happening. Thanks to Flynn-Siler's story-telling skill, the reader learns, while engrossed in the conflict and poignancy of the human drama occuring as the business rises and falls. Highly recommended. Note: Even the finest vintage contains the occasional sour grape, apparently. Noticing 'Whines's review in October made me wonder if he's read the same book as the NY Times reviewer and I. Very puzzling.