May 16th marks the one-year anniversary passing of Robert Mondavi. He was a great winemaker who had a tremendous influence in the Napa Valley and the world. What a lot a people don’t realize is that his friendship directed the paths of such successful winemakers as Miljenko Grgic (Grgich Hills Estates) and Warren Winiarski (Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars). Both of these men had at one time worked side by side with Robert at his winery and both these men produced magnificent wines that later stole the competition at the Paris Tasting in 1976.

Robert leaves behind a legacy that will forever be unmatched. Seven years ago he contributed over $20 million to help open Copia, the Napa Valley center for food, wine and art.  Unfortunately, with these hard economic times the center was forced to file for bankruptcy and closed it’s doors, waiting for a better tomorrow. I hope that my destiny in the wine business will some day be linked to the resurrection of Copia and it’s message.

Yesterday Murphy-Goode had a meet and greet at The Wine House shop in Los Angeles. At this event people could taste their wine, meet the winemaker, and also record their videos for the dream job.

It was a spectacular event and a great opportunity for me to meet David. We had a great in-depth discussion about the time he went to harvest in Australia and discovered new technology that he then implemented at the Murphy-Goode winery. We also discussed the use of Stelvin (Screw Cap closures) and that caught the attention of everyone in the room. Both David and I love the Stelvin because it completely eliminates the risk of cork taint but nobody else appeared to share our view. I’m curious to know what my readers think about screw caps versus traditional cork.