Under new ownership, Mondavi wines aren't what they used to be

Since the sale of Robert Mondavi's wine empire, new owners are aiming for the "premiumization" of the brand, but a series of tastings shows that far too many new wines are failing to live up to the founder's standards.

ON MY BIRTHDAY last December, I opened a special bottle from my cellar — a 1969 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from the Robert Mondavi Winery. No man in America did more to further the quality and enjoyment of domestic wines than Robert Mondavi, and this almost-40-year-old bottle captured his spirit and had a story to tell about the early years of his winery.

The back label carried a personal message from Mr. Mondavi: "When I founded the Robert Mondavi Winery, my objective was to build a facility which would give me the flexibility of developing each variety of wine separately through the winemaking process. This is a unique concept, yet necessary if each wine is to attain its maximum character and personality."

This lovely wine, from the winery's fourth vintage, drank beautifully, with frail but elegant, captivating flavors. The winery illustrated on the bottle's front label is the same even on the most recent vintages of Mondavi wines. That seems to be the only relic of the old Mondavi magic. Virtually everything else is different.

The implosion of the Robert Mondavi wine empire has been well-chronicled in Julia Flynn Siler's "The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty." The financial and family crises that caught up with Mr. Mondavi at the end of his fruitful life ultimately forced the sale of the wines, vineyards, wineries, brands and — most important — the family name.

The purchaser was Constellation Brands, recently listed as the third-largest company in America by Wine Business Monthly. The acquisition of Mondavi was part of a recent buying spree that briefly included Columbia, Covey Run and Ste. Chapelle (all since dumped) and most recently added Hogue and Clos du Bois — an effort that Constellation president José Fernandez has called "premiumization."

Almost four years have passed since the demise of Mondavi as a family-controlled business. Enough time to see what, if anything, remains of its legacy. What has "premiumization" done for what was arguably the winery that invented it?

The lineup has grown into at least five tiers: Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi; Robert Mondavi Private Selection; Solaire by Robert Mondavi; the "regular" Robert Mondavi Winery wines (themselves divided into Napa Valley and District wines); and the reserves. All in all, close to 60 wines carry the Mondavi name on the front label.

Sixteen Woodbridge wines are priced at $8. I tasted two (rather plain) chardonnays, one labeled "lightly oaked"; a rustic, mushroomy cabernet-merlot, and a vapid cabernet. Nothing here that could not be done far better by the similarly priced Columbia Crest Two Vines lineup.

Moving on, it's a short step up to the Private Selection wines, priced at $11. A dozen offerings include a Meritage (Bordeaux blend) sourced from Central Coast vineyards — a pale imitation of a generic Bordeaux, chalky and plain.

Solaire is a new brand extension, designed to "shine a spotlight" on the extensive Central Coast vineyard holdings. The Solaire chardonnay ($15) is soft and peachy, the cabernet sauvignon ($17) the better of the two, yet tannic and stripped of nuance. The actual Mondavi winery brands have been subdivided beyond comprehension. I tasted the Fumé Blanc ($20) and its cousin, the To Kalon vineyard Fumé Reserve ($40). The reserve does begin to display some shape and varietal character, albeit at considerable cost.

Two other wines completed my tasting: a 2006 Chardonnay Reserve ($40) and a 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve ($125). Nice use of oak on the chard, which had a steely core from its Carneros fruit. The flagship Reserve Cab is a sturdy effort (15 percent alcohol!). My survey barely scraped the surface of the Mondavi wines. Perhaps some hidden treasures are out there; I did not find them.