Book Review: The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty by Julia Flynn Siler

Julia Flynn Siler's fascinating new book, The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty, begins and ends with sibling rivalry. Two brothers — Robert and Peter — vie for decision-making control of the family business, which is none other than the Charles Krug Winery, the first winery in Napa Valley, which dates back to 1861.

There's Robert: aggressive, innovative, market-savvy, a judgmental perfectionist. And then there's Peter: technically astute, methodical, cautious, perennially jealous of his older brother.

Peter whines about Robert's house on the vineyard, about Robert's recognition in the papers, the credit that goes to Robert for Charles Krug's success instead of to him. He whines in particular about a mink coat, accusing Robert of stealing money from the business to pay for it, without intent to repay. The accusation leads to blows.

Their father, Cesare Mondavi, who dusted off the derelict Charles Krug and renewed its reputation, wished that his sons would combine their talents and always work together. However, though they shared blood and wine, the two brothers' basic philosophies were diametrically opposed, and they engaged in a decades-long feud that led to Robert's ouster from the family business and rent the family forever.

Cesare had passed away by the time Robert was ousted, but their mother Rosa supported the move, in effect, choosing one brother over the other. Robert's response: "If that's the case, Mother, what I will do, I'm going to build a winery."

And build, he did: Robert Mondavi's name is of course synonymous with wine. Noted wine historian Paul Lukacs once said, "The construction of the Robert Mondavi Winery marks the effective beginning of American wine's rise in both quality and prestige."

Don't read this exposé on the infamous Mondavi wine family for the beauty of the sentences, which are rather workmanlike. Flynn Siler is a Wall Street Journal reporter who sticks to the unadorned facts. In this case, the facts need no adornment — they're far more entertaining than the average soap opera, with all the attendant themes of family betrayal, corporate maneuvering and long-standing personal grudges, but with more authenticity.

Article Author: Lisa Albers

Lisa Albers' writing has appeared in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle Woman, Poets & Writers, scores of literary magazines, and elsewhere. One of her Blogcritics book reviews was picked up for syndication by the Boston Globe last year. She is deputy editor for Crosscut.
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