House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty
In early January 2004, Wall Street's demands were about to collide with the Mondavi family's dynastic dreams. Michael Mondavi, a son of the famous vintner Robert Mondavi, got a morning phone call from his younger brother Timothy. Heads up, his sibling warned him. You're about to get your ass handed to you in a sling.\ Michael, as chairman of the Robert Mondavi Corporation, had planned to lobby the two members of the company's board of directors he was lunching with that day to rein in...
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Set in Californias lush Napa Valley and spanning four generations of a talented and visionary family, The House of Mondavi is a tale of genius, sibling rivalry, and betrayal. From 1906, when Italian immigrant Cesare Mondavi passed through Ellis Island, to the Robert Mondavi Corporations twenty-first-century battle over a billion-dollar fortune, award-winning journalist Julia Flynn Siler brings to life both the place and the people in this riveting family drama. U.S. News & World Report Epic
Author's Note ixPrologue: Blaze 2004 1FoundationThe Valley 1906-1952 9France 1943-1963 27East of Eden 1963-1965 43To Kalon 1965-1966 57ConstructionCrush 1966-1972 75Gunslingers 1972-1975 97Judgment 1975-1976 113The Heirs 1976-1978 125"That Woman" 1978-1980 145The Baron 1978-1981 161Father and Sons 1982-1984 179Thicker Than Water 1984-1990 193Heart and Soul 1990-1992 205Going Public 1992-1993 221ExpansionRegency's End 1993-1994 235Disinherited 1994-1996 249Michael's Show 1996-1997 261Waterloo 1998-2001 277DemolitionMondaviland 2001-2003 297The Board Coup 2003-2004 315Brothers 2004 331The Takeover October to November, 2004 347Damage Control December 2004 to April 2005 361Billionaires' Ball June 2005 377Epilogue: 2006 391Acknowledgments 395Notes 397Sources and Bibliography 435Index 439
\ From Barnes & NobleFor decades, talk about feuding members of the Mondavi vineyard dynasty has been a staple of wine gatherings. Wall Street Journal contributing writer Siler fills in the stories with scintillating details about contentious battles in and out of wine company boardrooms that include a momentous fistfight over a mink coat and the sibling battle for corporate control that ultimately brought down the prestigious winery.\ \ \ \ \ Eric AsimovCall it Greek tragedy or Shakespearean drama, Biblical strife, Freudian acting out, or even soap opera. . . . Compelling. (Eric Asimov, The New York Times)\ \ \ BusinessWeekA fascinating chronicle . . . a twisted tale filled with big egos, beautiful backdrops, and charismatic-yet-flawed characters who pull off towering feats and then throw them all away.\ \ \ \ \ Seattle PostIntelligencerA first-rate job of creating a balanced view of this epic A merican drama. . . . T he book reads like a novel and her crisp style makes the book compelling regardless of whether the reader has an interest in wine. . . . It's a great summer read but it also belongs on the reference shelf of any wine library.\ \ \ \ \ James LaubeExplores the Mondavis' bumpy journey in grand and fascinating detail. . . . Fluid and well-written. \ — Wine Spectator\ \ \ \ \ NPR Day to DayA riveting story that is part soap opera, part Shakespearean family drama.\ \ \ \ \ BarronsBased on exhaustive research and interviews, each page is packed with facts and footnotes which, by dint of superb writing, manage to engage the reader and avoid the data brain-lock that would have plagued a less-talented journalist.\ \ \ \ \ From the Publisher"A fascinating history filled with charismatic yet flawed characters." —-BusinessWeek\ \
