Robert Mondavi, a national and world leader of the wine, passed away on May 16, 2008 leaving a legacy behind him that will forever have an influence on wine produced in California. It was Robert Mondavi who believed that California wine could compete on an international level. So convinced was he of this that Mondavi started the Robert Mondavi Winery in Napa Valley, in 1966. By 1976 when the Judgment of Paris took place with a blind tasting, California came through with flying colors. Mondavi sought to continually improve the technology behind winemaking while maintaining a wine’s quality. Over the years, Mondavi received many awards including “Man of the Year,” from Decanter Magazine, Winemaker of the Year from American Wine Society, and honored as the first “pioneer” inductee by the Culinary Institute of America’s Vintners Hall of Fame. Thank you Robert Mondavi for all of your contributions towards producing quality wine.