[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 122, 110th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
[NOTE: Sept. 27, 2008 -  [S.Con.Res.84]   ROBERT MONDAVI--HONORING

Whereas Robert Mondavi, a much-loved and admired man of many talents,
passed away on May 16, 2008, at the age of 94;

Whereas Robert Mondavi will be fondly and most famously remembered for
his work in producing and promoting California wines on an
international scale;

Whereas Robert Gerald Mondavi was born to Italian immigrant parents,
Cesare and Rosa, on June 18, 1913, in Virginia, Minnesota, and his
family later moved to Lodi, California, where he attended Lodi High
School;

Whereas after graduating from Stanford University in 1937 with a degree
in economics and business administration, Robert Mondavi joined his
father and younger brother Peter in running the Charles Krug Winery
in the Napa Valley of California;

Whereas Robert Mondavi left Krug Winery in 1965 to establish his own
winery in the Napa Valley, and, in 1966, motivated by his vision
that California could produce world-class wines, he founded the
first major winery built in Napa Valley since Prohibition: the
Robert Mondavi Winery;

Whereas in the late 1960s, the release of the Robert Mondavi Winery's
Cabernet Sauvignon opened the eyes of the world to the potential of
the Napa Valley region;

Whereas Robert Mondavi introduced new and innovative techniques of wine
production, such as the use of stainless steel tanks to produce
wines like his now-legendary Fume Blanc;

Whereas as a tireless advocate for California wine and food, and the
Napa Valley, Robert Mondavi was convinced that California wines
could compete with established European brands, and his confidence
in the potential of Napa Valley wines was confirmed in 1976 when
California wines defeated some well-known French vintages at the
historic Paris Wine Tasting, or ``Judgment of Paris'', wine
competition;

Whereas in the late 1970s, Robert Mondavi created the first French-
American wine venture when he joined with Baron Philippe de
Rothschild in creating the Opus One Winery in Oakville, which
produced its first vintage in 1979;

Whereas the success of the Robert Mondavi Winery, and the many
international ventures Robert Mondavi pursued, allowed him to donate
generously to various charitable causes, including the Robert
Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science and Robert

[[Page 5205]]
122 STAT. 5205

and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, both affiliated
with the University of California, Davis, and the establishment of
the American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts;

Whereas those who knew Robert Mondavi recognized him as a uniquely
passionate and brilliant man who took pride in promoting causes that
he held close to his heart;

Whereas Robert Mondavi's work as an ambassador for wine will be
remembered fondly by all those whose lives he touched; and

Whereas Robert Mondavi will be deeply missed in the Napa Valley, in
California, and throughout the world: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring),
That Congress honors the life of Robert Mondavi, a true pioneer and a
patriarch of the California wine industry.

Agreed to September 27, 2008.