Marc Mondavi, FATHER AND MENTOR

“I grew up on the Charles Krug property with the entire Mondavi family around. Working alongside my father (Peter Sr.), I learned the ropes of the vineyards and winemaking. When I reached a certain age I had this realization that I wanted to branch out from the valley floor. And so, my wife Janice and I thought it was time to strike out on our own – to buy our own house, plant our own vineyards and make a standout wine with mountain fruit. With four girls, we wanted to be able to create a project that everyone could get involved in and allow myself to pass down to my girls what I had learned from my father. 

I looked around Napa Valley for a number of years, and checked out all the hot spots. A property came on the market, neighboring Abreu and Dana Estate on Howell Mountain, and we immediately fell in love. Within minutes I could envision where the vineyard would be and shortly after a second property came up for sale a quarter mile down the road. Both properties were all forest, with old ranch houses.  I walked every square inch of the properties with my best friend Jim (Barbour) and witched it for water with the divining rods. Sure enough, we had to have both and Howell Mountain became home for the Aloft brand.” – Marc Mondavi