Peter Mondavi, Head of Napa Valley's Charles Krug Winery, Dies at Age 101

The Mondavi family legacy lives on.

Peter Mondavi, brother of the late Robert Mondavi and longtime owner of the Mondavi family's Charles Krug Winery, died at the age of 101 on Saturday. The death, first reported by the Associated Press, leaves Peter Mondavi's sons Marc and Peter Jr. in charge of the business. Mondavi died at his home in St. Helena, California.

For the past half a century Peter Mondavi pushed Napa Valley wine making into the luxury business it is today. The Charles Krug company was the first in Northern California to import French oak barrels for aging; make use of cold fermentation methods for white and rose wines; first use of sterile filtration; and was "among the first to vintage-date varietal wines" in the U.S. The Mondavi family owns 850 acres of vineyards in the Napa Valley today.

When they inherited the family business after their father's death in 1959, Peter and Robert Mondavi were famously at odds. This led to Robert's creation of the now more well-known Robert Mondavi winery. The brothers eventually reconciled. Robert Mondavi died in 2008. Peter is said to have worked until just before his 101st birthday, crediting his good health and longevity to a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon every day.

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