Mike Grgich: The "King of Chardonnay" on the Past, Present, and Future of Napa Valley Wine

A legend in Napa Valley, Croatian born winemaker Mike Grgich has witnessed -and played a major role in- the transformation of Napa Valley from rural farm town to international wine superpower. His Chardonnays have been victorious at two of the most celebrated wine tastings in modern history. In 1976, the Chardonnay he crafted for Napa's Chateau Montelena beat the best wines France had to offer in the wine industry altering Judgment of Paris. A year later, he partnered with Austin Hills of the Hills Bros. Coffee family to launch Grgich Hills Cellar. The extraordinary winemaking continued as in 1980 Grgich Hills Chardonnay beat 221 other Chardonnays for first place in a blind tasting at The Great Chicago Showdown. The moniker "The King of Chardonnay" soon followed. I had the great fortune of chatting with Mike Grgich recently. What follows is his take on the past, present, and future of Napa Valley wine and Grgich Hills.

How would you describe your winemaking philosophy?

I developed it in the Old Country and then improved it by working for three of the icons of Napa Valley: Lee Stewart, of the original Souverain Cellars, André Tchelistcheff at Beaulieu Vineyards, and with Robert Mondavi when he started his own winery.

As for my wine style, I strive for certain attributes in each wine: the best quality possible, consistency of quality; balance (where every element of the wine supports each other), having the wines varietally correct (meaning each wine tastes the way that varietal should taste) and longevity. Our goal remains the same as when I started the winery 30 years ago—to craft a wine that is harmonized. To me, that means not too much oak, not too much alcohol, not too much of any one attribute. In other words, we craft a whole wine that is a pleasure to drink.

If you could go back in time and tell Mike Grgich circa 1968 what the winemaking world is like in 2008, what would he be most surprised by?

There are several surprises that I never considered forty years ago: in 1968, everyone said phylloxera would never come to the valley. It did but in the long run it actually helped Napa Valley. Vineyards were replanted on virus-resistant rootstock and now produce better grapes with more structure.

Another shock is the price of vineyards. At around 1968, I think producing vineyards cost around $2,000 an acre; today, anywhere from $100,000 to $300,000 for the best known vineyards.

Global warming is something we never thought of forty years ago. Today, we are seeing it is a real problem. The average temperature have risen 5 degrees Fahrenheit in the valley.