Michael Mondavi to release first wine

The 2005 M by Michael Mondavi is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from Mondavi’s 5.4ha Animo vineyard in Atlas Peak, Napa.

The wine, aged for 22 months in French oak, followed by a year of bottle ageing, will be released through Mondavi’s import and production company Folio Fine Wine Partners.

Mondavi said of Atlas Peak, Napa’s most elevated appellation, ‘When I saw the land that would later become my Animo vineyard, I knew I’d found the place that would mark my return to winemaking.’

‘The 2005 vintage produced fruit of exceptional quality and I felt the resulting wine was finally ready for debut’, he said.

Mondavi began his wine career in 1966 when he co-founded the Robert Mondavi Winery in Napa Valley, with his father, the late Robert Mondavi.

M by Michael Mondavi will go on sale in the US in October 2008, retailing at US$199.