Michael Mondavi
Michael Mondavi
(Image credit: Michael Mondavi)

Former Mondavi CEO and chairman Michael Mondavi is to release his first wine this autumn.

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.

Written by Lucy Shaw

Lucy Shaw
Lucy Shaw
Decanter Magazine, Restaurant Critic, Wine Writer & Editor

Lucy Shaw is a wine and spirits editor and writer, based in London. She joined Decanter 2007 as Editorial Assistant and left three years later to join The Drinks Business, where she is now the editor. Her special interests are the wine regions of Spain, South America and Champagne, as well as reviewing the latest restaurants on London’s dining scene.