Exclusive: Uncovering the Secret Buyers of Robert Mondavi's Home
Boisset and Gallo confirmed to be the winning bidders
Posted: Dec 14, 2011 8:00am ET
Did the pool man get the scoop?
That's what some say about how word leaked out that
Jean-Charles Boisset and Gina Gallo have purchased the former residence of
Robert Mondavi in Napa Valley.
The
56-acre property in Yountville where the famous vintner and his wife, Margrit,
resided for years came on the market in 2010 for $25 million. The price was cut
first to $20 million and then later to $13.9 million in a sealed bid sale this
fall. The auction closed without meeting the minimum; subsequently a deal was made, but the sale price, said to be slightly below the
minimum, and the buyer were not identified.
Jean-Charles
Boisset confirmed for Wine Spectator late yesterday that he and Gallo, a married
couple with twin daughters
born in May 2011, were indeed the winning bidders. Word seems to have
spread when a person who cleans the pool at the former Mondavi residence,
apparently not aware of any confidentiality agreements, revealed who the buyers
were.
It doesn't matter now. Boisset and Gallo wanted to keep
the matter private, but that would have been difficult. They are two of the
biggest names in wine, and both companies that share their names have been busy
of late.
Burgundy-based
Boisset Family Estates, of which Jean-Charles is president, has purchased
several California wineries in the past several years, including Lockwood Vineyard in Monterey
County in November 2011, Buena Vista in Sonoma
in spring 2011, Raymond in Napa Valley (where Boisset has its U.S.
headquarters) in 2009, and DeLoach in Sonoma in 2003. Earlier this month, the
company announced it had acquired
the French firm Skalli Family Wines, based in the southern region of
Languedoc.
California-based
giant Gallo has a new line of wines featuring Gina as the winemaker; her name
is prominently showcased on the front label of the new Signature Series. In
recent years, Ms. Gallo—granddaughter of the late Julio Gallo—had been keeping
a lower profile after she had appeared in numerous ads as the new public face
of the famous winemaking family.
The
couple is acquiring a luxurious estate by any measure. The 11,500-square-foot
home, owned by Mondavi's family after his death, is located in the Stags Leap District, atop a
knoll between Silverado Trail and Yountville. It has a wine cellar and a
50-foot swimming pool in the living room, with a retractable roof, along with a
guesthouse, two tennis courts and room for 2 acres of vines.
Both Tim and Michael Mondavi live nearby, making the
hilltop area—known as Wappo Hill—home to Mondavi, Mondavi, Gallo and Boisset.
Image Gallery
Highlights from Robert Mondavi’s former Napa Valley home; click to expand images.
Congratulations to Gina and and Jean-Charles on their new home! Napa Valley is a beautiful place to wake up in the morning -- or stay awake all night with twin infants.
A few years ago, Wine Spectator Video interviewed Gina, who spoke passionately about Pinot Noir. This is why talking with winemakers is so amazing: http://www.winespectator.com/video/index/playerid/609898508001?bclid=323814018&bctid=885029070