Summer / Fall 2008

Mike Grgich Celebrates 50 Years of Winemaking in Napa Valley

When Mike Grgich stepped off a Greyhound bus in Napa Valley's St. Helena on August 15, 1958 he carried two cardboard suitcases that held everything he owned. While he was alone in a new country, he was excited to finally achieve his dream of becoming a winemaker in California.

2008 marks the 50th vintage for one of Napa Valley's winemaking icons: Miljenko (Mike) Grgich. Mike was born in Desne, a little village in Croatia, the youngest of 11 children. He studied winemaking at the University of Zagreb and then left Croatia to escape communism. Mike wanted to make wine in California but it was a long journey. After living in West Germany and Canada, he placed a position-wanted ad in the Wine Institute Bulletin as a winemaker, which was answered by Lee Stewart, the owner and winemaker at Souverain Cellars, who gave Mike the job guarantee he needed to get a visa.

Starting at Souverain Cellars, Mike worked with some of the icons of Napa Valley: he joined Brother Timothy at Christian Brothers and then spent nine years with André Tchelistcheff at Beaulieu Vineyard. Mike then worked for Robert Mondavi after Robert started his own winery. In 1972, the owners of Chateau Montelena asked Mike to join them as winemaker and limited partner. This is where Mike first gained international recognition as the result of the celebrated Paris Tasting of 1976. At this now-his-toric blind tasting, eminent French judges tasted fabled white Burgundies of France and unknown Chardonnays from California. When their scores were tallied, the French judges were shocked: they had chosen Mike's 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay the winner for white wines. The results stunned the international wine establishment and immediately earned Mike a reputation as one of the greatest winemakers in the world. It also allowed Mike to pursue his dream of owning his own winery. On July 4th, 1977 Mike and Austin Hills broke ground in Rutherford to build Grgich Hills Cellar.

Following his father's rule of "Every day do something just a little better", Mike has made many important advances at Grgich Hills. Mike has always strived to make wine as naturally as possible, so, after assembling a string of five stellar vineyards, he and his winemaking team have focused on improving quality by farming the vineyards organically, starting in 2000. Ivo Jeramaz, Mike's nephew and Vice President of Vineyards and Production, in 2003 introduced Biodynamics®, a holistic farming practice that uses the earth's natural cycles and organic preparations to grow balanced, healthy vines without artificial fertilizers, pesticides, or fungicides. By 2006, all 366 acres were certified organic and farmed Biodynamically. As part of Grgich Hills' belief in sustainable farming, the winery switched to solar power in 2006.

Today, Grgich Hills' day-to-day operations are managed by Mike's daughter, Violet and nephew Ivo Jeramaz, guided by Mike's vision to make world-class wines. The winery has achieved international recognition that Mike could only dream of when he first came to America fifty years ago, just in time for harvest.

Located at 1829 St. Helena Hwy., Rutherford, CA. For more information please call 800.532.3057 or visit www.grgich.com.