Michael Mondavi strengthens his Folio

If anyone has a legitimate reason to be cheesed at the way the media has treated him and his family, it's Michael Mondavi.

The elder son of pioneering Napa winemaker Robert Mondavi, Michael labored for almost four decades with his father, sister and brother to build the reputation and global reach of their family winery. Mistakes were made, as in any business. For the Mondavis, the results were disastrous. Following a high-stakes takeover by the world's largest wine and spirits conglomerate (Constellation Brands), they lost ownership of the winery, its vineyards and brands, and even the rights to their own name. While all this was happening, a film titled "Mondo Vino" was released, and Michael was portrayed as a buffoon, joking about making wine on Mars. The Mondavis were vilified for a failed project in the South of France, a project which, by most reasonable standards, would have been good for the region and its inhabitants.

Most recently, a tell-all book by Julia Flynn Siler ("The House of Mondavi") casts Michael Mondavi as a sort of weak link in the organization — part disgruntled son, part reluctant executive.

Now in his mid-60s, Michael Mondavi resembles none of the above. He is genial and handsome, his thinning hair neatly slicked back, his trim frame immaculately tailored. He betrays no sign of resentment over the rough treatment from the media; his open gaze meets you comfortably and he shows no reluctance to acknowledge the fact that his family has seen its personal dirty laundry hung out to dry in public.

"I have not read 'the book'," he confessed during a recent visit to Seattle, calling it "sensationalist," then dropping the subject. He has already moved on, well past whatever heartache the Robert Mondavi debacle may have brought. Today his focus is on building a new company, Folio Fine Wine Partners. It's a project that Michael Mondavi is tackling with his father's gusto and the full support of his own wife and children.

Folio was founded in 2004, and picks up many of the threads that Mondavi was attempting to knit together while working at the old winery. As a result, he has been able to continue a long-term business relationship with the Frescobaldi family of Tuscany and has obtained the rights to a neglected Mondavi project called Oberon, which is now one of the brighter stars in the Folio lineup. Folio's import division has quickly grown to include wines from Argentina, Austria, New Zealand and Spain, along with the prestigious Italian wines sourced through Frescobaldi.

Mondavi's son Rob is the winemaker for Folio's American projects, which include the I'M (Isabel Mondavi) label, Oberon, Spellbound and Medusa. Daughter Dina is officially the creative director for Folio, and as such gets to design everyone's business cards. Hers reads "Worker Bee"; her mother's reads "Renegade Muse" and her father Michael is given the title "Isabel's Husband." "She's been in his shadow all her life," Dina explains; "I thought it was fair to reverse that."

Father and daughter were visiting Seattle specifically to introduce a new addition to the I'M lineup; surprisingly, it's an Oregon-grown pinot noir. Michael Mondavi explained the philosophy behind the I'M wines with a sweet story about a visit he made to his grandmother when he was just beginning in the wine business.

He took her a bottle of chardonnay he had made, hoping for her approval. She sipped it thoughtfully before commenting. "Michael," she said finally, "don't just make expensive wines for rich people. Make wines that taste good." "What do you mean, that taste good?" he asked her. "When people want a second and a third glass," his grandmother shot back, "that's a good wine. If they drink just one glass... " (he pauses to show how she emphasized her point by poking a finger into his chest) "... you go back to work!"

Current I'M releases include a round, ripe, strawberry- and cherry-laden 2006 Rosé of Cabernet Sauvignon ($12); a luscious, lightly oaky 2004 Sonoma County Chardonnay ($15); and now, a Willamette Valley pinot noir. The 2005 I'M Pinot Noir ($35) — moderately priced by Oregon standards — comes with excellent credentials. Grapes were sourced from the Tim Ramey vineyard and the winemaking was done at the Carlton Winemaker Studio. Rob Mondavi and Tony Coltrin of Folio were the lead winemakers, but Kelley Fox and Scott Paul Wright, based in Carlton, provided important expertise and support.

Scott Paul's own Oregon pinots are among my favorites, and the same gentle touch can be found in this new release from I'M. Lovely aromatics send up whiffs of rose petals and Asian spices. The broad palate offers delicate flavors of cranberry, strawberry and cherry, accented with sassafras and black tea. The attractive package is sealed with a taint-proof screw cap.

Giant buzz

There's a lot of buzz around town over the release of a pair of wines from the Giant Wine Co. Giant, which is actually quite small, is the project of Chris Gorman and Mark McNeilly, proprietors of glam brands Gorman and Mark Ryan respectively.

These two wineries, which produce such memorable wines as The Evil Twin and Dead Horse, do not offer any wines under $20. So Giant's mission is to fill that gap, which its first two releases, named "The Ghost of 413" white and red, do admirably well.

The unusual name comes with a variety of explanations. "Since this is purchased wine," says McNeilly, "we didn't know how associated we wanted to be with it." So naming them ghost wines was in part an effort to be invisible. The 413, says Gorman, refers to the original bond number of his winery. Or maybe Ricky Schroder's birthday, which happens to be April 13.

The Ghost of 413 2006 White Wine ($12) is an aromatic blend of sémillon, chardonnay and gewürztraminer. The flavors wrap together the crisp green apple of the chardonnay, the beeswax texture of semillon and the floral/citrus scents of gewürztraminer.

The Ghost of 413 2005 Red Wine ($15) is my Pick of the Week.

The wines are available at select wine shops, QFCs and Whole Foods in Western Washington.

Finding the wines

Unless noted, all Wine Adviser recommendations are currently available, though vintages may sometimes differ. All wine shops and most groceries have a wine specialist on staff. If they do not have the wine in stock, they can order it for you from the local distributor.

Paul Gregutt's column appears weekly

in the Wine section. He can be reached

by e-mail at wine@seattletimes.com.