Photograph: Mathew Klein
Here, award-winning author Richard Mendelson tells the story of how a single grape, Cabernet Sauvignon, transformed a quiet agricultural valley into the most celebrated wine-growing region in the United States.
From the first experimental plantings of the nineteenth century to the shockwaves of the Judgment of Paris, Mendelson brings readers inside the decisions, risks, and convictions of the pioneers who believed Napa could rival the world’s great wine regions.
Drawing on history, law, culture, and lived experience, Cabernet Sauvignon, The Love Affair that Built the Napa Valley is both a definitive account of Napa’s rise and a deeply human portrait of those who shaped it and those who now work to protect its future.
As Mendelson emphasizes, wine is art, wine is culture, and wine is history. Accordingly, he shares with us a rich array of historical portraits, maps, lithographs, and a wealth of contemporary photography. The result is both a definitive chronicle of the rise of the Napa Valley and a deeply human portrait of the vintners, growers, and visionaries who built it and who now work so hard to protect its future.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
For more than four decades, Richard Mendelson has lived and worked in Napa Valley as a lawyer, grapegrower, winemaker, and student of its history. He has advised vintners, walked vineyards with pioneers, and witnessed the valley’s transformation from agricultural backwater to global wine icon. This book is both scholarship and personal testimony.
“Great achievements, whether in cinema, wine, or life, come from a belief that artistry can change the world. Napa Valley reflects that belief, and Cabernet Sauvignon has become its most recognized expression. Richard Mendelson tells the story of how that came to be—of the people, the land, and the commitment that built this wine region recognized around the world. I recognize this story as my own, one that belongs to all of us who believe in the power of place, community, and one remarkable grape.”
FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA
Owner, Inglenook
"Richard Mendelson sees Napa Valley as no one else does — with a unique combination of legal expertise, historical knowledge, deep familiarity with the land, and above all, passion for wine. For those who love Napa Cabernet, this is an essential book.”
ESTHER MOBLEY
San Francisco Chronicle
OTHER BOOKS BY RICHARD MENDELSON
Common Ground
Appellation Napa Valley
Wine in America
From Demon to Darling
