'Mike' Grgich, as he was known, passed away yesterday at the age of 100. He was born on 1 April 1923 in the village of Desne, Yugoslavia, which is now Croatia, into a winemaking family producing in the coastal region of Dalmatia. He is the winemaker behind the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay that bested several white Burgundy wines in the 1976 blind wine-tasting event that became known as the Judgement of Paris. It was his wine that brought Napa to the world stage. This tasting helped shatter the myth that only French soil could produce the world’s greatest wines
Grgich attended the University of Zagreb where he studied viticulture and enology. When he learned about California he wanted to leave the then-communist Yugoslavia to become a winemaker there. In 1954, he obtained a fellowship to study in West Germany. From there he emigrated to Canada and upon receiving a job offer from a winery in California, Mike took his place in history.
Mike worked at several wineries in Napa Valley — including Souverain Winery, Christian Brothers Cellars, Beaulieu Vineyard (working alongside André Tchelistcheff), and Robert Mondavi Winery. Mike’s first vintage at Robert Mondavi, a 1969 Cabernet Sauvignon, was entered into a blind tasting of California cabs and was ranked #1. Afterward, Grgich became the winemaker and limited partner at Chateau Montelena. His 1973 vintage Chardonnay at Chateau Montelena was selected to compete in the historic Paris Wine Tasting of 1976, where it was ranked the number one white wine. A Cabernet Sauvignon made by Mike’s Napa neighbor, Warren Winiarski of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, was named the top red wine. A dramatized version of the story is told in the 2008 film Bottle Shock which did not depict Grgich because "he did not want to be part of it."
This success permitted Mike to establish his own winery, Grgich Hills Cellar in Rutherford, California, together with business partner Austin Hills, after he and his sister sold Hills Brothers Coffee. The winery, which changed names to Grgich Hills Estate in 2006, owns 366 acres (148 ha) of vineyards and produces 70,000 cases of wine each year. Its very first vintage won the Great Chardonnay Showdown, with 221 competitors from countries around the world.
In recognition of his contributions to the wine industry, Grgich was inducted into the Culinary Institute of America's Vintner's Hall of Fame on March 7, 2008. The tribute came as Grgich was celebrating his 50th vintage of winemaking in Napa Valley. He was also named winner of the James Beard Award. Today, the dark blue beret for which he was famous, the suitcase he carried to America, and a bottle of his 1973 Chardonnay that won the Paris Tasting are on display in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
His winery announced his death on December 13, 2023. A Croatian TV documentary about his life, “Like the Old Vine,” won the Grand Jury’s Special Award from France’s Oenovideo Film Festival. Mike's wife, Tatjana Grgich also Yugoslavian born, passed away in 2020. His daughter Violet, now runs the winery he founded.
"I realized that you don’t make wine only with your head and your senses. You make wine with your heart."
Miljenko "Mike" Grgich
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