Interview with Carissa Mondavi of Continuum Estate
In an exclusive interview filmed at Continuum Estate’s Sage Mountain Vineyard, Rachel Dickinson sat down with Carissa Mondavi to delve into the artistry and legacy behind Continuum Estate’s wines.
Carissa shared a heartfelt narrative tracing the Mondavi family’s journey - from her great-grandparents’ humble beginnings to their transformative role during Prohibition. The story of this pioneering family is deeply interwoven with the evolution of California winemaking itself. Reflecting on her upbringing amidst vineyards, Carissa spoke of how wine is far more than a profession for her—it’s an open door to endless discovery and connection. Her passion shone as she described Continuum Estate, where Cabernet Sauvignon and other varietals flourish in the volcanic soils, yielding wines of remarkable precision and power. Each bottle tells a story of meticulous craftsmanship, deep respect for the land, and an unrelenting pursuit of excellence.
Below is a transcript of the interview:
Rachel Dickinson: I'm Rachel Dickinson, and I have the pleasure of being here at Continuum Estate at Sage Mountain Vineyard with Carissa Mondavi. Thank you so much for having me here today.
Carissa Mondavi: Oh, thank you for coming. Thank you for wanting to learn about what we're doing here. I appreciate it.
Rachel Dickinson: I'm curious to know, how did Continuum come about?
Carissa Mondavi: So Continuum speaks to the fact that as a family, we haven't missed a harvest since 1919. So my great grandparents immigrated here to America and to work in the mines in Minnesota. And they were Italian, and prohibition came along and necessity is the mother of invention, they say. And for us, it was the origin story to how we got into wine. So my great grandparents moved from Minnesota to Lodi and got into grape shipping. And, my grandfather, Robert, was born in Minnesota, but when he was about 8 or 9 they moved to Lodi. He would help build the boxes, the grapes would get shipped in, and my great grandfather established a network throughout the Midwest and the East Coast to ship grapes, because it was legal to make home wine during prohibition. So during that time, they were exploring the breadth and width of California and seeing what California did best. So with repeal 14 years later, in 1933, my great grandfather came to believe that the best quality was coming from here in Napa Valley, where there was a higher level of character and more beautiful acidity. So he had the vision to, to get a minority interest in both wine making here and, encourage my grandfather after college in 1936, to come here and oversee the bulk winemaking. My grandfather Robert was able to then encourage his dad to buy Charles Krug winery and in 1943, and then in 1965, when my great grandfather passed, there were diverging views about how to carry forward. And so my grandfather broke away and began Robert Mondavi Winery, in 1966, when he was 53 years old. And my dad, Tim Mondavi was in high school when Robert Mondavi Winery began, so, you know, worked all the first harvest with Warren Winiarski, then Mike Grgich. My dad went to UC Davis, got his degree in viticulture technology, and when he graduated, my grandfather made him responsible for the wines in 1974. He oversaw all that we were doing in the vineyard and in the cellar. Tons of experimentation, traveling extensively throughout the world to see what makes great wine and bringing it back, experimenting. Just doing everything that we could to elevate wines from the area. So my grandfather had a multifaceted vision. He was very much about elevating American wine to the world stage, but he was also sort of the driving force, this ambassador for the culture of wine and putting it squarely on the American table. And so for him, it wasn't just wine, it was wine and food and art and all these things that enhance how we live. And, and so whereas my dad, he's been so focused on wine on an artistic level. And so, the Robert Mondavi company went public in 1993 and when we went public, everything went public - the vineyards, the wineries, the brands, everything. And so, in 2004, it was a perfect storm in the industry, if you will. And, so my family unfortunately sold the Robert Mondavi company, but the funny thing is, my dad was the same exact age my grandfather had been. He was 53, had three decades of experience in this valley, and he set his sights to this eastern ridge for us to be able to carry on our family legacy on a very small scale at the very, very highest level. So what we're building here is, a continuation, if you will, of our family's journey and wine. But it's, I think, our highest aspiration in terms of great wine. So yeah, what we're doing here now is, is a single wine from a single estate, a terroir driven, estate based wine. And so that's what Continuum is. It's a long story, but there's a lot behind the name.
Rachel Dickinson: Thank you for sharing. I love learning about the story behind the bottle. And having deep roots in the Napa Valley, what's one of your earliest memories of wine?
Carissa Mondavi: Oh, gosh. Well many memories. I think I have memories of my dad coming home during harvest, and he would sing me to sleep. And his mouth would be stained purple, his teeth. I distinctly remember, you know, the smell of his breath after tasting young Cabernet all day long, you know, during fermentation and all. And I remember that vividly. But, my first experience that I remember with wine, is just my parents having it on the table. And if we asked about it, they let us taste it. And, my dad always would encourage us, you know, he would say, well, what are you tasting? And we're like, oh, it's very harsh. I don't like or whatever the words we used at the time. And it was like, I could see why you see that. I could see why you would taste that. Yeah. This is you know, he would sort of encourage our young palate. So I think he, you know, they always let us taste what they had. And then, when we were at special occasions, we'd have our own little glasses and it was, just something we grew up with on the table and sort of slowly acclimated to understanding how it's a part of the meal and how it's something you can appreciate and then hopefully for the enhancement of the table and time together.
Rachel Dickinson: Speaking of bottles of wine, could you tell us a bit more about this wine here.
Carissa Mondavi: This is our 2021 Continuum. This is a reflection of what the estate is planted to. Everything that we are doing here is for the focus of this wine. So this vintage is 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Cabernet Franc, 11% Merlot and 9% Petit Verdot. And that's basically a reflection of what we have the estate plan to. It's a higher percentage of Cabernet Franc, but we think Cabernet Franc does exquisitely up here. And a hallmark of my dad's wine making is they're very texturally driven, very silky, supple, and yet lots of layers, lots of depth. And this site gives us this beautiful ferrous minerality that is really special. And the savoriness that comes from the native brush that surrounds and volcanic soils also give this beautiful, more high tone vibrancy to the wine. In addition to the, you know, the generosity and the power that mountain fruit can give you. So it's, it's a really special site, and that's why we're here, and that's why I think the site allows us to take our legacy in wine to the next level.
Rachel Dickinson:
{Admiring the color of the wine in a glass}. It's beautiful. It’s almost a garnet color.
Carissa Mondavi: Yeah, absolutely. So because of our elevation, we get these beautiful, cool morning lights, and, there's just these thicker skins you get from being on this more, lean soil where the vines naturally struggle. You’re getting smaller berries, thicker skins and so tons of color, that’s a really special element. There’s also so much ageability in this wine. This wine is already beautiful, it’s a baby, this is our current release and yet it has all of the components that will allow it to just get better, better, and better with time. That's what I think a mark of a great wine is. It should be approachable at every stage of its life and yet have all the components that can go the distance and continue to unfold and reveal more and more layers.
Rachel Dickinson: I also love the label on the bottle. It's very artistic. Can you tell us a bit more about it?
Carissa Mondavi: Yeah, thanks for asking. It's my sister that’s the artist. She did the artwork that's on our label. She majored in fine art in college, and the original pieces are twelve feet wide, six feet tall. Like, she built this canvas, brought it into vineyards and propped it up behind the vine and literally captured it when the sun was at the right angle in the sky. So the vine is dancing on the canvas, and she's sort of capturing it as she interprets it. And, so it's a 25 year old Cabernet Franc fine that our dad had planted, and hence, you know, our love of Cabernet Franc, which has, is such a beautiful show, such a beautiful, pure expression of sight, beautiful floral notes, and has all these components that allow it to have great edge ability. So, I think the fact that we have this gorgeous reflection of the gold flickering, I think it really speaks to the magic of light into wine and something that Galileo said, which is “wine is sunlight held together by water”, I think it really captures the spirit of that. So it's the vine interacting with the sun that sort of ultimately, expressing the time and place that you have whenever you're enjoying the wine.
Rachel Dickinson: Wow, that’s beautiful.
Carissa Mondavi: Yeah. This wine gives us these gorgeous, dark fruit aromas, like, you get a lot of black fruit, boysenberry, but also, like, some more high tone, like hints of raspberry that I think really is specific to this area, these volcanic soils, in addition to those savoriness and then the ferrous minerality that we get. There's just a ton of complexity that keeps unfolding. So, I think that hibiscus that’s unusual, you don't think of it with mountain Cabernet, but these volcanic soils give this beautiful brightness that's just really special. And in addition to some more brown spices, like sandalwood.
Rachel Dickinson: I love how it just lingers on the palate, and then you just keep on wanting more and more.
Carissa Mondavi: It's very mouthwatering. Exactly. That's the vibrancy. As it's touching your palate, it's very silky and supple. So there's a lot of power and substance to this wine, but there's nothing that's out of place or harsh. It's all very harmoniously integrated and so it rolls seamlessly over your palate, really revealing more and more layers. And my grandfather always used to say that a great one should be friendly on your palate, approachable and yet, just linger ever on and continue just to show more. So that's the beauty of enjoying it with food and being able to have it enhance the meal, elevate the spirits. All the beautiful things that wine brings to our lives.
Rachel Dickinson: Yeah. What's one of the most memorable meals that you've had with a bottle of Continuum to pair with it?
Carissa Mondavi: Oh my goodness. My most memorable meals with Continuum. I think it would probably have to be Thanksgiving because my family gets together, just a whole bunch of us and family and friends and, so we always love to be able to see different vintages and, I don't know, I think that's to me, when wine is in its highest expression, when it's in a convivial atmosphere and so Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and it’s the embodiment of all of the things that we are doing - food, coming together, great wine, and being able to take your time and enjoy. The preparing, sharing the meal. I don’t have a specific Thanksgiving in mind, but just those moments of being able to be with my family and for us being able to see it in its element, and reflect on, you know, with pride on what we’re doing and how the wine is continuing to evolve.
Rachel Dickinson: Yeah. I'm curious, what is a Mondavi Thanksgiving like? There's a lot of you!
Carissa Mondavi: Yeah. No, it's true. Well my dad has had to reorganize his whole house so that all of us can be in there. And I have a brother who collects all the branches from around and builds these vases with the branches just hanging over us like trees and the candle light. And so it's just, it's a lot of mayhem, but, then ultimately everybody comes together for the meal. So it's, and to the backdrop of the most beautiful time of year, which is just in the aftermath of harvest and there’s a beautiful golden cast over the whole valley. And, there's also a peace over the valley, because all the hard work that everybody has put into the entire year is finally, you know, everyone can rest, everyone can pause, and everyone can sort of catch their breath. It's a really beautiful time of year to be here in the Valley, and to also enjoy the fruits of our labor.
Rachel Dickinson: What has been one of your favorite wine experiences that you've ever had? I think probably it was this, you know, in 2002, my grandfather brought us through Europe, and it was this rapid succession of like, I mean, sort of like a death march, you know, it. And the inspiration behind this trip was for us to follow in the footsteps of what had been his inspiration for what a great wine should be. We went to all of the great houses in Burgundy, the first growths of Bordeaux, the great friends we have in Italy making great wine and I think it was just the rapid succession of all these amazing stories that sort of unfolded with, each of these places and to see these the rapport that my grandfather had with all these amazing wine producers who there was such a mutual affection there and be able to see that. So it was like all of that condensed, all of it together, was collectively my, you know, the big, very big wine moments. And I wouldn't single one out because I think they were all just so magical. But I also think that sort of the spirit of wine is like, you know, there's so many beautiful moments you can have with it. Yeah. And which is, I hope that for everyone. Anyways, I feel that.
Rachel Dickinson: One of the things I love about wine travel is learning about all these different grape varieties that you never even knew about. It just opens your mind up. I mean, it's such a large world with so many different wines. And I think once you get a taste of just exploring the different wine regions and connecting with the people and all of the experiences that are part of that, it's just so addicting and just amazing.
Carissa Mondavi: Absolutely, and there are so many people in the world doing amazing things and all of it is such gorgeous, very different expressions throughout. You know it's just a fun adventure. That to me is the spirit of wine - this beautiful exploration of this expression of God’s green earth. You know, as my dad likes to say, I think it's, it's this vast, limitless exploration And even if you think you know it all, which absolutely nobody does the most, you know, the most brilliant studied wine, people know that they don't know everything. But there's always another vintage and another vintage from that repeated throughout all the regions every year. So it's limitless, which is the fun of it. So like just to. Yeah, enjoy exploring. I love that you have caught the wine bug.
Rachel Dickinson: Oh, I definitely have!
Carissa Mondavi: Yeah, and like, even if you go to the place and you don't remember all the details of it, you have an essence of what the place is about. And when the kind of wines that they have from that area. And that's so powerful.
Rachel Dickinson: Yeah. I think one of the interesting things about wine is, you know, there's just so much. It has been in the world for such a long time and you think you may know a good amount and then you realize like, oh wow, there's so much I don't know. And I think that's what kind of makes people get the wine bug. It's like, you just want to know more and more. It attracts very inquisitive people.
Carissa Mondavi: Yeah, and I think invariably people who love wine love travel, they love food, they love sharing things, you know? So there's a lot that if you love wine, it sort of connects all these things. And, the exploration of different cultures and those are all beautiful things to celebrate in life.
Rachel Dickinson: One of the things I love about your grandfather is that he had appreciation for food and wine and brought that culture to Napa Valley. Now there's a lot of, you know, food and wine pairings and things like that. So I'm just curious, being his granddaughter, your thoughts about food and wine in general.
Carissa Mondavi: Well, I think in Italian culture wine was just essential to the meal. Our beginnings were very humble. The wine wasn't this elevated thing on the table, it was essential to the meal. And I think that has been a through line for us. And I love the art of pairing, and I love going to great restaurants and seeing how sommeliers are pairing the food of the chefs. That's like, that is an artistic expression that I really enjoy. But I think in terms of like pairings, there's like there's no rules. There's no rules you have to adhere to to truly honor wine, provided the food is balanced and you have vibrancy in the food. And meaning like umami is a great flavor profile in food, but if it has too much umami, too much deliciousness and not enough vibrancy, it can bring out more harsh characters in the wine. So you need acidity, you need the savory elements so that the wine confines of the food isn't balanced. It is in balance. If the wine is in balance and the food is in balance then you can have something really great. There are no rules. You can have vegetarian meals with Cabernet from Napa Valley provided the wine is balanced, you know. We used to have a program back in the day, and our history of that was called the liberated enjoyment of wine and food and it was all about that. It was all about sort of, you know, we have these emotional connections to different classic pairings, and that's all wonderful andI think there's a reason for that, and that's something to be enjoyed, but I think in terms of enjoying wine and food, its whatever calls to you at the moment, I think is the most important rule in wine and food pairings.
Rachel Dickinson: So I'm curious, what does a day in the life of Carissa Mondavi look like?
Carissa Mondavi: Oh gosh, there are no two days that are alike. Yeah, I mean, and that's the fun of it. That's what I love, you know, because I get to travel throughout the U.S. and throughout the world to present our wines. But when I'm here, there's always something different happening, whether they're blending sessions that I'm involved in or whether it's we're discussing things in the vineyards or, or working on the communications, things we're wanting to pull together, like right now the 2023 vintage is my Dad’s 50th harvest as a winemaker and so we are preparing to do some very special things when we release that vintage in 2026. And we’re also remodeling our hospitality space, so that will be ready in time for that. So there’s a lot happening around that. I’m also involved in all of the communication, like all of the copy we are doing so there are days when I'm working from home because it's the best place for me to just be able to focus. So every day is different and that's what I love about it. I mean, we're so small that we're all involved in every little aspect of what we're doing.
Rachel Dickinson: And this is such a beautiful and unique property. Thank you so much for taking us on a tour earlier.
Carissa Mondavi: Thank you for coming, I'm so delighted you were willing to brave the cold. It's a little chilly out there, but, yeah, it's worth it if you can handle the cold.
Rachel Dickinson: It's amazing that you can see the San Francisco Bay from the vantage point at the top. It's just I've never seen a view like that in the valley. It was just a very special experience.
Carissa Mondavi: Yeah, well, when you come back to our new hospitality space, I look forward to being able to host you up there with the view to Mount St. Helena in the north and the full 180 view of the valley is pretty, pretty powerful. We're very honored to be looking after this land and expressing it in this wine and, just that's the entire spirit of our our focus is to honor this exquisite site and our legacy in wine.
Rachel Dickinson: Earlier you had mentioned there are two different types of soil here at Continuum estate. For those that don't know, maybe you could just speak a bit about it.
Carissa Mondavi: Hambright is the dominant soil type that we have here which is this very rocky volcanic soil. There's very little clay. And then sobrante has a higher clay content. So basically this whole area where we are, there's a lot of andesite boulders and the top 2 to 5ft where our vines dig down have been exposed to the elements over the millennia, slowly broken down from the oxygen in the air and in the water. And so you have this gorgeous iron oxide and this volcanic soil that is really well drained so the vines naturally struggle. So we’re naturally getting a very small crop. But what we get is this beautiful, pure expression of this gorgeous minerality that is right up there with the fruit expression that this site gives us as well, which is part of why this area is so renowned. Because you have such a pure expression of this site from the naturally low yields.
Rachel Dickinson: And I love the sage. And there is another plant that you showed.
Carissa Mondavi: Bay Laurel. Yeah, absolutely. Those are native versions of what are classic, cooking ingredients, very potent cooking ingredients. And so you can smell it as you're driving through the vineyards in the heat of the growing season. And the vines smell it too. So there's essences literally, literally populate on the skins of the berries. So they imbue this gorgeous savory note into the wine. And so you can see this other level of complexity are these dried wild herbs that are just, it adds to the depth of character and complexity and layers and nuance that we get.
Rachel Dickinson: So if you could share a bottle of wine with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?
Carissa Mondavi: Yeah, well, that's a very good question. I think probably I would have to say, actually, my great grandmother Rosa. My grandfather absolutely raved about her food and I think that's part of how we became such a strong, like, a passionate seeker of great food is that he was continually looking for something of the level of what his mom had done. And then he was really lit up with the incredible three Michelin star meals that you would see in France. And just all of that added to his sense of what a great wine should be. But he said that she would control the destiny of Charles Krug through her kitchen. Oh. So everything happened there in Rosa's kitchen, and I think she was quite a strong woman. She was an incredibly hard worker. She had, like, in the mining time of their life, she would clean, you know, they took on boarders and they would, you know, they would be miners, that she would clean all their clothes, she would cook for them. And they worked so hard and, and she just I understand she just had this incredible love of life and great food, and she was always cooking. And so I think I would have loved to share a bottle of wine with her while cooking something that she was known for, that, and just smell all the smells of her kitchen and just, her spirit. I think that that would be someone I would love to share a bottle with.
Rachel Dickinson: Yeah. Do you have any recipes of hers?
Carissa Mondavi: I don't, but my aunt does. But my dad talks about her food too. Yeah. I feel like I know some of it. Yeah. And my grandfather, he was always looking like we would go places and he would like the gnocchi with the tomato sauce. He was always very critical. Could be a very severe judge on it. But if it was just right, then he would have the highest compliments to the chef because it would remind him of his mother's food. So I saw that again and again. So yeah.
Rachel Dickinson: My mom is a great chef.
Carissa Mondavi: Oh that's wonderful. And so part of where you get your love for food.
Rachel Dickinson: Yeah. And it's fun because, in my mom's kitchen, she always had cookbooks like Rombauer’s The Joy of Cooking and also Karen McNeil's books.
Carissa Mondavi: Oh, yeah. So wonderful.
Rachel Dickinson: Yeah. It's always, you know, just amazing to see how so many iconic people in the Napa Valley have just made a mark on the society of food and wine.
Carissa Mondavi: So. Absolutely. I think it's it's there are so many very passionate, very dedicated, very hardworking people here in the valley. And everybody is a part of elevating what we're doing and helping to continue to keep, to honor this place and make wines at the highest level. Yeah,
Rachel Dickinson: Well, Carissa, thank you so much for your time today. It's really a treat to be here. And cheers to you.
Carissa Mondavi: Well, cheers to you. Thank you for what you do. Thank you for your passion, for exploring and for helping to shine the light on what people are doing. I appreciate what you are doing, so thank you.
Rachel Dickinson: Thank you, Carissa. Cheers!
