WOMEN+POWER 2023: The Mondavi Sisters

Earlier this year, our wine writer profiled the wine making prowess that is Angelina Mondavi. In the course of writing that piece and understanding how a fourth generation of the Mondavi family is both honoring and disrupting the history of wine making in Northern California, a powerful foursome of Mondavi Sisters came into view.

Angelina, Alycia, Riana, and Giovanna are the daughters of Marc and Janice Mondavi, inheritors of the great legacy of their grandparents, Cesare and Rosa, who landed in the Napa Valley and purchased the Charles Krug Winery shortly after the end of Prohibition. Since that time, the empire has expanded exponentially under the C. Mondavi & Family umbrella, as well as more recently under the Mondavi Sisters' own venture, Mondavi Sisters Collection.

C. Mondavi & Family is in the midst of a purposeful generational change in the family business and all four of the Mondavi Sisters – part of what they affectionately call the G4 – are part of that critical transition. In fact, as we went to the press, Angelina was posting on social media about blending at Krug for their 2021 red wine releases.

Yet together, the Mondavi Sisters Collection represents how the four are also not wholly resting on the family’s laurels, but rather bringing their own unique contributions to the family’s great legacy of wine making.

All four serve as Co-Proprietresses for the eponymous brand. In addition, Angelina serves as the Winemaker. Alycia serves as CEO. And Riana and Giovanna serve as West Coast Brand Manager and East Coast Brand Manager, respectively. Like the generations before them, their blossoming business is a family business and the fruit for their wines comes from three vineyards on the famed Howell Mountain of Napa with two of those vineyards owned by the sisters and the other, by their parents.

The very name of their first label, Dark Matter Wines, hints at a more playful and contemporary take to the pursuit. “Dark Matter Wines is a nod to our family traditions with an edgy twist,” is how Angelina describes it. Launched in 2005, the wines consistently sell out and getting your hands on some may necessitate becoming a member and ensuring you get your allocation. They produce both a Zinfandel and Cabernet. In 2017, the sisters acquired Aloft Wines, adding the label to their lineup. Aloft produces a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Chenin Blanc, and an eagerly anticipated Petite Verdot expected in Spring of 2024.

The Mondavi Sisters are also “all in” on giving back to their community, working intently to raise money through events like wine auctions in Napa Valley that support local nonprofits. As Alycia shared with Polo Lifestyles, “It is the philosophy and ethos of the four Mondavi Sisters to lend a helping hand to their neighbors, community, and those in need. The sisters believe, at their core, that there is much humanitarian work that not only requires time, but also attention and effort, both near and far.”

The pandemic battered the wine industry and on top of that, Napa Valley also suffered devastating fires in 2020. Still, Mondavi Sisters Collection, and the sisters themselves, remained rooted in the great privilege of stewarding the land and the legacy that now shifts onto their seasoned shoulders. In an industry long dominated by men, these four young women are boldly making their mark.

You can find more about the Mondavi Sisters and their wine at aloftwine.com and darkmatterwines.com