Miljenko “Mike” Grgich

1923–
Grgich Hills Estate, Rutherford

After business school, Mike Grgich was studying winemaking and viticulture at University of Zagreb, in what is now Croatia, when a professor just back from a trip said, “California is paradise.” Mike left Yugoslavia in 1954 headed to America, but it took four years before he arrived with a valid visa, his family, and a handful of wine books. Mike went straight to work for Lee Stewart at Souverain Cellars in 1958. After a harvest at Souverain and another at Christian Brothers, Mike became chief chemist at Beaulieu for André Tchelistcheff (André had greeted him in Croatian).When André retired nine years later, Mike went to work at Robert Mondavi Winery and then was hired away by Chateau Montelena.

In 1976, the Chateau Montelena Chardonnay 1973 won Stephen Spurrier’s Paros Tasting of 1976fortwentyFrenchandCalifornia wines, beating nine other Chardonnays—six French and three from California. In 1977 Mike founded Grgich Hills with Austin Hills and his sister. In 1982, President Reagan served Grgich Hills Chardonnay 1979 to the president of France at our French Embassy, the first time an American president had served American wine to a French president in Paris.

Eager to learn all he could about local winemaking, Mike praises the resources of Napa Valley Wine Library and its classes organized by Jim Beard,courses at UC Davis,and meetings of the Napa Valley Technical Group, as well as professors at UC Davis such as Maynard Amerine and Carole Meredith. In 2006, Grgich Hills became an all estate grown winery, the same year Carole’s lab proved Zinfandel originated in Croatia. And there, where Mike knew the variety as Plavac Mali, he had begun his own winery, Grgic Vina, ten years earlier.

Dick says this portrait assignment was difficult because he hadn’t yet met Mike. Mike gave into having his picture taken thanks to a wonderful office staff that also wanted “a photo of the man”. During their two sessions, Dick very much enjoyed Mike’s tales of his boyhood in Croatia and here in the Valley with the other “greats.”