Born to Italian immigrants Cesare and Rosa Mondavi,[1] as the youngest of four children, he moved from Minnesota to Lodi, California in 1922, when his father began a firm transporting grapes during the Prohibition.
[2] His parents bought the Charles Krug winery in Napa Valley in 1943, and on his father's death sixteen years later, the business was split between Peter Mondavi and his brother Robert.
[2] Mondavi was recognised by Wine Spectator as one of the "Napa Mavericks" who pioneered the industry in the valley.
[1] Mondavi married Blanche Hurtzig after his military service, and they remained together until her death in 2010.
[1] He credited his longevity to genes, hard work, pasta and a daily glass of wine.