COMMON GROUND
Charting the Future of
Napa Valley
"This book is a must read for anyone that loves wine and the uniqueness of Napa Valley.”
TIM MONDAVI
Owner, Continuum Estate
"An essential read for anyone who wants to understand the role of Napa Valley today, as well as the challenges that lie ahead as the region balances maintaining exceptionally high standards of quality while also dealing with the often conflicting forces of growth and the preservation of what is one of the most pristine viticultural landscapes in the world.”
ANTONIO GALLONI
Vinous
"I have lived and worked in the Napa Valley since 1975, and my family and I care deeply about our community and its future. Author and lawyer Richard Mendelson grapples with this future, laying out the challenges we face in a clear, compelling way. He offers his unique wisdom about how to safeguard the national treasure that we have worked so hard to build.”
FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA
Owner, Inglenook
"I wrote this book to help guide decision-makers in the industry and in local government to what specific, far-sighted steps they need to take to find Common Ground and chart -- wisely and together! -- a more vibrant and environmentally healthy future for the Napa Valley, this very special land and culture that we all so deeply admire and cherish."
Richard Mendelson
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Richard Mendelson fell in love with wine as a graduate student at Oxford. From there he moved to France to deepen his education and work at Bouchard Aïné et Fils, a prestigious winery in Burgundy. He returned to America in 1979 to attend Stanford Law School and then moved to Napa Valley to practice wine law at Napa’s leading firm, Dickenson, Peatman & Fogarty.
REVIEWS
"Richard Mendelson has written a remarkable book on the past, present, and future of the beautiful Napa Valley. It was a great pleasure to discuss with him the evolution and the challenges facing our major wine-growing regions in America and France. I was particularly impressed by his thesis that we must anticipate, through joint reflections, the future of our vineyards and the development of our winegrowing region, taking into account the terroir and the urgent demands that face us today: the environment, climate change, respect for biodiversity, and urban development."
Jacques Fanet, former Deputy General of the Institut National des Appellations d’Origine, author of Great Wine Terroirs
OTHER BOOKS BY MENDELSON
Appellation Napa Valley
Available for Purchase
Spirit In Metal
Available for Purchase
From Demon to Darling
Available at Local Bookstores
