In July 2018 Genevieve Janssens transitions from Director of Winemaking to Chief Winemaker at Robert Mondavi Winery, and Nova Cadamatre, MW, re-joins the team as Senior Director of Winemaking. Working together once again, Genevieve and Nova carry forward Robert Mondavi’s vision for creating wines that stand in the company of the world’s finest.
As Chief Winemaker, Genevieve will continue to provide insight into the heritage and history of the vineyards, winery and legacy of Robert Mondavi. Genevieve first worked at Robert Mondavi Winery from 1978-1979 as a lab enologist. For the next decade she held several consulting positions in California before reconnecting with the Mondavi family in 1989, when they entrusted her to oversee the construction of Opus One Winery as Director of Production. In 1998, at the request of the Mondavi family, Genevieve returned to Robert Mondavi Winery as Director of Winemaking, where she worked alongside Robert Mondavi until his death in 2008. During her tenure she oversaw major innovations in the vineyards and the cellar, including construction of the winery’s state-of-the art To Kalon Fermentation Cellar in 2000. Today, Genevieve is one of the most respected winemakers in the world, known for her commitment to quality and her championship of the world-class wines of To Kalon Vineyard and the Napa Valley.
Nova Cadamatre is uniquely positioned to take over the day-to-day management of Robert Mondavi Winery’s winemaking program, having worked at the winery from 2013-2015, where she served alongside Genevieve on the red wine program. In addition, Nova’s resume includes one of the first viticulture degrees from Cornell University’s Viticulture and Enology program, and winemaking experience at such venerable estates as: Beringer Vineyards, Chateau St. Jean, Chateau Souverain and most recently 240 Days, a producer of small-lot wines from the Finger Lakes region. In 2017, Nova became the first female winemaker in the United States to earn a Master of Wine degree, one of the most difficult wine certifications in the world.
“Nova’s dedication to excellence embodies the Robert Mondavi winemaking philosophy. She is the perfect addition to our team and will carry the torch forward so that future generations can experience and enjoy Robert Mondavi’s vision of balanced, world-class wines,” says Genevieve.
