Napa Valley wine group C. Mondavi & Family shifts top leadership

David S. Brown has been promoted to president and CEO of C. Mondavi & Family, a St. Helena-based wine company with roots going back to 1861 and purchased by Cesare and Rosa Mondavi in 1943.

Brown’s appointment is effective immediately. He succeeds Judd Wallenbrock, who is retiring, the winery stated.

Brown will continue to lead the national sales team at C. Mondavi in addition to his new responsibilities at the over 160-year-old Charles Krug brand and others in the family-owned portfolio.

Prior to joining the company in 2017, Brown was chief sales officer at Pasternak Wine Imports. Before that he was vice-president of sales for Treasury Wine Estates, and held prior sales and marketing positions with Mars, Inc., Procter & Gamble and Johnson & Johnson.

Brown earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from The Ohio State University.

“David is a strong, proven leader who has excelled since joining C. Mondavi & Family, and we’re pleased that he will be assuming these key leadership roles for the company,” said brothers and co-proprietors Marc Mondavi and Peter Mondavi Jr. in a joint statement. “We have the utmost respect for David and confidence in his ability to continue execution of our strategic plan.”

“This is an extraordinary opportunity to lead one of Napa’s oldest wine companies, one with a storied past and an amazing future,” Brown said. “I’m grateful for the trust the family has placed in me and look forward to continuing to build the family’s vision for the future of the brand.”

Owned and operated by co-proprietors, Marc Mondavi and Peter Mondavi Jr., along with their children, the C. Mondavi & Family portfolio includes Charles Krug Winery, CK Mondavi and Family, French Blue, West + Wilder, and Flat Top Hills. With the third, fourth, and fifth generations at the helm, the family holds 800 acres of Napa Valley land and additional vineyards in Yolo County.