Milienko “Mike” Grgic, a renowned winemaker who helped establish Napa Valley as one of the world’s premier wine-producing regions, has died. He was 100 years old.
Mr. Gargich died Wednesday, according to his Rutherford, California-based winery, Gargich Hills Estate.
Grgic was born on April 1, 1923 in Desne, Croatia. His father was a winemaker and one of his earliest memories was of stomping grapes during his harvest season. At the age of 10, he left the village to live with his sister and receive further schooling. The parting words his father gave him became his lifelong creed. “Do your best every day, learn something new and make new friends.”
Mr. Grgic was studying oenology and viticulture at the University of Zagreb, but as Croatia was under communist rule, he was looking for a way to survive. In a private conversation with his professor, he learned of a place called “California” and planned to go there on an exchange program to Germany.
Grgic left Croatia in 1954 with a few dollars hidden in his shoes and a suitcase full of winemaking books. That suitcase, along with his trademark beret and bottle of Chardonnay, is now stored at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.
Gargich won asylum in Canada after agreeing to work as a lumberjack in British Columbia. Finally, in 1958, he received a job offer from Lee Stewart, founder of Château Souverain in Napa, California. He worked at several other wineries until joining his Chateau Montelena in 1972.
In 1976, Grgic’s Château Montelena Chardonnay shocked the wine world by winning first place in a blind tasting in Paris. Cabernet Sauvignon from Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars in Napa was also the top red wine in the competition.
Grgic capitalized on his success and opened his own winery (now Grgic Hills Estate) in 1977. It also played an important role in rebuilding Croatia’s wine industry after the fall of communism. He opened his Vina winery, Grujic, on the Adriatic Sea just north of Dubrovnik, Croatia, in 1996 and established an endowment at the University of Zagreb for students studying winemaking. Mr. Gargich received his degree from the university in 1989.
Gergich also worked closely with Roots of Peace, an organization dedicated to eradicating minefields and returning land to agricultural use. Roots of Peace honored Mr. Gergich with its 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award.
Mr. Gargich ran Gargich Hills Estate until 2018, when he handed over management to his daughter, Violet Gargich, and his great-nephew, winemaker Ivo Geramas. This year, he celebrated the winery achieving renewable and organic certification.
Gergich attributed his longevity to friendships and a daily glass of wine. He leaves behind a daughter.
