Richard MendelsonRichard Mendelson fell in love with wine as a graduate student at Oxford, and from there he moved to France to deepen his education. He worked for a time at Bouchard Aïné et Fils, a renowned winery in Burgundy. From there, he returned to Ameria, earned his law degree at Stanford, and then joined Napa's leading law firm, Dickenson, Peatman & Fogarty.

Mendelson has been involved in every aspect of the wine industry--from growing grapes and making wine, to advising grape growers and wineries on best to promote and defend Napa Valley as America's premier wine appellation. He has written three books on wine: From Demon to Darling: A Legal History of Wine in America, Wine in America: Law and Policy, and Appellation Napa Valley: Building and Protecting an American Treasure, also published by Val de Grace Books. Mendelson and his wife Marilyn are parents and grandparents and they live in Napa.

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