Page 23 - Sonoma County Gazette MARCH 2020
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Zealand to work the harvests there and improve the depth of his knowledge of winemaking. Jesus began to make his own fine wines, learning from the master.
In all, Jesus work for the Robert Mondavi for 20 years.
 ill-conceived war with Mexico in 1867, many French troops settled in this region; some were Jesus’ ancestors. And
like many Mexican immigrants, Jesus also has roots in the Spanish colonial class and of course the indigenous peoples who have lived in Mexico for millennia.
Jesus was raised on the land in a family that worked
the land. It was his family’s tradition for centuries, going back to those colonial days in Jalisco. Though most of
his childhood was spent in the streets of Guadalajara, he spent weekends and summers at the rancho and hacienda. Working the fields was part of his family chores.
In the 1990s, he met his wife, Veronica, and they started a family. Veronica immigrated herself from El Llano, Michoacan in 1979. She is a tax specialist with her own thriving income tax preparation firm in Napa (“VM Taxes”). They have two kids, Michelle 25 and Jesus Josue 15. Michelle is a graduate of UC Santa Cruz and she works as a paralegal assisting immigrant families. Jesus Josue is a sophomore at Vintage High School.
Jesus came to the U.S. at age 20 and settled in the Riverside County in the Inland Empire. Eventually he would earn a soccer scholarship to study at UC Riverside; between his soccer playing and a lot of work after class, Jesus managed to work his way through UCR.
Even after moving north, Jesus has continued to pursue his other passion – soccer. Apart from coaching soccer for youth groups for 25 years, Jesus found time to obtain a Master’s Degree in Sports Conditioning from Universidad Isabel in Spain. He is an avid fan of the La Liga, Liga MX and the Champion’s League.
Meeting Mondavi. Along the way, Jesus read an
Jesus Medina served as head coach of the
LA Times article about Robert Mondavi, and he decided he wanted to work for the famous winemaker. So, Jesus came north to Napa in 1988 and found a way to meet Mr. Mondavi. The wine master soon after offered him a job.
Napa team in its inaugural season in the National Premier Soccer League, in March 2017. Photo: submitted to napavalleyregister by J.Medina 2017)
Era of Mira. When Mondavi Winery was sold to the conglomerate Constellation Wines in 2015, Jesus decided to move on. He teamed up with Jim Dyke and Gustavo Gonzalez at the newly formed Mira Winery.
Robert Mondavi would take Jesus under his wing, teach him the trade of winemaking. He instilled in Jesus the “best of the best” mentality.
“Mr. Mondavi always said, If you like what you do, you
never work a day in your life”, says Jesus. “Good way to work, good way to live”.
Five years later, Mira is making award-winning wines and it has everything to do with this talented team of winemakers. Jesus is now making his own mark on Napa Valley.
“Mr. Mondavi was my main influence and inspiration,” says Jesus. While working full-time, Jesus took wine classes at Napa College. Mondavi also sent him to Chile and New
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