Miljenko 'Mike' Grgich, an immigrant who put Napa Valley on the world's wine map, dies at 100

Miljenko “Mike” Grgich, a celebrated winemaker who helped establish Napa Valley as one of the world’s premier wine-making regions, has died. He was 100. Grgich died Wednesday, according to his Rutherford, California-based winery, Grgich Hills Estate. Grgich was born in Croatia. He made his way to California in 1958 and worked in several wineries there before joining Chateau Montelena in 1972. Four years later, his chardonnay was judged the best in a blind tasting in Paris, shocking the wine world. Grgich founded his own winery, Grgich Hills Estate, in 1977 and led it until 2018.