Wine runs in Continuum co-founder Tim Mondavi’s veins. His grandfather Cesare was an Italian immigrant who started a winery in Minnesota in 1919, which became under the expert guidance of Tim’s father the Robert Mondavi Winery in 1966. It was one of the Napa Valley’s ‘first growths’ and a legendary name in Californian wine. Continuum was founded in 2005, initially on the former Mondavi vineyards on the valley floor, but Tim always had loftier – literally – ambitions. After several years of searching he found several prized parcels of vineyards on the upper slopes of Pritchard Hill on the eastern ridge of Napa Valley. This rugged, mountainous site holds the key to the success of Continuum wine. Soil, climate, elevation, temperature, drainage – all play a unique part in Continuum’s search for perfection. The estate produces just two wines, the Continuum, a Proprietary Red, and the Novicium, made from younger vines. The 2016 Continuum had a Lay and Wheeler critic score of 99.25 out of 100 – as close to perfection as one might imagine.