Robert Mondavi Winery Owner Prevails in To Kalon Name Battle

Following a five-year saga, the U.S. Board of Geographic Names (BGN) has repealed its own 2017 decision recognizing the name To Kalon Creek. On Aug. 14, the federal agency responsible for approving and maintaining official geographic names for the United States ruled to vacate the name, favoring Constellation Brands, which owns Robert Mondavi Winery and had petitioned to have “To Kalon Creek” removed from the BGN’s list of registered places. The small creek, which will now be known as Doak Creek, runs through the heart of the To Kalon Vineyard, and Constellation owns a trademark on the name To Kalon.

“We are pleased that the decision made today by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) concerning the naming of the creek resolved the dispute and fully upholds the integrity of our To Kalon trademark,” Constellation Brands said in a statement.

The decision is a blow to fellow Napa vintners who believe the vineyard surrounding the creek is one of America’s most notable and deserves to be recognized as a distinct terroir, a recognized place, not a brand. Vintner Graeme MacDonald, who extensively researched the history of the land that connects his family’s property and the adjoining Robert Mondavi estate, had hoped to add To Kalon Vineyard to the National Register of Historic Places.

Constellation Brands initially supported MacDonald when he successfully had the creek named for To Kalon in 2017, but in 2020 the company petitioned to remove the name, arguing that To Kalon is not a place but a trademarked brand owned by Constellation and that the naming of the creek could jeopardize their trademarks. “Constellation’s right to use ‘To Kalon’ is not constrained by history or geography—it may call any wine ‘To Kalon’ regardless of whether it is sourced (either wholly or in part) from Mondavi’s Oakville lands,” the company argued in its petition.

MacDonald backed the creek’s name with records, references, maps and photographs from the late 1800s that noted the creek’s name. In 2019, he completed a report on To Kalon for the Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS), which was added to the Library of Congress.

What’s in a Name?

The history of To Kalon dates back to the mid-1800s when Hamilton Walker Crabb purchased 240 acres in Oakville. Over the years, he purchased two adjacent parcels and renamed both his winery and the vineyard To Kalon in 1886. Crabb sold off one of those parcels, and following his death, the remainder of the estate was sold. In the 100 years that followed, several would purchase and lay claim to the land to varying degrees.

Today, Constellation Brands, through its subsidiary, Robert Mondavi Winery, owns the majority of acres. According to its historic boundaries, seven other parties claim a portion of the vineyard: Opus One, MacDonald/Horton, Detert, Andy Beckstoffer, Wilsey/Traina, the Napa Valley Grapegrowers and the University of California, Davis, which has a test vineyard there.

Beckstoffer called the ruling removing the name from the creek “a shocking reversal of a sound decision based on solid historical research. To Kalon is a place. It has been for 139 years.”

Since 2000, Beckstoffer has sold his grapes from To Kalon to numerous top wineries in the valley, including Schrader Cellars, which Constellation now owns. He had his own legal battle with Mondavi when, in 2002, the company sued Schrader for putting To Kalon on its labels. Beckstoffer then countersued, accusing Mondavi of misleading consumers by including grapes from vineyards that were not part of the original To Kalon Vineyard in wines with the name on their label. The case was settled, and Beckstoffer has retained the rights to use To Kalon on wines from his portion of the vineyards. But he now worries that is in jeopardy.

For many, the trademarks owned by Constellation have made determining the provenance of To Kalon a challenge. The company owns trademarks established by Robert Mondavi Winery, including “To Kalon” and “To Kalon Vineyard,” and applied for two additional trademarks in 2017: “To-Kalon Wine Company” and “To-Kalon Vineyard Company.” The company recently created a new winery, To Kalon Vineyard Company.

Beckstoffer called the now-former debate “a dangerous, nuanced phase,” potentially establishing precedent for future naming rights in American wine. “To Kalon Creek should remain, and all interested and vested parties should instead focus on preserving and protecting To Kalon Vineyard as a historic place,” he said.

There’s also concern that the story of To Kalon may one day be forgotten or diminished. “I proved the point and took it as far as I could,” said MacDonald. “I hope the conversation continues.”

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