French Town OKs Mondavi Lease
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PARIS — A village in southern France welcomed one of California’s best-known wineries Tuesday, paving the way for the Robert Mondavi Winery to produce wine in the famed Languedoc region.
The town council of Aniane, France, voted 15 to 2 to approve a lease of 500 forested acres to the Napa Valley winemaker.
Mondavi’s proposed vineyard in Aniane, a village about 15 miles north of the Mediterranean Sea, would eventually produce about 20,000 cases of wine a year. The wine is to be sold in the United States starting at $60 a bottle.
Some local activists and environmentalists had opposed Mondavi’s plan, which requires clearing forested land. One had threatened court action if the town council approved the lease.
Representatives of Oakville, Calif.-based Mondavi have said that the company would adhere to traditional growing and production methods.
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