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Divining 101 Here are the basic questions to ask as you walk the perimeter of a property: 1. Where is the underground stream? 2. How much water is down there (based on a gallons-per-minute formula)? 3. Which direction does the water flow? 4. How deep is the water source? ("I always recommend to overdrill," states Mondavi. "You can tell when you start running out of water—that's when you stop. Every foot equates to dollars.") "But asked of whom?" I queried. Shrugging his shoulders and smiling, Mark made me understand that the "spirit" of finding water could as easily be within as it could be an outside force. It's a personal belief at best. Call it spirituality, call it magic, but Marc believes divining relates to magnetism and energy. "No one truly understands it," he confesses. Wells are an expensive proposition; drilling for water and then running power to a vineyard is a major invest- ment. "I was leery when I first started out. It could cost $75,000 to $100,000 to drill and dig for a well," Marc relates. "When I didn't have a lot of experience, I would always worry, 'What if I'm wrong?'." A good diviner will be correct more often than not; Marc has been wrong only once. His consistently accurate gift has proven invaluable to his career as a vintner. The Launch of a Wine Brand During a meeting of Division Vice Presidents for the family's wine busi- ness Michael Fine, the VP of Chains Division, accompanied Marc on a Howell Mountain divining excursion and was witness to his boss's impres- sive ability. Call him a diviner, a dowser or a water witch, but Marc Mondavi pos- sesses the power of using divining rods, also known as doodlebugs. Two of his daughters also have the ability, but his brother Peter does not. He is shown here with the new Divining Rod Cabernet Sauvignon. 60 / the tasting panel / october 2012