Miljenko “Mike” Grgich, a celebrated winemaker who helped establish Napa Valley as one of the world’s premier winemaking regions, died in his sleep at his home on Dec. 15 in Calistoga, California, according to his winery, Grgich Hills Estate. He was 100. Born on April 1, 1923, in Desne, Croatia, to a winemaking family, Grgich later studied enology and viticulture at the University of Zagreb. As communism gripped Croatia, he searched for a way out and, in a conversation with a professor, he learned of a place called California. He left the country in 1954 with a few U.S. dollars hidden in his shoe and a suitcase full of winemaking books. Grgich won asylum in Canada and, in 1958, he got a job offer from the founder of Chateau Souverain in Napa. He worked for several other wineries before joining Chateau Montelena in 1972. In 1976, Grgich’s 1973 vintage Chateau Montelena Chardonnay shocked the wine world by winning first place in a blind tasting in Paris; a Cabernet Sauvignon from Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars in Napa was also the top red wine. He parlayed that success into opening his own winery, now Grgich Hills Estate, creating many other milestones, successes and influences. “Mike’s impact on Napa Valley’s history and the world of wine cannot be overstated,” said Napa Valley Vintners, a trade group, in a statement. “We join the rest of our winemaking community in tipping our beret towards Mike Grgich and the legacy he will continue to have on wine.”