Wine Advocate Review
2012 was a year of exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. With careful research, you should be able to find some amazing options at great prices.
The winery was established in 1861 by Charles Krug on land he received as a wedding gift from the daughter of one of Napa’s wealthier citizens, Edward Bale. It was the first official winery in Napa and a key figure in the early development of California winemaking.
Krug was an immigrant from Prussia and went on to work under Gustave Niebaum at the Inglenook estate in Rutherford before opening his own winery in Napa in 1871. He was a pioneer in California wine and his wines are renowned around the world.
After the death of Charles Krug in 1943, the estate was purchased by Cesare and Rosa Mondavi who continued to build on the winery’s reputation for innovation and quality. Their son Peter Mondavi Sr. ushered in the modern era and started producing Cabernet Sauvignon. He introduced aging in French oak and produced a special bottling called Claret which is an outstanding Bordeaux blend.
The vineyards at Charles Krug are influenced by cool mornings and maritime breezes which produce intense and complex Cabernet Sauvignon wines with plenty of black fruit character and firm structure. This particular wine was made from a selective blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot and Petit Verdot aged for 23 months in French oak barrels. It shows ripe, racy blackberry and wild berry flavors with a dusty edge and savory notes of clove and tobacco. The wine has firm, structured tannins and finishes with a nice balance of fruit and wood.
