Charles Krug Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

Our Peter Mondavi Family Cabernet Sauvignon provokes aromas of black cherry, raspberry and a hint of cocoa. Flavors of black currant mingle with rose petals while supple, smoky overtones visit the back palate. A silky mouthfeel and balanced tannins create an elegant finish to this classic Napa Valley wine.

Nose of tobacco, blackberry, faint pepper and dill. Dense on the palate with cassis-like fruit and plenty of oak. Shows depth, but is maybe just a bit one-dimensional. Good balance, with dry, even tannins. Better in a few years.

Tangy and fresh, with black currant, boysenberry and cotton candy notes that are firm, ripe and focused, lingering in the finish. Drink now through 2005.

There are so many good qualities to this wine that I wish it were more concentrated. With a very high production, the wines must have been stretched. Too bad, because it shows gorgeous structure of acids and tannins, the kind of Cabernet only Napa Valley can produce. Still, it rewards for elegance and modest blackberry and oak flavors.

Charles Krug's style remains the same over the decades, producing balanced, dry table wines capable of some aging. This Cab is tannic and a bit austere now, with suggestions of blackberries and cherries. But the structure is very fine, especially the tannins, which are rich and complex. Drinkable now, with decanting, and should develop over the next six years.

An impressively cool and brisk cabernet, predominantly from Charles Krug's estate vineyards in Yountville, this starts out on black plum and grows increasingly more generous with air. The wine expands into deep purple-black fruit and potent tannins, which brings out some warmth to balance the fresh, minty aspects of the flavor. Decant a bottle for lamb chops.

Charles Krug was the first Mondavi family foray into the Napa Valley, a historic property that remained in the hands of Peter Mondavi's family after a dispute over business expenses that led Robert Mondavi to establish his own winery. Peter Mondavi continued to pronounce his name with an American accent (mon-Day-vi) and never bought into the Napa Valley style that his brother helped to create. The Charles Krug brand remained traditional and relatively sleepy, even with the assets of 850 acres of vines throughout the valley. In 1999, the Mondavis began replanting their vineyards and retooling their winery, with the results starting to show in wines like this brisk 2006 cabernet from the relatively cool reaches of Yountville. Its depth of fresh, purple plum fruit and potent tannins would structure a wine at a much higher price.