Charles Krug Winery

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(707) 967-2200 2800 St Helena Hwy
St. Helena, CA 94574
United States View map

mackenzie@mackenzieagency.com
www.charleskrug.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Charles-Krug-Winery/1412798...

Charles Krug was an imprisoned revolutionary, an entrepreneur, and a wine visionary. Peter Mondavi and family are entrepreneurs and wine innovators, but never imprisoned revolutionaries (that we know of!). Together, they trace the entire timeline for wine in Napa Valley. Charles Krug Winery in St. Helena, Napa Valley, was founded by a 24-year-old revolutionary who was part of a coup to overthrow the German Parliament. He was thrown into prison, to be freed only in a second revolution attempt nine months later. Around him, some of Europe’s greatest cities--Prague, Paris and Berlin—were in political and financial turmoil. Meanwhile, from the California Gold Rush came stories of riches and glory and the promise of unimaginable wealth. It didn’t take Krug long to jump on a ship to the New World. Charles was educated, opinionated and entrepreneurial, founding Napa Valley’s first winery in 1881. He was the first major vintner to apply scientific methods and European techniques to winemaking here. He also brought varietal diversity to Napa Valley, too, rejecting the prevalent Mission grape in favor of European varieties. Krug not only set the stage, he built the stage for the Napa Valley wine Read more »

business. Fast forward around 30 years. Around the time of Prohibition, another immigrant-entrepreneur, this one from Italy, started a grocery business in Minnesota. To supply his customers’ home wine-making endeavors, Cesare Mondavi came on an innovative solution: he began trips to California to buy Zinfandel grapes to ship home. Meanwhile, in Napa Valley, Charles Krug’s historic winery was falling apart. With his grape business booming, Cesare and Rosa Mondavi moved their young family to California and bought Krug’s languishing legacy in 1943. When Cesare died in 1959, Rosa and their sons Peter Jr. and Robert operated Charles Krug until 1966, when Robert moved a few miles south to Oakville to set up his own winery. Peter was named president of Charles Krug, a position he still holds, coming into the winery nearly every day. That certainly speaks to the power of red wine: Peter Mondavi Sr. is 94. The Peter Mondavi Family history at Charles Krug Winery is the story of 60 years of innovation. After graduating from Stanford University, Peter pursued wine studies at U.C. Berkeley, where he experimented extensively with cold fermentation techniques. Back at the family winery, he pioneered those processes-- the first winemaker in California to do so. The Mondavis published the first winery newsletter in California (Bottles & Bins, 1949) and, in 1953, Life Magazine declared that Charles Krug produced the “best California white wine” of the year. The winery’s Tastings on the Lawn, now in their 57th year, are believed to be the earliest public wine tastings of their kind and went on to inspire a myriad of other tasting events. In 1963, Charles Krug was the first Napa Valley winery to import French oak barrels to age wine and was among the first to vintage-date varietal wines. Today, a monumental renovation project at Charles Krug has brought the birthplace of Napa Valley wine to the future. Having extensively replanted the family vineyards with a focus on noble red Bordeaux varietals, Peter Sr. and his sons, Marc and Peter Jr. are now practicing sustainable viticulture on their 850 prime Napa Valley acres. They have also restored two landmark structures, Charles Krug’s original Redwood Cellar and Carriage House, honoring their history as the birthplace of Napa’s wine business. They’re determined that their winery will remain family-owned and focused on quality, and to steward the land while preserving the winery's historical legacy. Says Marc: “These are the values our father and grandfather instilled in us. We are investing in the future of this family, this winery, and this remarkable place.” (hide)

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Charles Krug Limited Release Voltz Vineyard (2004)

Winery:	Charles Krug Winery
Region:	USA » California » Napa
Varietal:	Merlot , Cabernet Franc , Petit Verdot
Type:	Table Wines

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runningbear

This is a wonderful, not-too-heavy blended red wine with lush flavor and tannins that are not overpowering. We highly recommend this wine if you can find it.

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Popular wines by Charles Krug Winery

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Varietals Produced by Charles Krug Winery View all

Pinot Noir

“With so voluptuous a perfume, so sweet an edge, they make the blood run hot,” Joel Fleischman, wine columnist at Van...
Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc is widely grown in California -- at over 15,000 acres, it’s now the third most planted variety -- and...
Zinfandel

Parentage of the grape: Crljenak to Austria to America. In the 1970s, claims surfaced that the Italian Primitivo is l...
Cabernet Sauvignon

“King of the Red Wine Grapes.” The colonizer of the vineyards, pushing native wine grapes into its shadows. The Caber...
Merlot

The Occitanian word “merlot” translates to “young blackbird.” An accurate description for this popular, early-budding...

People getting updates on Charles Krug Winery

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Charles Krug Winery on Snooth

February 2011

Charles Krug Winery Peter Mondavi Family Pinot Noir Carneros 2004

Snoothrank:

No written review

Wine review by mindpirate
February 2011

Charles Krug Winery Peter Mondavi Family Merlot Napa Valley 2006

Snoothrank:

No written review

Wine review by mrroberto
January 2011

Charles Krug Winery Peter Mondavi Family Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley 2006

Snoothrank:

Very light, refreshing drinkable wine. Not to tart. A very good bargain at this price. Read More

Wine review by AmyinCali
January 2011

Charles Krug Winery Peter Mondavi Family Cabernet Sauvignon Yountville 2007

Snoothrank:

No written review

Wine review by crickf
January 2011

Charles Krug Winery Peter Mondavi Family Pinot Noir Carneros 2007

Snoothrank:

Nice strawberry and cherry aromas. Very smooth but short finish and somewhat "thin." Read More

Wine review by lbbarran
January 2011

So here's a little project I've been kicking around to no end.The idea is simple, what are the top 10 wines in any region that remain affordable and really deliver exceptional experiences?I know there are so many varaibles here but a list of 10 is large enough to account for the variables.So let me start by defining affordable. I would say, in t... Read More

Forum post in the topic Just For Fun top 10 lists -...
December 2010

Charles Krug Winery Peter Mondavi Family Cabernet Sauvignon Yountville 2007

Snoothrank:

Good. Well made. Solid. Read More

Wine review by wlstiles3
December 2010

Charles Krug Winery Peter Mondavi Family Pinot Noir Carneros 2007

Snoothrank:

smooth and mellow. just ok. Read More

Wine review by grbaKKy
December 2010

Charles Krug Napa Sauvignon Blanc 2009

Snoothrank:

crisp and fantastic citrus flavors. Read More

Wine review by grbaKKy
December 2010

Charles Krug Limited Release Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2003

Snoothrank:

No written review

Wine review by basilwino

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