Winemaker Notes
Blend: 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Malbec, 5% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot.
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
Buzzing with black raspberry flavor, this is a bold Napa Valley Cabernet (83 percent, with Malbec, Merlot and Petit Verdot). The blend’s ripeness of fruit provides a pleasant sweetness to balance the tannins, which last with a scent of resinous herbs, juicy and warm. Delicious with seared duck breast.
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James Suckling
A full-bodied red with round and velvety textured tannins and a dusty mouthfeel. Lots of ripe berry and chocolate character. Needs a year or two to soften but delicious already. A blend of mostly cabernet sauvignon with malbec, merlot and petit verdot.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2012 Proprietary Red Blend Family Reserve Generations honors four generations of Mondavis who have been the backbone of the Charles Krug Winery. Composed of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Malbec, 5% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, this beauty reveals lots of blueberry, mulberry and blue fruits, a dense ruby/purple color, sweet tannins, and a medium to full-bodied, elegant yet substantial style. With no hard edges, this seamless stunner is a top example of not only 2012, but of Charles Krug’s resurgence in the marketplace as a serious player. Drink it over the next 10-12 years.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.