For as long as I have known about wine, I have known that the Mondavi Family of Napa Valley was the standard by which all others aspired, in making great Cabernet Sauvignon. So it was with high expectation and a twinge of nervous energy that I sat down with a family member, Peter Mondavi Jr. He and his brother Marc, whom I had spoken with earlier in my wine-writing days, have major roles in the Charles Krug Winery near St. Helena.
Charles Krug has a long history of winemaking in Napa Valley, being the first winery to open its doors in 1861. Fast-forward to 1943 when the Mondavi family purchased the property, with Peter Sr. and Robert Mondavi jointly building the brand with Cabernet as its signature wine.
Peter Mondavi of Charles Krug Winery in Napa Valley compares 7 Krug Cabernet vintages in a classic “Vertical Tasting” from 1980 to the newest 2006 release. In 1966, Robert opened his own winery in nearby Oakville and Peter Sr. turned to his sons Peter and Marc to carry the load of quality winemaking and marketing.
Peter was in San Diego to conduct a “Vertical Tasting” of 7 of his Cabernets during the recent San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival. “I’m looking forward to sharing some of our older vintages, from our current 2006 release all the way back to 1980,” he said. I reminded him that it would be like a historic footprint of the rise of Cabernet to the grandeur that it enjoys today. “Well that may be true,” he agreed, “but the real education will be in the tasting of the wines that have evolved over time, how the age enhances the taste so that the experience of the wines will be the best teacher. Definitely, Cab is king in the valley and it will be coming out of the Napa Valley for decades to come.”
I asked him about the 2009 harvest as I heard there were issues. “The ’09 season was challenging. It was cooler than normal with a much longer growing season and heavy rains, the heaviest since 1962. We were out picking grapes the end of October.”
After the teaching session, Peter asked the assembled for a show of hands as to which vintage was their favorite and it was the 1995, followed closely by the 2004. The current release also did well with its classy and opulent flavor with hints of chocolate and espresso at the finish, preceded by notes of blackberry and licorice, with 23 months in French Oak barrels. The Vintage Selection is suggested at $70. with the ’06 Yountville Cab retailing for $27.
I found that the more age in the bottle, the more mineralized the taste became, such as the bottles from the 80’s. They were also bigger wines with higher alcohol. Krug and others are now achieving more balanced flavor with lower “PH” or sugar content in the grapes, resulting in a less alcoholic wine that pairs well with fine food. It is now a sustainable practicing vineyard with sensitivity to the environment, using only natural additives. See it all at www.charleskrug.com
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