Charles Krug, Cabernet Sauvignon Vintage Selection, Napa Valley

Sadly I think it’s this one is a gonner…cork was fragile but removed in one piece with the Durand. Color looked promising in the glass with a lovely deep garnet color. Funk and mushroom on the nose with a bit of zippy red fruit. On the palate very high acidity, thin mouthfeel, minimal tannins, with a hint of Asian medicinal herbal tonic.

1990 vintage

Surprised and pleased to see so many have held on to this icon of California's past. Putting a score to it is almost blasphemy; while certainly NOT a 97, it's been a privilege to taste this exemplar of times gone, when fruit was picked much less ripe and etoh much lower. My take is similar to that of 10/29/21 listed here -- faded with tertiary flavors, of course, wonderfully smooth with attractive cedar notes; a tribute to the winemakers to …

1965 vintage

ESTG Year-End Tasting (Newcastle, WA) : Mmmm, graphite and stalk, just lovely, lean, taut, pure fruit. Wonderful.

1965 vintage

In the exclusive confines of my private cellar, surrounded by the rarest vintages and exquisite treasures, I recently embarked on a nostalgic journey and pulled out the 1979 Charles Krug. A connoisseur of the finer things in life, an adventurer at heart, I eagerly anticipated reliving the memories of a summer in 1985. At just 16, I found myself enchanted by the allure of the vineyards and the guidance of a sophisticated Italian sommelier—a 38-year-old brunette whose expertise became the …

1979 vintage

Still amazingly fresh and vibrant on the nose, this expression of To Kalon offers an almost Martha’s-like minty eucalyptus character, retaining perfectly ripe black and red berries, cool earth, and a truffley minerality. Less impactful on the palate but, like the 65 BV alongside, perfect with simply done beef. A treat for the nose, wild and exciting.

1965 vintage

Nose: Blackberry, red berries, mint, loam, spice and a very nice undertone of gravel and mineral. Perfumed nose that unwinds beautifully. Palate: Beautiful fruit on entry with dark red and black tones, mint and an all spice note. Silky resolved and driven by a spine of beautifully pitched acidity now. Finish: Still had drive. 100% To-Kalon and the pedigree shows. Maybe the finest 60's Napa Cabernet that I have ever encountered. Plucked from the greatest American wine cellar for my …

1965 vintage

Fading, but still offering plenty of old-school Napa charm. Medium-bodied, with much more of a tertiary character than fruit, with all of its cedar, tobacco, earth, spice, and bright red currant nose and palate, the finish is a bit light, but there is still a modicum of sweet cherries in the finish. Drink up.

1965 vintage

Pure pleasure. Both fresh and enjoyable and, yes, past its prime but this was something special. I didn't get a huge Cabernet character but 1965 was different times in California and this was a joy to drink. If you've still got some laying around, now's a good time to pop it open.

1965 vintage

This 42 year old cab has survived to please. Still structured with cab fruit and a tight finish. Maybe the 12.2% octane rating helped it survive with such style.

1979 vintage

top shoulder, cork was moldy, soaked to the top and extracted in one-piece. It poured dark and had dank odor, worse with tie in the decanter. This bottle was not representative of my previous experiences with this normally great wine.

1965 vintage

Definitely past prime, but still providing some enjoyment.

1968 vintage

From a good looking bottle with a VTS fill and a slightly depressed cork, this wine had a deep red center and tawny rims. The medium+ intensity nose put forth black cherries, underbrush, figs, and some clove. This wine was attractive at first with nice balance, light tannin, and solid acidity. However, after it aired for a couple hours it developed a fine structure to the acidity that helped define the notable fruit. I am not so sure it added …

1965 vintage

Tasted alongside 5 other 1968s: Heitz cab, Heitz pinot, Concannon cab, Ygay and CVNE. For me a a slight majority this was the winner. Lots of life, evolved and enjoyed for an hour plus in the glass. Unreal for 50 year old Napa!

1968 vintage

Pop and poured, drunk over two nights VTS shoulder fill ABV 12% FWIW A glorious, intoxicating nose. Beautiful stony fruit, plum and cherry fruit more than cassis, eucalyptus, mint, sandalwood, and bitter chocolate,. It is hugely floral with violets and roses. On the palate, it has a tremendous depth and clarity with a sense of weightless power. there is impact, but there are no hard edges, and everything is just seamless. It is pure and clean like mineral water in …

1965 vintage

Bricked medium red violet color; madeirized, oak spice, ginger cake nose; madeirized, dried cherry, cedar palate with good balancing acidity; medium finish (12.7% alcohol; 27 months in 75% French & 25% American oak; 60% of fruit from To Kalon Vineyard; mid-shoulder fill on this bottle & soaked cork)

1965 vintage

From a nice looking bottle with a VHS fill, this wine had a very deep red center and orange rims. The medium+ intensity nose offered up forest floor notes, black cherries, and some ethyl acetate. In the mouth, this wine was ripe, round, and gorgeously balanced. It had a nice plush mouth feel and very good length. However, it was not particularly complex and there was a bell pepper note that was distracting. This bottle, which seemed pretty representative, suggests …

1965 vintage

94pts.....great sweet nose of cherry, flora and cedar....sweet tannin and great balance wine for 50 yrs old calif cab! can age even longer...wow

1965 vintage

I had this bottle last night for my 50th Birthday at Bern's in Tampa. It blew me away how well it has held up over the years. I'm not a big California guy, but this bottle really impressed me. It has Cesar Mindavi's name on it not Perer's - not sure if that means anything.

1965 vintage

Almost as good as the 59. Again, mind blown. Go Cali!

1968 vintage

Old Wine Offline; 9/26/2014-9/27/2014 (The Room Off the Patio at Ruth's Chris, and My House) : Great depth of garnet color, yellow at the rim. Soy, beef, medicinal nose. More appealing on the palate, with a tawny sweetness and notes of root beer barrel candy. Sticky tannins through the finish. Interesting wine, but probably well past peak. Not scored.

1968 vintage

Bottle had some age to it, label a bit water stained, but fill was excellent. The cork was soaked to near the top, but extracted in one piece. A bit of bottle funk and then it seemed attractive, but never really developed much complexity. Very tart and lacking the nuance and interest of other Charles Krugs of the 1960's. Since this was such a good California vintage, I am surprised how bland and angular this wine has been. I am …

1968 vintage

Well past it's prime. Went up against a 1970 Gruard Larose and couldn't come close to it. I am not sure if it was corked but based on the previous ratings on this, I would imagine that something was off with the bottle.

1968 vintage

Bricked medium dark red violet color with clarity; appealing, mature, black currant, bay leaf, tart plum nose; mature, poised, balanced, tart berry black currant, tart black raspberry, dried fig, mushroom, leather palate with lift; fades some after 20-25 minutes in the glass; long finish (last vintage that Robert and Peter Mondavi worked together; 13.5% alcohol; recorked in 1992)

1965 vintage

It is uncanny how old California vintages, especially Cabernets, can be profound when properly stored. High shoulder fill, with old seepage, black grunge, and tartaric crystals on top of cork but it came out in one piece. Beautiful burnt Siena core, bricking orange at the rim. Attractively oxidized bouquet of black fruit, prunes, singed leather, cigar box, Asian spices, and a touch of brown sugar. The fruity, youthful palate belied its age, where an earthy entry crescendoed into a sweet, …

1968 vintage

Bricking medium dark red violet color; tobacco, dried shitake mushroom, tart red currant, dried oregano nose; tasty, more youthful on palate, cassis, raspberry preservers, ripe cherry palate; medium-plus finish 93+ points

1968 vintage

This was quite faded in spite of an excellent fill and label. Some very muted berry flavors. That said, we did not give it much time to open so we may share some responsibility. But I would be surprised if it could have significantly improved. Still a fun treat to taste a classic California Cabernet.

1968 vintage

New Year's Eve: WineSpectator.com Offline, San Diego (San Diego) : Youthful garnet-ruby red. Fresh notes of red currants, earth, tobacco, leather. Pleasantly tart, with medium body and nice finish. Outstanding.

1965 vintage

excellent again

1965 vintage

Mea Culpa in advance to the other tasting note posters on here. My skepticism was misplaced. I opened this for my 47th birthday dinner last night. A friend gave it to me from his cellar years ago. I expected this to be way past its prime. I opened and test. Fruit still there, interesting and hopeful. Let it open for a hour or so, and poured. We both agreed that this was a surprising treat. Just like some of the …

1965 vintage

great nose, really good juice. Again, blew away my expectations.

1968 vintage

See Java's note. From memory. Alive n kicking. Still some fruit. Enjoyed alongside stellar NY celebration lineup, albeit one week late.

1965 vintage

Superb. We had this along with the 1966 Latour and the 1969 Heitz Martha's vineyard and it more than held its own. A real treat and a testament to how good the winmaking was in California long ago.

1965 vintage

Great California Chardonnay and Cabernet: From 1965 to Present (Le Bordeaux Restaurant, San Francisco, California) : Bricking medium dark red violet color; maturing, cassis, beef jus, lamb jus nose; tasty, maturing but remarkably youthful, silky textured, beef jus, tart plum, lamb jus palate with a touch of menthol; medium-plus finish 94+ points

1965 vintage

Had the pleasure of drinking a 1968 from the cellar of Mark Mondavi. Cherries, dark fruit, minerals, tobacco and nice hints of smokiness. It has complexity and balance. For being a 1968 it had wonderful flavors. Beautiful ending to a wonderful evening.

1968 vintage

This wine was tasted in double-blind fashion at Vintage Wines, Ltd. The bottle (actually a magnum) was kindly provided by Chris Clark. It was decanted on-site and serially tasted over the ensuing two hours. The robe is opaque garnet and the nose is absolutely explosive, with aromas of plums, leather, cigar box and (yes) apricot. Full-bodied on the palate, with low-to-medium acidity, melted tannins and appropriate alcohol. The flavors are complex and mirror the nose. The middle palate is solid …

1979 vintage

Took a while for the funk to dissipate, but wonderful taste.

1965 vintage

Amber edge with deep garnet core. Tobacco, smoke, and some herbal notes. Very bordeaux-like. Still good fruit. Elegant with a sweet finish. Very enjoyable. It never ceases to amaze me that a wine like this can last 46 years. 12% alcohol. One wonders if the new age cabs will be able to match the longevity of this wine.

1965 vintage

Bought on release and stored well since. Mid neck fill. SOM'd overnight. Mature ruby in color, with a beautiful nose of lead pencil, leather, cassis, and an almost floral perfume. This is very Medoc like, but with a Califonian fruit angle. Medium bodied and very deep. This is pure, effortless Cabernet. Terrific balance and complicated. Very long on the back end. This was my WOTN. Drinking fantastically. 94pts. Thanks RN.

1965 vintage

This is the first red wine from 1965 I've tasted. Served blind, I thought it was a 60's era Bordeaux wine from the Medoc. Tobacco, smoke, mushroom, earth and forest floor scents, a mouthful of chewy cabernet and a cassis filled finish are the hallmarks of this shockingly good wine. If the finish had been longer, the wine would have earned a higher score. This bottle was opened by the original purchaser.

1965 vintage

Drank at Chris's 45th birthday. The nose was that of a old port. But....the taste, quite wonderful. It was good from start to finish and we drank it over a time of about an hour. Yum!

1965 vintage

A bit muted and reticent at the outset. This began to open more with time with dirt, plums, slightly stewed flavors. I think that this would have gotten better with more air, but we drank it too quickly. A good rather than great showing.

1968 vintage

This was from very well kept bottle. The original price tag was still on it, $5.95. Amazingly, the store it was purchased at is still in business ! The nose was slightly muted, slight berry and woody notes, very Bordeaux-esqe with no off aromas. Nice color with very little bricking. Medium bodied, dark cherry, with slight herbalness and a light finish. A wonderful experience of what Califonia achieved before it was cool.

1968 vintage

Brian’s: Brown-ruby color w/amber tinits; Some cherry fruit in nose, a hint funk and earth, too; thin mth, low t’s, good a’s--a bit sour at fin., but otherwise, held up pretty well! Too tart for burgers.

1968 vintage

Incredibly, this wine (the last from Dad's stash!) is holding nicely. Fruit faded, but still showing some soft, sweet oak with the remaining fruit, without serious oxidation. Pleasantly surprised.

1968 vintage

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Charles Krug, Cabernet Sauvignon Vintage Selection, Napa Valley

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