Charles Krug Winery

Charles Krug founded his eponymous winery in Napa Valley in 1861. A Prussian immigrant, he transformed 540 acres of Napa Valley land that came to him through his marriage to Carolina Bale. Krug was born in 1825 and died in 1892. The Napa Wine Project calls Charles Krug Napa Valley's oldest winery still in existence. In 1882 Charles Krug opened for public tastings; the winery calls it the very first public tasting room in California. The Redwood Cellar was erected in 1872, and the Carriage House was built in 1881 for Carolina Bale to house her horse carriages. In 1943 Cesare and Rosa Mondavi, together with their sons Peter and Robert, purchased the historic 147-acre estate, and the family produced its first vintage there in 1944. Robert Mondavi departed in 1966 to found his own winery, and Peter Mondavi Sr. (d. 2016) was steward of the estate until 2016. Owned by the Mondavis since 1943, Charles Krug remains one of Napa Valley's longest standing, independent, and family-owned wineries.

• 1861: Charles Krug establishes his winery; 540 acres came to him through marriage to Carolina Bale
• 1882: Charles Krug opens for public tastings
• 1943: Cesare and Rosa Mondavi, with sons Peter and Robert, purchase the 147-acre estate
• 1966: Robert Mondavi departs to found his own winery

The third generation, Peter Mondavi Jr. and Marc Mondavi, are co-proprietors of the Charles Krug estate, and the fourth generation of Mondavi family ownership is Lia, Lucio, Alycia, Riana, Angelina and Giovanna. Angelina Mondavi's grandfather was head winemaker at Charles Krug from 1945 to 1990, and her father Marc took over the role from 1990. Stacy Clark took the reins at Charles Krug in 2011. In September 2025 Angelina Mondavi, a consultant winemaker under Clark at Charles Krug since 2022, stepped up to lead the winemaking team as Clark retired after 14 years, the first woman in her family to lead the winemaking at Charles Krug since the Mondavis acquired the estate in 1943. She holds a chemistry degree from Villanova University and a Master's degree in winemaking from the University of Adelaide, worked for Yalumba Wine Company in the Barossa Valley, and joined Pine Ridge Vineyards in 2007 as assistant winemaker to Stacy Clark until 2010. The winery's wines pages still named Stacy Clark as winemaker in September 2026.

• Peter Mondavi Jr. and Marc Mondavi: co-proprietors (third generation)
• Angelina Mondavi: consultant winemaker at Charles Krug from 2022; leads winemaking from September 2025
• Stacy Clark: winemaker from 2011; retiring in 2025 after 14 years
• Head winemakers: Angelina Mondavi's grandfather from 1945 to 1990, then her father Marc from 1990

Over his lifetime Peter Mondavi Sr. assembled a portfolio of estate vineyards across Napa Valley's appellations, and Stacy Clark developed an intimate working knowledge of the family's estates from Howell Mountain to Carneros. The Napa Wine Project puts the family's Napa Valley holdings at 850 acres. Cold Springs Vineyard rises 1,650 feet above the Napa Valley floor on the southwest side of Howell Mountain, sits above the fog line, and has volcanic and iron-rich red soils. In Yountville, the Slinsen Vineyard sits at the base of the Mayacamas range, and the Voltz Vineyard sits at the base of the Mayacamas Mountain Range on a southeastern-facing slope; a portion of Voltz is known as Peter Sr.'s Diamond. The Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced principally from five family estates in Yountville. The Sauvignon Blanc is principally sourced from the historic St. Helena estate, where the Limited Release Rosé is grown, produced and bottled; the Limited Release Petite Sirah also comes from estate vineyards in St. Helena, and the Limited Release Chardonnay from fruit grown in Carneros. In 2008, after nearly 10 years and $25 million invested, the winery completed a program to replant the family's estates to Bordeaux varietals.

• Cold Springs, Howell Mountain: 1,650 feet above the valley floor, volcanic and iron-rich red soils
• Slinsen and Voltz, Yountville: at the base of the Mayacamas range; Voltz includes the blocks known as Peter Sr.'s Diamond
• St. Helena estate: principal source of the Sauvignon Blanc and home of the Limited Release Rosé
• 2008: estate replanting program to Bordeaux varietals completed

The range falls into three tiers: Napa Valley, the core foundation wines; Limited Release, a limited production reserve tier of small-lot wines available only through the winery; and Family Reserve. The winery calls Generations, a classic Bordeaux-style red blend, and Vintage Selection Cabernet Sauvignon the signature wines on which its reputation was built. Vintage Selection was first produced in 1944; the 2022 release is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Voltz in Yountville and Cold Springs on Howell Mountain, with a production of 604 cases. The 2021 Family Reserve Generations is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 2% Merlot. Generations traces to the 1991 harvest. Limited Release bottlings include single-vineyard Cold Springs, Slinsen and Voltz Cabernet Sauvignons, a Yountville Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petite Sirah, Carneros Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc from new estate vineyard plantings, and a St. Helena Rosé. The Carolina Bale sparkling wines, a Blanc de Blancs and a Brut Rosé made by the Méthode Champenoise, are named to honor Charles Krug's wife. Lot XXII is a Zinfandel dessert wine crafted in the spirit of the Solera style, its lot number referencing the total number of vintages produced. The Vintage Selection Library at the winery holds Vintage Selection wines dating back to 1944.

• Napa Valley tier: Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley Merlot, Carneros-Napa Valley Chardonnay, Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc
• Limited Release: single-vineyard Cold Springs, Slinsen and Voltz Cabernet Sauvignons plus small-lot varietal wines
• Family Reserve: Generations and a Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon
• Vintage Selection Cabernet Sauvignon: first produced in 1944; 604 cases of the 2022

The winery describes its wines as elegant, finely balanced Napa wines that artfully express the unique terroir of each Napa Valley vineyard. Peter Mondavi Sr. held that quality winemaking begins in the vineyards. From 1946 he continued to develop cold fermentation as a technique for white wines, and in 1963, by the winery's account, Charles Krug became the first Napa Valley winery to integrate imported French oak barrels into its red wine aging. Generations fruit is night-picked from estate vineyards and aged in new French oak barrels, and the Slinsen Cabernet Sauvignon is aged exclusively in new French oak barrels.

• The winery describes its wines as elegant, finely balanced Napa wines that express the terroir of each vineyard
• 1946: Peter Mondavi Sr. continues to develop cold fermentation for white wines
• 1963: imported French oak barrels become part of red wine aging
• 2013: architect Howard Backen completes the transformation of the historic Redwood Cellar into a wine hospitality center

Primary sources (producer's own site and storefront): https://charleskrug.com/, https://charleskrug.com/legacy, https://charleskrug.com/wines, https://charleskrug.com/visit, https://charleskrug.com/wine-collections, https://api.commerce7.com/v1/product/for-web?limit=100. Secondary sources: The Napa Wine Project (Charles Krug Winery producer review), The Drinks Business (Angelina Mondavi becomes head winemaker at Charles Krug, 17 September 2025), California Office of Historic Preservation (Napa County listed resources). Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs. Last verified 2026-10-12