Charles Krug Vintners Select Cabernet Sauvignon

With a dark garnet color, cassis and cherry aromas, the wine is supple with flavors of blackberry, brown sugar and red currant. The velvety tannins and fine balance create a long, silky finish with a hint of luscious dark chocolate. Our flagship Cabernet Sauvignon was first produced in 1944, the year after our family purchased the winery. The finest fruit of the 2011 vintage was hand-picked during night harvests and truly expresses the terroir of select blocks in our Yountville vineyards. Varietal Makeup: 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot, 1% Malbec Aging: 20 Months in new French Oak Barrels Vintage Information: We proudly celebrated the harvest of 2011 and the 150th Anniversary of our founding year although a late harvest was due to below average temperatures, late spring rains, a cool growing season and rain during the summer. The winter rainfall was a full 30% above normal, much of it late. A few brief heat spikes did little to make up for the late start. We began harvest in early September when we characteristically begin in mid-August. Early rains followed while red fruit still hung on the vines. Hand thinning of the leaves and shoot positioning provided better sun exposure and maximum air flow that deterred the development of mold on these inherently resilient varieties with thicker skins. Our yield was 30% lower than a normal crop but essentially identical to last years. Brix was down over 6% from last year which could yield a drop in the final alcohol levels of almost 1%. It is exciting to achieve the flavors that we did this year with these lower sugars. Learn more at www.charleskrug.com or visit us on Facebook at facebook.com/CharlesKrugWinery