2014 Charles Krug Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

What a chilly day here today, thankfully I have some good food and wine to warm me up a bit!  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle of wine from one of my favorite producers in Napa Valley, Charles Krug.  I first discovered their wine back in 2012, when I tasted the 2009 Yountville Cabernet (you can see that review here) and then really got into their wines when I visited the winery in Napa back in 2015 and 2016 (see 2015 here and 2016 here).  So let's see what the 2014 vintage has to offer!

The wine has the classic Napa Cabernet coloration, deep and inky at the center, bright along the edges.  The aromas are somewhat different, with some earthy notes of leather, peat and minerals, along with some blackberry and plum notes.  The taste is all classic big Napa Cabernet, with a rush of black fruit up front, that transitions nicely to some green herb, black pepper spice and mineral notes midpalate.  The tannins are nicely structured and well integrated, leaving you with a long, velvety and very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, it's a really wonderful Cabernet ideal for fans of the Big Napa varieties, but it remains one of the best values out of Napa in my opinion.  I bought this at my local Meijer store for just $23!  This wine would pair very well with a nice steak, which is handy since tonight I'm enjoying this wine with a rare grilled Cajun spiced Angus porterhouse, a big baked potato and some green bean casserole (I didn't get enough at holiday dinners!).  Cheers!