The Charles Krug Winery is owned and operated by the Robert Mondavi family in Napa California.

I don't normally drink Merlot because I'm a big Cabernet Sauvignon fan aka Cab fan but this time I didn't want to pay an exhorbant amount of money for wine. My eyes fell on this bottle. Thinking about saving some money in this recession and not having a Merlot for sometime I picked up the 2005 vintage.

The wine itself is a combintaion of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. The Krug expressed notes of berries and oak with a medium finish. As the wine opened up the berries and oak became more apparent. One thing that struck me is the chewy finish, something like a Cab would exhibit. All in all not a spectacular wine, just a nice everyday Merlot that might go well with a hearty chicken dish or a meatier fish,such a salmon.

Would I buy some more? I'm not too sure. I paid $17 for this bottle and probably can get a decent Cab at this price.