The Californian winery "Charles Krug - Peter Mondavi Family" in St. Helena in Napa Valley is today (as the second part of the name indicates) owned by the Peter Mondavi family. It was founded in 1861 by the German-born Charles Krug (1825-1892). After his death it was taken over by James Moffitt in 1892, who brought it through prohibition and then sold it in 1943 to Cesare Mondavi (1883-1959). After Moffitt's death, there were constant conflicts between the two sons Robert Gerald (1913-2008) and Peter Rudolph (1914-2016), which escalated into fights. Robert separated from the family and founded his own winery in Oakville in 1966 (see the family history in detail under Mondavi).
The Charles Krug Winery was initially run by Cesare's widow Rosa, who then handed over the management to Peter Rudolph Mondavi. This was in many points a pioneer for innovative innovations. These included varietals (varietal wines), cold fermentation of white wines, cold sterile filtration, fermentation in small French oak barrels, "Bottles & Bins" newsletters first published in 1949, and annual tastings from 1951 onwards. The sons Marc (*1954) and Peter jr. (*1958) studied viticulture at the University of California in Davis and at Stanford.
Today Peter jr. runs the business with the support of his brother Marc. The vineyards cover 340 hectares. Mostly varietals of Cabernet-Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah and Zinfandel are produced. The premium line is called "Vintage Selection". The flagship of the house, the Cabernet Sauvignon, matures for about two years in new French barriques. The two other lines are called "Family Reserve" and "Napa Valley". The simplest line is marketed under the label "CK Mondavi", these consumer wines account for by far the largest share of production.
