In this post-phylloxera era of Napa Valley, there’s no trace of “new money” from the latest computer whiz pouring into Charles Krug Winery. Nor, for that matter, is there any fashionable cult surrounding the wine from this north St. Helena property.

So, how then, does the Napa Valley’s first winery – established in 1861 and run by Mondavis for the last three-quarters of a century – survive? How does it even thrive and how does the Peter Mondavi family - the winery’s caretakers for the last four decades - manage to stay current?

It’s a story of a winery that has pioneered the wine industry in the Napa Valley only to see it bypassed, and even forgotten. As the ever-increasing constrictions of a love-it-now society chews up and spits out the pit from today’s perfect peach, the sweet juices of yesterday are sometimes left to run down the drain.

That’s why, in part, the Charles Krug Winery is often taken for granted as some relic, while all around it, lesser-known interlopers with $150 wines and an owner on his second or third career iteration, flourish - if only for the moment.

But I, for one, have paid attention to what’s been going on the last five years or so as the third generation at Krug have become fully ensconced in its daily operations. I’ve frequently given my readers a heads-up as to the fine Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc that are being made by winemaker Peter Mondavi Jr. as he’s taken over vineyard and winemaking duties from his now 92½-year-old father Peter.

The cash cow for the company has always been the CK Mondavi brand with its annual million-case production. But what is not widely known is that under the Charles Krug label, some truly world-class Cabernet Sauvignons are being produced by Pete Mondavi and winemaker Adolpho Alarcon (Pete’s brother Marc and John Moynier are the winemakers for CK Mondavi.).

While the national media has well-chronicled the exigencies of the other side of the family’s loss of their far-more visible Robert Mondavi Winery, the Peter Mondavi branch has quietly stood by.

Krug has acquired some vineyards in the last five years. About half, or 225 planted acres over 11 vineyards (see Holdings below) and four of Napa Valley’s sub-regions, are being farmed organically. And the wines, some of which will soon be vineyard-designated, are finally being noticed by the press and consumers for their quality.

I recently spoke to Pete Mondavi Jr. about what it takes to keep going, and of the changes that have taken place at Charles Krug over the last few years.