Duckhorn Vineyards

At Duckhorn Vineyards, we have been working with Napa Valley Cabernet Franc for over a quarter century, exploring its ability to add elegance and complexity to our blends and its capacity to produce stand-alone wines of stature and sophistication. Incorporating valley floor fruit with an emphasis on older vines, low yields and warmer vineyards, our Cabernet Franc offers beautiful varietal notes of dark cherry, raspberry and red currant with hints of tobacco leaf and graphite.

After falling in love with Merlot during a visit to Bordeaux, Dan Duckhorn started producing Duckhorn Vineyards Merlot in 1978. In the years since, grapes from the Napa portion of Carneros have played a pivotal role in our Napa Valley Merlot program. Influenced by the cooling effect of the Pacific Ocean, Carneros is ideally suited for growing exceptional Merlot, yielding a wine with beautiful structure, velvety texture and lovely layers of plum and mulberry.

Stout Vineyard is located at approximately 1,700 feet in the Howell Mountain appellation–one of the Napa Valley’s most sought-after, ultra-premium winegrowing regions. As a result of its elevation, topography, soils and climate, Howell Mountain consistently produces a dark, dense and structured Merlot displaying rich wild berry and herb characteristics. In keeping with its mountain origins, this wine is supported by ample tannins, yielding a complex, age-worthy expression of Merlot.

At Duckhorn Vineyards, we have been making wine using grapes from the finest Napa Valley vineyards for over 40 years. Building on this rich history, our Napa Valley Chardonnay comes from the coolest regions. In the cellar, we applied classic techniques of French oak barrel fermentation with lees stirring, resulting in a Chardonnay that balances the complexity and richness of Napa Valley.

Almost four decades ago, before crafting their first vintage, the Duckhorns and their winemaker had a passionate discussion at the kitchen table. Though they debated making a cuvée, they chose to focus on varietal wines. Even so, Duckhorn Vineyards has always remained fascinated by the artful blend of varietals from diverse Napa Valley vineyards. Embodying the depth and complexity of a world-class Estate program, The Discussion represents the pinnacle of the Duckhorn Vineyards portfolio and the ongoing dialogue that defines great winemaking.

This Chardonnay comes from the historic Huichica Hills Vineyard in the cool heart of Carneros. Grown in clay loam soils with ideal east-west row orientations, Huichica Hills’ developed Chardonnay vines produce small clusters and berries, resulting in beautiful concentration and complexity. Fermented on the lees in the finest French oak, the result is a crisp, mineral-driven wine, alluring layers of Anjou pear, white nectarine and citrus blossom.

Rector Creek Vineyard is located north of the town of Yountville along the Silverado Trail. A unique climate featuring a cooling afternoon breeze combined with Rector Creek’s rocky alluvial soils creates excellent growing conditions for the vines. As a result, Rector Creek produces an elegant expression of Merlot with attractive blueberry and allspice aromatics, velvety structure and refined character highlighting classic notes of spicy plum.

The Rutherford winegrowing region has long been the source for some of the Napa Valley’s most storied Cabernets, and for many years, this coveted fruit has played an important role in our Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Building on our experience with these exceptional grapes, this wine captures the essence of Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon, from its lovely layers of blackberry, cassis and tobacco to the dusty minerality that has come to define the legendary wines from this appellation

We produced our first Duckhorn Vineyards Merlot in 1978. In the years since, mountain-grown grapes have played an essential role in our Napa Valley Merlot program. Atlas Peak’s temperatures can be as much as 10 degrees cooler than the valley floor, and its high-elevation vineyards are largely above the fog line. This results in long, even ripening that delivers exceptional Merlot vintage after vintage. Our Atlas Peak Merlot displays beautiful concentration with briar berry character alongside wild spice and herb notes.

Located at the base of Spring Mountain in Napa Valley’s St. Helena appellation, Patzimaro Vineyard was named after the town of Patzimaro de Aviña in honor of the Hurtado Family, an essential part of the Duckhorn Vineyards winemaking team who migrated from this small village to the Napa Valley in 1987. The vineyard enjoys high daytime temperatures and cool evenings, allowing the fruit to fully ripen while retaining the natural acidity needed to create balanced, structured Cabernet Sauvignons highlighting classic characteristics of cassis, earth and black olive.

Rector Creek Vineyard is located north of Yountville along the Silverado Trail. A unique climate featuring a cooling afternoon breeze combined with Rector Creek’s rocky alluvial soils creates excellent growing conditions for the vines. As a result, the Cabernet Sauvignon from this vineyard exhibits graceful violet and rose petal aromatic, fine-grained tannins and abundant dark fruit flavors of blackberry and black raspberry.

Duckhorn Vineyards has sourced grapes from this distinctive region for more than a quarter century and has crafted a Howell Mountain bottling since 1989. Recognized as one of the Napa Valley’s most acclaimed winegrowing regions, grapes from Howell Mountain are famous for producing age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignons with rich, deep color and excellent structure. To encourage further complexity, we bottle-age this mountain-grown wine one year longer than our other wines prior to release.

Since our inaugural 1978 vintage, we have been proud to craft a vineyard-designate Merlot from the legendary Three Palms Vineyard. Named for its three iconic palm trees, this warm, up-valley vineyard features lean soils that cause the vines to send their roots deep in search of nutrients, yielding a profoundly intense and age-worthy wine with complex fruit and mineral layers. As a testament to its status as the benchmark for New World Merlot, in 2017, Wine Spectator honored our 2014 Three Palms Vineyard Merlot as “Wine of the Year.”

At Duckhorn Vineyards, we have been making our Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc since 1982. Harvested from our estates and select Napa Valley vineyards, this rich and elegant Sauvignon Blanc was blended with Sémillon to add depth and complexity. Fermented and aged using both stainless steel and French oak, it offers ripe citrus and tropical flavors, refreshing acidity and Sémillon-driven silkiness.

Monitor Ledge is named for an outcropping of rock in the mountains overlooking the vineyard and has been an important component of Duckhorn Vineyards wine blends since 1985. Located on the alluvial fan of Selby Creek and featuring lean, well-draining soils that force the small berry-producing vines to struggle, Monitor Ledge benefits from excellent sun exposure that consistently produces ideal ripening. This unique wine displays exceptional intensity and structure alongside rich dark berry elements and complex barrel flavors.

We have been producing Cabernet Sauvignon since 1978. Blending fruit from estate vineyards and top Napa Valley growers, this wine embodies the complexity of the valley, while offering a seamless balance between fruit, oak and tannins. To add nuance, the Cabernet is blended with Merlot, yielding a wine that is approachable in its youth, yet worthy of cellaring.

Our Napa Valley Merlot is a complex blend of several individual vineyard lots, incorporating fruit from our estate vineyards and from top independent growers throughout the Napa Valley. The final wine is a rich and cohesive expression of the entire Napa Valley, reflecting the varied microclimates and soils of this unique appellation.