Duckhorn Vineyards
Encyclopedia
Duckhorn Vineyards is a boutique winery
in St. Helena
, California
, specializing in premium Merlot
wines.
native and Berkeley graduate, toured the Pomerol
and Saint-Émilion
in the Bordeaux
region of France
in the mid-1970s with Ric Forman
, who as winemaker
of Sterling Vineyards
had introduced vintage-dated Merlot
wine to California. He returned to California with his then-wife Margaret (the couple divorced in 2000) to promote a new market for Merlot. They founded Duckhorn Vineyards in 1976.
Production grew from 1,600 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon
and Merlot in 1978 to more than 20,000 cases in 2006. Beginning in 1988, Duckhorn purchased seven estate vineyards on Howell Mountain and the valley floor, for a total of 168 acres (68 ha) in Napa Valley, and four vineyards totaling 153 acres (61.9 ha) in the Anderson Valley
, Mendocino County.
In July, 2007, GI Partners
, a private equity
firm, purchased a controlling interest
in Duckhorn Wine Company and with it Duckhorn's various brands and operations at a valuation believed to exceed $250 million.
. In 2005, the San Francisco Chronicle
proclaimed Dan Duckhorn its "Winemaker of the Year" and named four of his wines to its list of "Top 100 Wines of 2005." In addition to Duckhorn, Duckhorn Wine Company also operates Goldeneye, a maker of Pinot Noir
in Anderson Valley, and Paraduxx, a blend of Zinfandel
and Cabernet Sauvignon made at a winery on the Silverado Trail between Yountville and Oakville, California. The company also labels under the names "Decoy" and "Migration." Prices range from $30 to approximately $100.
Winery
A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, bottling lines, laboratories, and large expanses of...
in St. Helena
St. Helena, California
St. Helena is a city in Napa County, California, United States. It is part of the northern San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 5,814 at the 2010 census....
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, specializing in premium Merlot
Merlot
Merlot is a darkly blue-coloured wine grape, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to derive from the Old French word for young blackbird, merlot, a diminutive of merle, the blackbird , probably from the color of the grape. Merlot-based wines...
wines.
History
Founder Dan Duckhorn, a Santa RosaSanta Rosa, California
Santa Rosa is the county seat of Sonoma County, California, United States. The 2010 census reported a population of 167,815. Santa Rosa is the largest city in California's Wine Country and fifth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area, after San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Fremont and 26th...
native and Berkeley graduate, toured the Pomerol
Pomerol
Pomerol is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.It is located near Bordeaux.-Population:-Wine:The mostly small-sized producers in this area of about produce red wines. As in the neighbouring appellation of Saint-Émilion, the predominant grape variety is Merlot,...
and Saint-Émilion
Saint-Émilion
Saint-Émilion is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-History:Saint-Émilion's history goes back to prehistoric times and is a World Heritage site, with fascinating Romanesque churches and ruins stretching all along steep and narrow streets.The Romans planted...
in the Bordeaux
Bordeaux wine
A Bordeaux wine is any wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France. Average vintages produce over 700 million bottles of Bordeaux wine, ranging from large quantities of everyday table wine, to some of the most expensive and prestigious wines in the world...
region of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in the mid-1970s with Ric Forman
Ric Forman
Richard Forman is an American winemaker, vineyard manager, and consultant, who has made contributions to the rise of Napa Valley as one of the premier winemaking regions of the world.- Details:...
, who as winemaker
Winemaker
A winemaker or vintner is a person engaged in winemaking. They are generally employed by wineries or wine companies, where their work includes:*Cooperating with viticulturists...
of Sterling Vineyards
Sterling Vineyards
Sterling Vineyards, is a winery near Calistoga, California, owned by international alcohol conglomerate Diageo. The winery achieved international recognition when its wine won first place in the Ottawa Wine Tasting of 1981.-Description:...
had introduced vintage-dated Merlot
Merlot
Merlot is a darkly blue-coloured wine grape, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to derive from the Old French word for young blackbird, merlot, a diminutive of merle, the blackbird , probably from the color of the grape. Merlot-based wines...
wine to California. He returned to California with his then-wife Margaret (the couple divorced in 2000) to promote a new market for Merlot. They founded Duckhorn Vineyards in 1976.
Production grew from 1,600 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley...
and Merlot in 1978 to more than 20,000 cases in 2006. Beginning in 1988, Duckhorn purchased seven estate vineyards on Howell Mountain and the valley floor, for a total of 168 acres (68 ha) in Napa Valley, and four vineyards totaling 153 acres (61.9 ha) in the Anderson Valley
Anderson Valley
Anderson Valley is a sparsely populated region in western Mendocino County in Northern California. Located approximately 100 miles north of San Francisco, the name "Anderson Valley" applies broadly to several rural, unincorporated communities in or near the alluvial terraces along Anderson Creek...
, Mendocino County.
In July, 2007, GI Partners
GI Partners
GI Partners L.P. is a private equity firm based in Menlo Park, California and London, England.- Description :...
, a private equity
Private equity
Private equity, in finance, is an asset class consisting of equity securities in operating companies that are not publicly traded on a stock exchange....
firm, purchased a controlling interest
Controlling interest
Controlling interest in a corporation means to have control of a large enough block of voting stock shares in a company such that no one stock holder or coalition of stock holders can successfully oppose a motion...
in Duckhorn Wine Company and with it Duckhorn's various brands and operations at a valuation believed to exceed $250 million.
Production
Duckhorn Vineyards produces several single-vineyard Merlots and Cabernet Sauvignons, as well as a highly regarded but less-expensive Sauvignon blancSauvignon blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is a green-skinned grape variety which originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French word sauvage and blanc due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in South West France., a possible descendant of savagnin...
. In 2005, the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
proclaimed Dan Duckhorn its "Winemaker of the Year" and named four of his wines to its list of "Top 100 Wines of 2005." In addition to Duckhorn, Duckhorn Wine Company also operates Goldeneye, a maker of Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir
Pinot noir is a black wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes...
in Anderson Valley, and Paraduxx, a blend of Zinfandel
Zinfandel
Zinfandel is a variety of red grape planted in over 10 percent of California vineyards. DNA fingerprinting revealed that it is genetically equivalent to the Croatian grape Crljenak Kaštelanski, and also the Primitivo variety traditionally grown in Puglia , where it was introduced in the 18th century...
and Cabernet Sauvignon made at a winery on the Silverado Trail between Yountville and Oakville, California. The company also labels under the names "Decoy" and "Migration." Prices range from $30 to approximately $100.