Duckhorn Vineyards
Duckhorn Vineyards is a winery outside St. Helena, California, specializing in Merlot wines.History
The company was started by Dan and Margaret Duckhorn in 1976, and initially specialized in growing Merlot. By 2007 it had in seven vineyards in the Napa Valley and on Howell Mountain, and in four vineyards in the Anderson Valley in Mendocino County.
In July 2007, a controlling interest in the company was sold to GI Partners, a private equity firm, at a price believed to be over $250 million. The company was sold to another private equity firm, TSG Consumer Partners, in 2016.Production
The company produces several single-vineyard Merlots and Cabernet Sauvignons, as well as a Sauvignon blanc. 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 produces second wines under the names Decoy, Migration and Canvasback.
Some of Duckhorn's Napa Vineyards in the Pope Valley region are managed by Oscar Renteria.
