About us

Duckhorn Vineyards is a Napa Valley winery that helped establish Merlot as one of America’s great varietal wines. Dan and Margaret Duckhorn founded the winery in 1976 with a small group of friends. From the outset, they wanted to make wines that reflected the character of the valley’s vineyards, believing that Merlot deserved greater recognition in Napa Valley.

Visits to Saint-Émilion and Pomerol in France deepened Dan’s appreciation of the variety. He admired its softness, velvety texture and versatility with food. While many California wineries used Merlot primarily for blending, Dan decided to give it a leading role as a varietal wine. The Duckhorns worked alongside founding winemaker Tom Rinaldi on their inaugural harvest in 1978, producing 800 cases of Merlot from Three Palms Vineyard and an equal number of cases of Cabernet Sauvignon from Stag’s Leap District and Howell Mountain.

Dan and Margaret brought complementary strengths to the winery. Dan guided its direction, and his longstanding dedication to Merlot eventually earned him the nickname “Mr. Merlot,” coined by New York Times wine writer Frank Prial. Margaret initially worked on wine production before turning her attention to marketing and international public relations. She helped build the winery’s reputation and maintained close ties with the local winegrowing community. Napa Valley was her family’s home, and she supported charitable initiatives and efforts to care for the surrounding landscape. She also played an important role in establishing Goldeneye, Paraduxx, Migration and Canvasback, as well as expanding the Decoy range.

The belief that great wine begins in the vineyard led the winery to begin expanding its estate vineyard holdings in 1988. Owning vineyards gave the team greater control over grape quality and the opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of each site over time. Three Palms holds a special place in this story: the winery had worked with its fruit since its first vintage and acquired the vineyard in 2015. Its significance was underscored when Wine Spectator named the 2014 Three Palms Vineyard Merlot its Wine of the Year in 2017.

Winemaker Renée Ary carries the founders’ work forward. She joined Duckhorn Vineyards in 2003 and became the fourth head winemaker in its history in 2014. Her approach pays close attention to each vineyard block, its soils and microclimate. Individual lots are aged separately, and she draws on tasting and her knowledge of each site when creating the final blends.

Over the years, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and The Discussion red blend have joined Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon in the winery’s portfolio. In 2026, Duckhorn Vineyards celebrates its fiftieth anniversary. What began as a small winery has grown into a respected Napa Valley name, with a story still closely tied to the grape variety that Dan and Margaret believed in from the start.