Duckhorn

Duckhorn Vineyards was co-founded by Dan and Margaret Duckhorn in 1976 in the St. Helena area of Napa. Duckhorn Winery has spent over 35 years specializing in crafting wines produced exclusively from Bordeaux grape varieties. The first vintage of Duckhorn wines came in 1978 with 800 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon and 800 cases of Merlot according to our Duckhorn wine reviews. In 1982 Sauvignon Blanc was added to their portfolio but throughout its existence Duckhorn has maintained a real focus on Merlot. After traveling to St. Emilion and Pomerol, Dan could not understand how such an elegant varietal was so under-appreciated in North America. Today, the Duckhorn Three Palms Vineyard Merlot is one of the highest regarded Merlots by consumers and critics alike according to our Duckhorn wine ratings. Duckhorn owns seven estate vineyards which are located throughout the Napa Valley as well as on the desirable slopes of Howell Mountain. To see which wines are best suited for you be sure to check out our Duckhorn buying guide below.

Sort By:

points

Duckhorn 2008 Monitor Ledge Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley)

Price $95

This is an extraordinarily ripe, flashy Cabernet Sauvignon, one of Duckhorn’s new red wines that is among the most impressive in years. The wine is densely packed in sweet red and black currant fruit, chocolate and licorice flavors, wrapped into firm tannins, with a bone-dry finish. Just fantastic to experience now, and it should easily develop over at least a decade. — S.H. (10/1/2012)

points

Duckhorn 2008 Patzimaro Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley)

Cellar Selection

Price $95

Huge, rich and flamboyant, this hasa sweetness at its core—like the essence of red and black currants, with an elaborate note of caramel imparted from smoky oak. Yet everything about it is utterly and properly dry. The vineyard is in St. Helena, not quite in the Spring Mountain appellation, yet showing the fruit concentration firm tannins of mountain-grown grapes… — S.H. (10/1/2012)

points

Duckhorn 2006 The Discussion Red (Napa Valley)

Price $115

Duckhorn set out to make a dazzler, and succeeded. A Bordeaux blend based mainly on Cabernet Sauvignon, it has too many flavors to list, but blackberries, dark chocolate, orange peel, red licorice, bacon and dusty Indian spices surely top the list, wrapped into soft but super fine tannins. Really a first-rate wine that earns a place in the Napa pantheon. Now–2015… — S.H. (11/1/2010)

points

Duckhorn 2004 Estate Grown Merlot (Napa Valley)

Price $85

A blend of four vineyards, this is an extremely impressive Merlot. It dazzles with rich, ripe black currant, cherry liqueur, raspberry, milk chocolate, smoky oak and spice flavors that are complex and go on and on through the finish. Beyond that is the texture, so refined and elegant, combining power and subtle elegance. Just a gorgeous, sensual Merlot. Drink now–2010. — S.H. (12/31/2007)

points

Duckhorn 2004 Red Wine (Howell Mountain)

Cellar Selection

Price $75

Almost entirely Merlot, with a few drops of other Bordeaux varieties, this Howell Mountain red screams for time in the cellar. The tannins bite and dog the mouth through the long, astringent finish. But chew on it for a while and you hit a deep core of blackberries and currants, and the more the wine warms up in the glass, the more impressive it gets. Cellar until… — S.H. (12/15/2008)

points

Duckhorn 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley)

Editors' Choice

Price $65

A tremendous Cabernet, one of the last to come from the great 2007 vintage. Drinking perfectly now, it’s a soft, smooth sipper, with lush flavors of blackberries, blueberries, cherries, cocoa and cedar. The addition of Merlot brings a soft, mellowed mouthfeel. Picking up bottle bouquet at the age of four, it will continue to gain traction for many years. — S.H. (12/15/2011)

points

Duckhorn 2007 The Discussion Estate Grown Red (Napa Valley)

Cellar Selection

Price $115

Duckhorn’s new releases are so good, you might hesitate to make the investment on this Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot blend. True, it’s not the most drinkable of their wines, at this time, but it easily is the most intense and concentrated. Dazzles with a molten core of sweet blackberries, blueberries and cassis, deep and long in the finish. Don’t insult it by drinking… — S.H. (12/1/2011)

points

Duckhorn 2009 Three Palms Vineyard Merlot (Napa Valley)

Cellar Selection

Price $85

This is classic Three Palms Merlot—as excellent as anything Duckhorn has ever produced. It shows the hard tannins that always mark the winery’s Bordeaux-style red wines, but it’s luscious and deep in berry fruit, licorice, grilled meat and cola. It should have no difficulty negotiating the years. Give it until around 2015, but if you can’t wait, at least decant it… — S.H. (10/1/2012)

Most Reviewed Designations

25th Harvest Decoy Estate Estate Grown Howell Mountain Monitor Ledge Vineyard Patzimaro Vineyard Rector Creek Vineyard The Discussion The Discussion Estate Grown Three Palms Vineyard

Most Reviewed Varietals

Bordeaux-style Red Blend Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Red Blend Sauvignon Blanc

2010 Mira Stanly Ranch

Winemaker Gustavo Gonzalez left Robert Mondavi to do his own thing, and…

(Sponsored)