Duckhorn Vineyards is a boutique winery in St. Helena, California, specializing in premium Merlot wines. History Founder Dan Duckhorn, a Santa Rosa 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 (68.0 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. Production Duckhorn Vineyards produces several single-vineyard Merlots and Cabernet Sauvignons, as well as a highly regarded but less-expensive 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 labels under the names "Decoy" and "Migration." Prices range from $30 to approximately $100. References External links Duckhorn Vineyards official site Duckhorn Wine Company official site