Duckhorn Wine Company is a pretty big wine producer that has created several 'sister' brands such as Paraduxx, Goldeneye and Decoy. Paraduxx has its own tasting room off the Silverado trail, and its primarily Zinfandel based. Duckhorn on the otherhand is off highway 29 and is more Cabernet based, and has been the flagship brand of the company. This was the first winery we hit up on Friday, it was about 11:30 AM with a little mist in the air and we were one of the first at the winery - in otherwards it was perfect conditions for tastings.
Duckhorn is known for its melodic Merlot's and its nice Cabernet Sauvignon's. They make one white, a Sauvignon Blanc, and the rest are all reds. The Duckhorn tasting room is an old home where everybody is sat down for a formal tasting. What I really like is that hey provide tasting note cards for each of their tasting varietals. What I don't like is the pretentiousness of the whole experience.
We tasted the following wines:
- 2006 Sauvignon Blanc ($25 bottle) - made up of 75% Sauvignon Blanc & 25% Semillion - Nice citrus cover with a subtle hint of orange on the finish. A nice wine, easy to drink and something I would gladly drink regularly - if it were half the price. I love the Australia & New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc's that are just as good and around $15 a bottle.
- 2005 Napa Valley Merlot ($52) - Enough character to give it a supple personality but not spectacular.
- 2000 Estate Grown Napa Valley Merlot (not for sale) - Smooth, drinkable - beautiful nose, in contrast to the '04 you can taste the maturity that has given it a nice silky smooth finish.
- 2004 Estate Grown Napa Valley Merlot ($85) - Lacks definition and is too young but its drinkable.
- 2004 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($52) - Very dry, the finish in particular is so dry that it negates anything that might distinguish it. Kind of a merlot like cab.
- 2004 Estate Grown Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($85) - Blend of 4 estate vineyards - boysenberry taste, medium bodied, straight forward and nice drinking.
- 2004 Estate Single Vineyard Rector Creek Cabernet Sauvignon ($95) - Cherry rich nose, easy to drink but could use a little age to soften its alcohol.
- 2004 Estate Single Vineyard Patzimaro Cabernet Sauvignon ($95) - Chaulky, though I was feeling "no pain" by the time I got to this particular vintage.
We also tasted the following non-Duckhorn wines:
- 2004 Goldeneye Anderson Valley Pinot Noir ($52) - Strong earthy/leathery nose. Complex while being subtle...not my favorite but very good. It's pleasant and distinctly unique - both good for a Pinot - think Burgundian style - which for those who don't know what they means is a Pinot that's soft and doesn't have the heavy handed alcohol of the American Pinot's.
- 2005 Paraduxx ($48) - Its a Zinfandel based blend that takes the cabernet grape to create its taste. It's good but a different approach than the others.
Overall I really like Duckhorn and Paraduxx, and was impressed with the Goldeneye Pinot but there is such a big premium on many of their 'well cared for' wines that its difficult to recommend them. Of course they're cheaper than the cult favorites (Screaming eagle, Harlan among others) but wine is supposed to be fun and enjoyable, and at $60+ bottle, it becomes only about exclusivity.
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