Bright, fresh, elegant, subtle richness, decadent mouthfeel, very bright acidity from an iconic Napa winery and celebrated winemaker, Renée Ary. Limited production, worth searching for it. $64
Duckhorn is relatively new to sparkling. This is their second vintage. Renée Ary was the winemaker, just the fourth in Duckhorn’s distinguished history. She is one of the leading figures in contemporary Napa Valley winemaking, noted for her scientific rigor paired with artistic sensibility. Prior to Duckhorn, she worked at Robert Mondavi Winery, with formal education at UC-Davis and Napa Valley College.
Renée was named Duckhorn winemaker in 2014. Her debut Duckhorn Vineyards Three Palms Vineyard Merlot was Wine Spectator’s 2017 Wine of the Year. In 2019, she was promoted to Duckhorn’s Vice President of Winemaking, Napa Valley. Her 2019 Duckhorn Vineyards Monitor Ledge Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon was Wine Enthusiast’s #1 in on its Top 100 list in 2023. Renée notes: “I am incredibly fortunate to work with some of Napa Valley’s most exceptional grapes. There is no recipe or formula. My job is to let the vineyards speak and convey the soul of the wine.”
Dan and Margaret Duckhorn founded Duckhorn Vineyards in 1976. They focused on merlot in the beginning. Today, the seven estate vineyards are located in the Napa Valley and on the slopes of Howell Mountain and produce a number of varietals in addition to the merlot core.
The company is undergoing change. Dan and Margaret divorced in 2000. Dan was named Winemaker of the Year by the San Francisco Chronicle in 2005. GI Partners, a private equity firm, purchased controlling interest in the Duckhorn Wine Company in 2007. In 2016, TSG Consumer Partners bought the brand and its wineries for a price in the range of $600 million according to published reports. TSG took the company public in 2021.
Change continued in 2024, two years after this wine’s production. In December 2024, Butterfly Equity, a private equity firm, acquired The Duckhorn Portfolio for $1.95 billion in an all-cash transaction. The company is now engaged in a repositioning, shutting down four brands—Canvasback, Migration, Paraduxx, and Postmark—to concentrate on the seven core brands that represent 96% of net sales. The Duckhorn Vineyards brand represents one-third of sales, followed by Decoy (21%) and Sonoma-Cutrer (15%) and Kosta Browne (13%).
Margaret Duckhorn, who was intimately involved in the business even after the sales, passed in 2022, the year this wine was made. Duckhorn president and CEO: “Margaret was an icon who changed the face of American wine. She was kind, gracious, collaborative and charitable. Margaret always led by example, and instilled this remarkable sense of camaraderie, which made her a talented leader with a gift for empowering people and building consensus. She was deeply loved and universally respected.”
Duckhorn Vineyards Blanc de Blancs Sparkling Wine, Napa Valley 2022: Pale gold color; lemon, green apple, pear, ginger spice, puff pastry, brioche, electric minerality on the nose and palate.
Brut; no tannins; ripping acidity (2.94 pH; 9.8 g/L TA). Creamy, soft mousse interacts nicely with the acidity. The lemon element delightfully plays a role throughout, particularly on the vibrant finish. Made with 100% hand-selected Napa chardonnay grapes from Los Carneros, including the Duckhorn estate El Veredicto vineyard. Fermented in stainless steel, aged 10 months in 70% neutral French oak and 30% second-vintage barrels; 25% malolactic conversion. Méthode champenoise (traditional method where the second fermentation occurs in the bottle), with 32 months en tirage (aging on the lees)—thus the distinctive creaminess and complexity. 12.5% ABV
Pairing—Light seafood, grilled or poached fish (sole, halibut, snapper), poached salmon, scallops, crab salads, oysters Rockefeller, grilled shrimp on a stick, lobster bisque; raw shellfish, oysters on the half-shell with squeeze of lemon, clams. Roast chicken with herbs, turkey breast with light pan jus. Asparagus risotto, shaved fennel salad with citrus vinaigrette, lightly fried zucchini blossoms. Avoid heavy sauces, spicy dishes, barbecue sauce dishes. Cheese—Bloomy-rind, lightly washed; langres. Soft-ripened cow’s milk, brillat-savarin, délice de Bourgogne, chaource, ripe brie, camembert. Fresh, young goat cheese, chèvre. Avoid salty blue cheese, very old hard cheese.
