Dan Duckhorn did not take the usual route to be the owner of one of the most iconic wineries in Napa Valley. Dan did not come from a family tradition of winemaking. The closest he came was his father dabbled in making home cherry wine in his basement for his friends. Dan did not major in winemaking in college; in fact, his background was finance. Nor did he get into the wine business because of his lifelong love for wine, although he spent a week in Pomerol with his wife before starting the winery, which may explain his focus on Merlot. Dan's career was more a story of survival in business and fending for his family, which partly explains his fantastic work ethic. Dan graduated with a finance degree from UC Berkley. In San Francisco, he found himself working for a company called Crocker Associates when Dan's boss Charlie Crocker purchased a summer home in St. Helena. The property had come with a number of greenhouses that were not being used at the time, and at the same time, there was growing demand from several vintners to use the greenhouses to grow bench-grafts - nursey grape vines to be plated in new vineyards. Seeing an opportunity there, Dan, along with Charlie's funding, started a new company called Vineyard Technical Services. This new enterprise opened the door of Napa vineyards to Dan and his wife Margaret, and instead of commuting from San Francisco, he packed up his three children, wife, and dog and moved to Napa to tend to this new business. Failure was not an option; he had a family to feed.

In 1976, with the help of Charlie Crocker and seven co-investors, Dan and Margaret bought a 10-acre vineyard property off of Lodi Lane and founded Duckhorn Vineyards. In 1976, Napa Valley was not the wall-to-wall winery and tourist attraction (surpassing Disney World for visitors) that it is today. In those days, it was rustic farmlands. Duckhorn Vineyards was the 40th Napa Valley winery created. Today there are more than 1,700 registered wineries, but only about 500 have facilities in the valley. Duckhorn Vineyards has spent forty years establishing itself as one of North America's premier producers of Napa Valley wines. From its modest inaugural vintage in 1978, they were producing 800 cases of Merlot and 800 cases of Cabernet, to its addition of Sauvignon Blanc in 1982. all under the watchful eye of their new now famous winemaker Tom Rinaldi. When Tom rolled up to the winery on a motorcycle looking like "a flower child," as Margaret Duckhorn called him, they had no idea what they were in for. It worked out perfectly because Tom ended up as the Duckhorn winemaker for the next 22 years of exponential growth.

In those early days, you did not have to sell to a distributor to sell your wines to the public. As Dan tells it, he would load up his truck in the early morning, drive south to San Francisco, have breakfast, and then hand-deliver his cases to restaurants and stores on a route back home to Napa. The next day, rinse and repeat. Through hard work, Duckhorn Vineyards has crafted a tradition of quality and excellence that continues today. Duckhorn has since expanded its operations to Sonoma and Washington State. In 2021 the company will own ten wineries, which include the winery brands of Duckhorn Vineyards, Decoy, Paraduxx, Goldeneye, Migration, Canvasback, Calera, Kosta Browne, Greenwing, and Postmark. Dan & Margaret remained active in the company till 2016.

Their original 10-acre property is located near the town of St. Helena and is home to Marlee's Vineyard, initially planted by the Duckhorn's in 1981. The vines surrounding their driveway and parking lot are currently planted to a tasty Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. This is also the site of the gorgeous country-style Duckhorn Vineyards Estate House. Duckhorn wines have been well represented in various White House functions and dinners spanning the terms of multiple presidents. Menus from these White House dinners are displayed inside the Estate House.

Duckhorn production has always taken the road less traveled, from its first vintage that focused on Merlot in 1978, influenced by Dan and Margaret's vacation trip to Pomerol. By 1982 Tom and Dan decided that it was time to make Duckhorn's first white varietal wine, a Bordeaux-style Sauvignon Blanc. The Sauvignon Blanc was an exciting addition because it was a brand new wine for them to create with new equipment and new techniques. When many Sauvignon Blanc vineyards were replanted to the more popular Chardonnay, Dan wanted to make a wine similar to the dry whites from Bordeaux. The wine became an immediate success for restaurants and foodies for its ability to complement a wide variety of dishes.

The current winemaker at Duckhorn is Renee Ary, only the fourth head winemaker since its founding in 1976. After earning her Bachelor's degree in chemistry, she accepted a position as a laboratory technician at Robert Mondavi Winery in Oakville. After four years at Mondavi and attending winemaking classes at UC Davis, she joined Duckhorn Vineyards in 2003 as lab manager. She worked alongside renowned winemakers Mark Beringer and Bill Nancarrow, honing her winemaking skills, refining her palate, and working in almost every position at the winery. She rose through the ranks at Duckhorn and, in 2014, became only the fourth winemaker in the four-decade history of Duckhorn Vineyards. Just to put a pin on it, her debut vintage while in total control; her 2014 vintage of the revered Three Palms Vineyard Merlot was named "Wine of the Year" by Wine Spectator, on its list of the "Top 100 Wines" in the world in 2017.

Renee's approach to making Duckhorn's Sauvignon Blanc follows the philosophy of Duckhorn since it started making Sauvignon Blanc in 1982. That is a wine modeled after the wines of White Bordeaux. A Sauvignon Blanc with a touch of oak aging and Semillon added for structure and body. Originally grapes for the Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc came from their home ranch, Marlee's Vineyards. But the popularity of the wine demanded expansion and a need for more fruit. Today they source from nine sub-regions in Northern California, 55% from Sonoma County and 45% from Napa Valley. A blend of 93% Sauvignon Blanc and 7% Sémillon, gently pressed and fermented, aged in 92% stainless steel and 8% in new French oak for five months. This is an exceptionally well-made wine.

Despite an unusually dry winter and warm spring, bud break was delayed due to light rain in March. The overall lack of rainfall led to light clusters and small berries, which resulted in reduced yields and great flavor concentration. Harvest began on August 5th with Semillon, and early heat generated a fast and furious first few weeks of picking. A much-needed mid-September cool-down allowed for sugars to realign with flavor development. Moderate temperatures continued throughout the rest of the season, providing additional hangtime for the grapes and resulting in bright, fresh, and refined white wines with lovely underlying complexity.

The lush and alluring Sauvignon Blanc reveals aromas of lemon verbena, candied pineapple, lime, and summer melon. On the palate, it is silky and mouth-filling, with refreshing acidity framing the tantalizing citrus and tropical fruit flavors while carrying the wine to a long, focused finish.

The 2021 Duckhorn Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc is authentic and spot-on. This wine shines with aromas and flavors of rustic spices, herbs, and dried earth. Enjoy it with a savory fish stew. Wine.com 92 pts.

Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc 2021

Distributors, like everyone in life, have certain obligations they have to meet. They call them quotas. Sometimes for various reasons, they have to meet those quotas, no questions asked. Our Duckhorn distributor has the highest rating available by Duckhorn called Mallard, and to keep that lofty designation will make every effort to keep their depletions at a very high level. This is when they offer us an incredible price, more so considering the wine will be taking a price increase next month. When tasting this wine, I had to invite Tim G with his vast experience of White Bordeaux wines. The nose was classic Sauvignon Blanc, with citrus, lime, some peach overtones, and some whetstone. The mouth has some nice weight and a feel of creamy texture, fruit, and some mineral content. The acid keeps the fruit alive and leaves a fresh, clean finish. After 15 minutes of the wine being open, more complexity came out in the wine, with layers of flavor and a degree of earthiness. At $19, this wine is an excellent example of what a well-made Sauvignon Blanc should be. If you are a Duckhorn fan, and I know many of you are, now is the time to get in on this first-class Sauvignon Blanc at an unbelievable price.

Regular Price: $29.99

*Sale price is on 6 or more bottles

Wine is packed in a 12-bottle case