Vineyard landscape with winery building surrounded by trees and rolling hills.

Don’t Call it A Comeback

Call it conviction.

We’ve believed in Merlot since 1976. Not because it was trending, but because we saw what it could become.

For nearly 250 years, Merlot has been prized for its depth, color, and expressive beauty. From its early roots in Bordeaux to tables around the world, it has always been a grape of generosity and grace. Silky in texture, rich in fruit, and endlessly food-friendly, Merlot offers immediate pleasure and rewards patience in equal measure.

A Global Classic

Today, Merlot is the most widely planted grape in France and the backbone of legendary wines from Saint-Émilion and Pomerol. It thrives across continents not because it follows trends, but because it transcends them.

Elegant yet powerful. Approachable yet profound. Merlot belongs wherever people gather.

The First Spark

Duckhorn’s love affair with Merlot began in the early 1970s, when co-founder Dan Duckhorn traveled through Bordeaux’s Right Bank and felt its pull instantly. He was drawn to its softness, its seduction, and its natural place at the table.

More than admiration, he saw possibility. Napa Valley, with its diversity of soils and pioneering spirit, could produce Merlot worthy of the world stage.

men from Duckhorn Vineyards with boxes of grapes

A Declaration

In the 1970s, Merlot was rarely treated as a leading voice in California. In 1978, Duckhorn changed that conversation with a bold commitment to Merlot as a luxury, standalone wine.

Our first bottling, sourced from the now-iconic Three Palms Vineyard, set the course for everything that followed. This was not a trend or a test. It was a declaration.

For fifty years, Merlot has been our calling.

A Sense of Place

What continues to inspire us is how clearly Merlot expresses place.

In cooler sites, it offers lifted aromatics and vibrant red fruit. On the valley floor, it becomes plush and layered, generous and inviting. From mountain vineyards, it reveals structure, minerality, and remarkable longevity. Across Napa Valley and our eight Estate vineyards, Merlot tells a story of nuance, contrast, and character.

Still Ours

Trends may come and go, but greatness endures. Merlot never disappeared. It has been here all along: timeless, expressive, and deeply rooted in Duckhorn’s identity.

Passed from winemaker to winemaker, shaped by exceptional vineyards, and refined through five decades of experience, Merlot is in our DNA.