Story 33

A Name Planted in the Vineyard

At Duckhorn, 25 years of dedication is recognized in a way uniquely tied to the land. Team members who reach this milestone select a vineyard block, a defined section of the estate farmed as its own, to bear their name: a lasting tribute to the people whose care, knowledge, and commitment have helped shape Duckhorn over the past 50 years.

Rocio Hurtado has walked this ground longer than most vines have been in it. Ask her to point out her block at Rector Creek Vineyard, one defined stretch of rows within the larger estate, farmed and picked as its own piece of ground, and she doesn’t hesitate. It’s hers, named for her, the way Duckhorn marks a career that’s crossed 25 years.

Two men cheersing with wine glasses with red wine in them

The tradition is simple: reach a quarter century with the winery, and you’re invited to choose a block from one of Duckhorn’s seven estates to carry your name for good. It’s a small ceremony with a lasting result. Long after a harvest ends, the name stays in the row.

“When I reached 25 years, I thought back to my first day,” Rocio says. “I think that if someone had told me then that I would be here for 25 years, I wouldn’t have believed them. But it’s very special, because I’ve watched Duckhorn grow.”

That span, watching a winery grow from the inside, has become part of Duckhorn’s story in its own right. Over 50 years, plenty of people have built entire careers here, and the vineyard blocks are where that time becomes visible. Walk the estates and the names aren’t just labels. They’re a record of who kept showing up.

For Rocio, the tradition is also a family one. Miguel Hurtado, her son and a fellow Duckhorn team member, sees the blocks named for longtime employees and calls them “something for me to strive for.” There are other Hurtado names already in the vineyard and another now working towards adding one more. This means the tradition isn’t just passing between coworkers here. It’s passing within a family.

Two men cheersing with wine glasses with red wine in them

That’s really what the tradition does. It turns a career into a landmark, then lets the next person, sometimes the next person in your own family, navigate by it.

As Duckhorn marks its 50th anniversary this year, the blocks offer a different way to measure the milestone. Vintages and bottles tell part of the story. So do the people who stayed long enough to have a piece of the vineyard bear their name, and the ones still working toward that same recognition.

Rocio Hurtado’s name is in the rows at Rector Creek now. It’ll be there for the next harvest, and the one after that, and one day, maybe, alongside another Hurtado block nearby.