Harvest 2026: The Season of Our Fiftieth

An early spring, a light crop and some of the most concentrated fruit in years. Head winemaker Renée Ary looks back on the 2026 season.

The last Cabernet Sauvignon came in on October 12, and the cellar smells the way it does every fall: fermenting fruit, wet oak and a team running on very little sleep. Harvest is always the end of a long year. This one was also the fiftieth chapter of ours.

Dan and Margaret Duckhorn founded Duckhorn Vineyards in 1976. Dan saw what many overlooked in Merlot, that this Bordeaux grape had more to give, and he built a winery around it. We lost Dan in February, at 87. This was the first harvest without him, and every bin that came through the cellar this fall carried a little of what he started.

With the last fruit in, head winemaker Renée Ary walks through the season.

A season that started warm

The 2026 story starts in February. Warm weather in February and March pushed budbreak early across Napa Valley and moved the season forward about three weeks. Even through a cooler spring and summer, the vines never really slowed down, and the whole season ran weeks ahead of a typical year.

“2026 was an early season from the start. Warm conditions moved the growing season forward, and we tracked ahead through spring and summer. Most importantly, the vines and fruit stayed in sync.”

An early start

Picking began in late July in parts of the valley, one of the earliest starts in recent memory. We opened with Sauvignon Blanc, then moved through Chardonnay and on to the reds.

Small crop, concentrated fruit

Yields were down across the valley. The timing of bloom and set brought smaller clusters and smaller berries, and with less juice, there’s more intensity in what remains. Perfect weather through August and September then gave the reds great concentration, freshness and bright natural acidity.

“It was a smaller crop, with smaller berries, but what came in had really beautiful concentration. There was a lot of intensity in the fruit, but still really nice freshness and balance, which is always exciting to see.”

Merlot, fifty years on

We’ve made wine from Three Palms Vineyard since our first vintage in 1978, and this year’s Merlot carried special weight.

“Merlot looked beautiful this year. To be bringing it in during Duckhorn’s 50th year feels especially meaningful. It’s the variety that started everything for us, and fifty years later it’s still at the heart of what we do.”

In the cellar now

The season wrapped up with Howell Mountain Cabernet, and the 2026 wines are now in barrel. Renée on the wines so far:

“What stands out to me about 2026 is how beautifully the fruit came together despite how early the season moved. There’s a real sense of balance and energy in the wines at this stage. It’s still very early, but I’m excited about what we’re seeing in the cellar.”