Napa Valley winery to launch Washington state brand

(NVR) - One of Napa Valley’s premier wineries is going to Washington State.

Duckhorn Vineyards will launch a cabernet sauvignon-focused winery using grapes from Red Mountain. Carol Reber, chief marketing and business development officer for Duckhorn, said it will release its first wine, a red wine from the 2012 vintage, around Labor Day 2014.

“We are a little less than a year away from our inaugural release,” she said. “(Red Mountain) is the next great frontier for luxury cabernet.”

Duckhorn was launched in 1976 by Dan and Margaret Duckhorn. They chose to focus on merlot in a region known for cabernet sauvignon, and they found quick success. The winery also produces cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, petit verdot, sauvignon blanc and semillon. The winery has since launched additional brands, including Paraduxx, Goldeneye, Migration and Decoy.

The yet-to-be-named Red Mountain winery will be Duckhorn’s first venture outside Northern California.

“Our roots will always be Napa Valley — that’s critical to our success,” Reber said. “But we like to explore new regions. There’s no question that the wines in Washington are spectacular. We are particularly intrigued by the cabs from Red Mountain.”

Red Mountain is Washington’s smallest American Viticultural Area. About 1,400 of its 4,040 acres are planted to vineyards. It is home to such wineries as Col Solare, Hedges, Kiona and Terra Blanca. Dozens of wineries from throughout Washington use Red Mountain grapes.

The first Duckhorn wine will use grapes from four Red Mountain vineyards: Klipsun, Shaw, Quintessence and Ambassador. The wine is being made at Artifex, a custom-crush facility in Walla Walla, about an hour to the east. Bill Nancarrow, Duckhorn’s vice president and executive winemaker, has been flying to Washington regularly to make harvesting decisions and oversee the wines.