2018 Duckhorn Vineyards: A Timeless Merlot From A Napa Legend Available At Wine Access

Photo Credit: Wine Access

Duckhorn Valley basically wrote the book on California Merlot. For decades, their Merlots have ranked among Napa Valley’s standard-setting reds, going toe to toe with Silver Oak and Opus One.

This beautiful 2018 Duckhorn Vineyards Merlot Napa Valley is available at Wine Access. To secure your own bottle of this iconic vintage, CLICK HERE.

This 2018 Merlot is proof that Duckhorn is not satisfied yet. They are still looking to elevate their game every year. Spectator dubbed this vintage “near picture-perfect,” as this might be Duckhorn’s most luscious Napa bottling to date. It’s the kind of effort that validates Duckhorn as the go-to name in top-quality Merlots among collectors and restaurants nation-wide.

Duckhorn’s Three Palms vineyard is responsible for the richness in every glass of this vintage. In regard to the iconic vineyard, Wine Enthusiast considers it the region’s “most significant first-growth site for Merlot,” which produced one of just two Merlots to ever win Wine Spectator Wine of the Year honors.

This 2018 infuses notes of ripe black fruit with resinous herbs, earth, and graphite, displaying Duckhorn’s calling-card plushness from start to finish.

Duckhorn’s top-quality competitiveness has fueled the California Merlot boom, and they continue to produce world-class bottles at an excellent price. Throughout their four-decade run, Duckhorn has accumulated eight Wine & Spirits Top 100 Winery awards along with a bevy of critical praise. Wine Spectator has dubbed them a “juggernaut,” and Forbes has labeled their wine as “the best California Merlot there is.”

Dan Duckhorn and iconic winemaker Ric Forman joined forces in the mid-’70s and set themselves an ambitious goal: to coax Bordeaux-like elegance from the warm, rolling hills of Napa. The dynamic duo traveled to France and spent nearly a year studying the most prestigious estates in Bordeaux. Upon their return to the West Coast, they began scoping out vineyards they believed could offer First-Growth in the region. Former Duckhorn winemaker Tony Biagi said it best when he stated: The pair had “a great nose for dirt.”

Duckhorn and Forman hired winemaker Tom Rinaldi, who over 20 years lifted Duckhorn into the pantheon of Napa wineries. Renée Ary is now following suit and every blue-chip steakhouse in the country lines ups for its annual allocation. Duckhorn’s Merlot takes on a more Cabernet-like complexion, marrying sleek lines and tremendous concentration. To unlock further warmth, depth, and structure, Ary gave this 2018 a 15-month slumber in 40% new French oak.